ABC's new family TV show, "Speechless," is hoping to make a statement. Headlined by Minnie Driver, who plays a devoted mom to three kids, the comedy aims to give a voice to families with a special needs child.
Minnie Driver is Maya DiMeo, who is married to Jimmy DiMeo (John Ross Bowie) and they have three teenagers on "Speechless." The eldest is J.J. (Micah Fowler) and the middle child is Ray (Mason Cook), while the youngest and only daughter is Dylan (Kyla Kenedy).
As per the show's official page, J.J. has cerebral palsy in the story, which is also the real-life condition of the actor playing the character. This is what "Speechless" is centered on, as created by Scott Silveri based on his own family.
Silveri has a brother with special needs but in creating "Speechless" from personal experience, the show creator and writer found out that it would be a real challenge. He had to draw the line between what's real and what's for television. "It's actually gotten easier and easier the farther away I've gotten from my actual experience," Silveri said per Los Angeles Times.
Still, Silveri wanted to get the message of "Speechless" across without offending an audience. "What the show is doing is being brave and honest and using humor to avoid pussyfooting around," said Silveri in the LA Times report. "It's allowing us to start conversations that people are uncomfortable starting."
"Speechless" is scheduled to air on Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 8:30 p.m. on ABC, but the pilot episode has been released ahead on Hulu. Its debut has Maya frantically forcing her family to settle into a new place in a bad location, but only because it's nearer to a school that could help J.J. Middle child Ray shows resentment for his mother since she seems to be always favoring the brother with disability. The show is about the highs and lows of a family in this special situation.
"Speechless" paints a picture of how one family handles situations in a way that tugs the heart and tickles the funny bones. "I hope as people watch "Speechless," they get to know JJ as a very normal person, to the point that they don't even see the disability," Micah Fowler said about his character, per The Mighty. Check out the teaser of "Speechless" below.
