In the last couple of months, the network ABC has had been showing previews for the newest series Speechless, set to premiere on September 21. The commercials looked promising as it was a comedy featuring someone with cerebral palsy. Speechless’ synopsis according to ABC is: “Maya DiMeo (Minnie Driver) is a mom on a mission who will do anything for her husband Jimmy, her kids Ray, Dylan, and JJ, her eldest son with cerebral palsy. As Maya fights injustices both real and imagined, the family works to make a new home for themselves, and searches for just the right person to give JJ his “voice.”"

On Friday, September 9, ABC released the premiere that is free for viewing either on ABC’s website, on Hulu, or on Amazon Video. After seeing that the premiere was released to the public for free, I decided to give it a try and possibly write a review. At the time I write this, there is a long wait for Freeform’s Switched At Birth to release its fifth and final season in January. Before watching the premiere of Speechless, I was definitely hoping that it would be something that I can watch after Switched At Birth ends. Unfortunately, due to how awful the premiere was, that is impossible at the moment.

Unlike most primetime TV shows, Speechless is a comedy that only goes for a half hour and it is over in the blink of the eye. In watching the premiere, Speechless did not appear to be a comedy, but it turns out to be insulting on some levels. After watching the premiere, I am on the fence because I did not like it and it’s hard to see Speechless as appealing as the previews have been great. The thing that is extremely disappointing is the fact that producers of Speechless decides to tackle disability vs. race issues. Not only is this comparison so disappointing, but also making a person with a disability an inspiration to everyone that surrounds him.

ABC has the right idea about “telling it like it is” for Speechless, but the plot is going overboard that can make viewers be so unsure about watching the series when it premieres on September 21. In Speechless, you have a mother who tends to go overboard in doing what is right for her son, there is a clash in disability vs. race, there is the sibling who feels he does not belong, there is the sibling who is most supportive, there is a father who feels that he is in the middle, and there is the concern regarding accessibility. This article is not to give spoilers, but Speechless gave me a pretty terrible feeling of how the disabled is being represented.

After watching the preview of Speechless, and having hope for a decent show, I am disappointed and unsure if I will watch when it premieres on September 21. On the scale of 10, I am giving Speechless a 1.