11 Netflix originals to fill your Thanksgiving downtime

Atypical: Season Three – November 1

In the third season of this coming of age dramedy, Sam (who is on the autistic spectrum) begins his college journey as everyone struggles to redefine themselves in the face of personal change. As Sam and his friends face the challenges of college, Sam’s parents face marital hurdles of their own. Sam’s mom had an affair, and while she’s trying to make things right with Sam’s dad, he’s avoiding having the conversation. Meanwhile, Sam’s sister is struggling with her sexuality after a near kiss with her best friend.

Suffice to say, there’s plenty of drama coming up. Atypical remains a popular series on Netflix, despite early criticism regarding the portrayal of Sam’s autism and the general lack of people with autism on the production team and in the cast. Atypical responded to those criticisms by hiring more people on the spectrum, but one can’t help but wonder why you wouldn’t naturally hire a person with autism to help produce a series about a person with autism. In any case, Atypical now has spectrum representation in the writing room and in the cast, so here’s hoping season three continues to grow in complexity and depth.