I was one of the very few people who was not tuned into the "Game of Thrones" season premiere on April 14, mainly because neither I or anyone I know has HBO.
So naturally enough, as I usually do on Sunday nights, I turned on Netflix and saw that they released a new miniseries that I seldom heard about until I logged on: "Special."
"Special" is an interesting tale, partially executive produced by Jim Parsons of "Big Bang Theory" fame. It follows Ryan O'Connell (himself), a gay man with cerebral palsy, and his troubles finding love and independence after a life of constant coddling by his helicopter parent mother (Jessica Hecht), who herself is struggling to find love too.
Ryan does this all-the-while working at a fever dream-like internship at a BuzzFeed-esque online publication, where he meets the bubbly character Kim (Punam Patel). Throughout the series, Kim becomes the guiding light for Ryan's fledgling independent life, setting up Ryan with her friends including Carey (Augustus Prew).
What's notable about "Special" is that each episode is under 20 minutes. This makes a perfect binge, especially those who usually have a low attention span when it comes to monotonous shows. But at the same time, it is completely understandable why this short length is problematic. After all, this show's comedic content makes you want more after each colorful ending credits.
Moreover, "Special" is also special in the sense of its outstanding representation rarely seen even in uncensored platforms like Netflix. It features not only a gay man but one that is disabled, a plus-sized woman of color that is proud of her image, and shows steamy same-sex scenes featuring sex workers in a positive, jovial light.
The bottom line is that Netflix's "Special" has a lot of potential to be the next great comedy show on streaming services. If the show gets renewed (which it should!) for a second season, then Netflix should seriously consider expanding the episode length. If they don't do this, then Netflix is doing a major disservice by bottling up one of the greatest representations we have seen in queer media as of late.
All episodes of "Special" are streaming on Netflix.
