By Madison Lusignan – Staff Reporter

“Atypical” is a coming-of-age series on Netflix created by Robia Rashid, featuring a family of four that faces more challenges than accomplishments. 

The star of the show is Sam Gardner, an 18-year-old with autism spectrum disorder, who goes through the journey of life with more challenges and roadblocks than most people have in their whole life.

Sam is the older brother of his sister Casey, and son of parents, Elsa and Doug Gardner. 

Casey teases Sam throughout the show but is always there as a support system for him, and always helps him through his rough moments, and so do his parents.

Sam has a love for Antarctica and all of its creatures, and is soothed by the thought of them or by focusing on them when he is struggling or having a bad moment. 

One thing viewers discover about Sam is that change is hard for him. It makes his life so much harder especially in this evolving world. 

One of the most memorable moments in the show is when Sam gets into college and gets to start down a path towards his own life and decisions.

Another memorable moment is when Sam gets his first girlfriend and discovers all of the different opportunities she has in her life. She brings him a new perspective. 

One of the more upsetting moments in the show is when Elsa and Doug separate; after lots of fighting and arguing, they take a break. This was troubling especially after all they had accomplished with Sam and everything they had helped him with.

Another awkward moment in the show is when Sam is forced to get a new therapist. After 18 years, Sam had finally figured out he had developed feelings for his therapist which was not acceptable to her or Sam’s parents, so they forced him to find a new one.

“Atypical” really shows the lives of people on the autism spectrum and the friends and family around them. It gives the audience an idea of what life on the autism spectrum is like and the difficulties they face day to day.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars