A Netflix Special

In the world of Netflix, there's room for all kinds of TV series that would never make it on conventional television. They don't fit a broadcast time allotment. They feature characters who the average TV executive thinks aren't relatable. They're unusually specific. In the case of Special, it's all of those things.

Special is the sole vision of its writer-director-creator-star, Ryan O'Connell, who built the series on the back of his own memoir, I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves. It's the fictionalized story of (you'll never guess) Ryan, who is starting a new job at a web zine. He is gay and has cerebral palsy, and is presented an unusual opportunity to remake his own identity when, on his first day at work, he's hit (comically) by a car in the parking lot. He decides to pass off his cerebral palsy as the after-effects of the accident. The series is rounded out by Ryan's friend and co-worker Kim, quirky boss Olivia, mother Karen, and a handful of heightened comedic characters.

It feels like there are more stories than I can count about LGBT characters struggling with their identity, arcing toward a coming out, or doing the dance of "passing" as straight. It's a novel and subversive twist on that formula to present a character who is openly gay and trying to mask some other part of their identity. And because it all emerges directly from the mind of O'Connell, the broad comedy is also lined with a real-world perspective that often feels eye-opening.

There are just two eight-episode seasons of the show -- and that's all there will be. (I'm not sure if Netflix or O'Connell chose to end it, but the series finale is definitively a finale.) But there's quite a difference between both seasons. Season 1 is "bite-sized," with 15-minute episodes focused mainly on the humor. Season 2 expands to 30-minute episodes, becomes somewhat more dramatic, and expands to include more significant subplots for the other major characters.

Special could never have been anywhere but a streaming service, of course. But the paradox is that I really do think it's more "for everyone" than many of the shows on broadcast television. (Assuming you're OK with "strong language and sexual situations.") Besides the show just having a light, comedic touch that makes it easy to watch, there are just so many roads into it. You might relate to Ryan as an LGBT character, or for his cerebral palsy, or as a struggling writer. You might have a bold friend like Kim, or be struggling financially, or be worried about maintaining your "image." You might be an empty nester parent unsure of what to do now that the kid you raised has left the house. Special sounds highly specific in concept, but it's actually quite universal in many ways.

Is Special the "best thing on Netflix you're not watching?" No, that's overstating it. But I'd say the two seasons are reliably and consistently enjoyable. I'd give the series a B.