Austin

Austin

This was a strange curiosity of a drama, and whilst we had an inventive script and some quite inspired acting, it lacked any heft, it was just all a bit bland or beige.

It really wasn't very funny and certainly didn't hit the minimum bar for a comedy of 5 out loud laughs per episode!

Had I been commissioning this show it would not have been made at all. However this all sounds like I didn't enjoy it, but you would be wrong. Austin was well drawn and really quite compelling and I thought the acting here was on the nail. I enjoyed the gentle viewing and the feel good feel!

I'm going to give this a firm 7 outta 10, but it certainly is niche viewing!

Let's scotch some myths about autism. If you've met one neurodiverse person, you've met one neurodiverse person.

1. People with autism are often highly empathetic. Emotional empathy in particular. One of my neurodivergent (ND) staff can be brought to tears instantly at the mention of a child being hurt. Another will be annoyed by news of integrity breaches or negligence. By contrast, cognitive empathy can be difficult. Not so much between ND people but an ND person trying to read a neurotypical mind.

Consider Greta Thunberg: emotional empathy with the effects of the climate crisis, cognitive empathy in how she can't understand why intelligent people have known about climate change and how to fix it for decades, but they are not doing anything!

Some of my ND staff limit eye contact but can engage in conversation with a "normal amount" of eye contact.

Consider also that ND people "mask" to fit in. E.g. "I must maintain eye contact, because that's what normals do." Michael Theo may be Australia's most well-known person with autism. He deserves a script credit for advising how an ND person would express and respond.

It's fair to say that Austin is a show about Julian and the (often self-inflicted) chaos that surrounds him. The character of Austin is genuine and believable, largely because he is played by Michael Theo. Austin's mum and grandfather are also authentic. Protective and supportive, proud and concerned.

Austin is a great series.

Watch it and then watch Patience. (Neuro noir)

I usually avoid Australian comedies (even British co-productions such as this) as they are either total rubbish or in about 2% of cases astonishingly brilliant. Austin falls into the latter category. I would have awarded it 10 stars but was forced to deduct one due to an early scene in which Ben Miller appears in his underpants. Nobody wants that.

The characters are beautifully written and wonderfully acted, the casting was flawless with the possible exception of Kate Elliott (Heidi) whose mugging becomes tiresome. Charlotte Nicdao (Yolanda) is a standout, I found myself watching each of her scenes twice to make sure that I didn't miss a moment of her performance.

Michael Theo as Austin is the skilful glue that holds this together. What a star.

First off, I have to wonder why several significant roles in the series don't show up in the cast list. No one is listed for the daughter. No one is listed for the documentary maker. No one is listed for Austin's possible new girlfriend. No one is listed for the tour guide, and And I recognized him from several other series. Billie Piper isn't listed, though she appears in two episodes. Why is the Cast List so incomplete?

The show itself is a joy to watch. I found it by accident. And it turned out to be a happy accident. All of the acting is terrific, from the meatiest roles to the tiniest appearances. Each episode is both light hearted, clever, and heart warming. I've only seen Ben Miller in dramatic roles in the past. This was a pleasant surprise for me.

All in all I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for some laughs, smiles, a few tears, and a warm feeling in your chest.

Despite good performances and an intriguing premise, I felt the focus of the series was misplaced.

Most of the running time was spent on the main couple's marital, professional and First World problems. And then there was a pointless sub-plot about Austin parent's bizarrely flying around the world to sit in a car.

In fact, it wouldn't take a huge rewrite to make this show not about a person on the autistic spectrum.

Perhaps that was the point. Maybe we shouldn't make a big issue out of autism. But it seems a wasted opportunity to create a character like Austin and then not explore all the positive and challenging aspects of being on the spectrum, especially nowadays when so many people could potentially relate to it, learn from it and even benefit from it.