YMMV / Atypical

• Adorkable: From baking a cake for Casey as a "thank you" for standing up to her (see below) to her awkward-but-cute dancing at Casey's birthday party, Beth is this to a tee.
• Alternate Character Interpretation:
  • There are some people who believe that Sam is a sociopath, either because he is both autistic and sociopathic or because he was misdiagnosed. There is some evidence to that, as he treats his peers like tools, as an example: his reasoning to get a girlfriend is "wanting someone to have sex with", and once he actually manages to get a girlfriend, in one instance he locks her into the closet after she irritated him.
  • Plenty of fans theorize that Elsa is actually aware of the impact her misguided actions cause, but decides to play them down because she likes the attention.
• Anvilicious: The show is not subtle with its message that autistic people do not always deserve to be punished for acting unusual.
• Base-Breaking Character:
  • Sam and the way his autism is portrayed makes him one in the autism community. While many people see him as a mere compilation of autism stereotypes and being overly whiny on top of it, others point out that he isn't supposed to be a representation of the autism spectrum as a whole, since representing the entirety of it with just one character would be impossible, and defend him for being sympathetic enough for what the show is trying to be.
  • Casey. Some write her of as being the stereotypical mean sibling and thus dislike her character, others see her as the Only Sane Man in her family, since she actually treats Sam like how many people with autism want to be treated. However, she started losing some fans after she Took a Level in Jerkass in Season 2.
  • Paige, Sam's girlfriend for a brief time. Either you like her for actually giving Sam a chance and standing up for him when he needs it, or you despise her for her constant nagging at Sam's interests, while turning a blind eye towards his actual flaws and mistakes, like locking her in the closet.
  • Zahid. Some like him for being the only person in the entire show to like Sam for who he is, others think his misogynistic comments make him too unsympathetic and see him as a stereotypical womanizer.
  • Julia Sasaki, Sam's therapist. She either shares the spot of the Only Sane Woman with Casey, since she actually tries to help Sam and disagrees with Elsa's methods, or she's just seen as unprofessional and incompetent for seeing Sam's lack of sexual and social education and doing nothing about it. Both sides agree however that she was completely in the right for yelling at Sam after he broke into her home.
  • The autism support group introduced in Season 2. They're either loved for being actually played by autistic actors, and not a single one of them (besides Sam) being a white male, or they're hated because they are practically just clones of Sam, with their apathetic, unlikeable attitudes being especially exaggerated. Critics especially see this as an argument for autistic writers being put at the forefront rather than autistic actors, while autistic actors should no doubt be given a chance to give an authentic performance, what purpose does it serve if the representation is still written by a misinformed, if not outright biased neurotypical?
• Broken Base: As stated before, the portrayal of autism is extremely divisive within the autistic community. Some don't think too much of it, as they are simply happy that they are made aware of and actively follow and enjoy the show. Others are more critical, arguing that every canonically autistic character suffers from Hollywood Autism in one way or the other. Overall, the majority of the critics agree that a show like Atypical was bound to happen and even necessary, but the show itself has done the bare minimum to make autistic people feel accepted.
• Creator's Pet: Elsa Gardner. Despite being by all accounts a horrible mother, she gets heaped with praise and sympathy by other characters, never learns from her mistakes and essentially gets away with everything she puts her family through.
• Designated Hero: One reason Elsa is so hated among the fanbase is that she is said to be in the right, no matter what she does. It would have made more sense to actually present her as a Big Bad.
• Diagnosed by the Audience:
  • A lot of Paige's odd behavior, and the fact that she goes to a therapist (and Ms. Whitaker at school) suggests that she may also be somewhere on the autistic spectrum.
  • Gretchen doesn't seem to be the healthiest person to be around, and her Mood Whiplash between her feelings for Zahid and her ex-boyfriend indicate that she has some sort of personality disorder.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Izzie, Casey’s friend. A popular girl coming to terms with her sexuality and falling for the new girl is really a good arc.
• Ethnic Scrappy: Harmony, the show's failed attempt at a Hooker with a Heart of Gold, who also happens to be black. The problem is that she is all over Sam for doing nothing, which makes her look uncomfortably submissive.
• Ho Yay: Sam and Zahid’s entire “un-homeying” arc in season 3. When Zahid breaks off his friendship with Sam to be with his girlfriend, Sam takes it like a jilted lover. He looks for any excuse to rant about Zahid, wants no remnants of him in his house, going nuts when he sees Zahid’s shirt, and feels the need to make a scene at Techtropolis to publicly call Zahid out while returning said shirt (which Sam accidentally set on fire). When Sam finds out from his boss that Zahid and Gretchen (the girlfriend) are eloping, Sam and his friends immediately drive to crash the wedding only to find out Gretchen got back together with her ex before she and Zahid even set foot at the altar. After Sam and Zahid mend their friendship they use up the slot for the wedding to officially pronounce themselves homies. In the next scene the two of them discuss moving in to their own apartment.
• Hype Backlash: After the show gained a surprising amount of popularity, enough that it was renewed to have 4 seasons, a lot of people in the autistic community were quite angry about it. Many autistic people threw shots against the show, deriding it as cheap "feelgood" drama. For many autistic writers, the show is practically a thorn in their eye, for blatanly showing how corrupt the industry is, in simply continuing to have neurotypical people talk over the autistic people they are supposedly supporting, instead of just letting autistic people speak for themselves.
• It Was His Sled: Elsa beginning an affair with a bartender because she needs a break from Doug since Sam is hard to take care of. This one is brought up frequently for viewers who demonize her, making the Season 1 finale twist probably one of the best known elements of the show.
• Jerkass Woobie:
  • Casey is snarky and catty, but Elsa always ignores her because of Sam’s autism. At one point apparently, Elsa told her walk off appendicitis so she wouldn’t miss an autism walk. Then, she got blackmailed by the coach and her so-called "friends" humiliated her because of Clayton. Elsa and Casey’s relationship becomes even more strained when she finds out about Elsa’s extramarital affair. There’s also the fact that her and Izzie's friendship was nearly destroyed because of a misunderstanding. For anyone who has been neglected because of a disabled sibling, Casey’s situation can hit too close to home.
  • Zahid at first starts out as a perverted loudmouth who smokes, but it turns out he had higher ambitions to become a nurse, and was discouraged by a mean teacher; furthermore, it is implied that his relationship with his parents is strained and they view him as a slacker.
• Just Here for Godzilla:
  • While the show (or at least the first season) is criticized for being an inaccurate representation of people on the autism spectrum, many viewers admit that they watch the show for the show's supporting characters. And despite the aforementioned inaccuracies, the show is praised for providing good drama.
  • Many people don't care about any of the cast, with the exception of Izzie, her Gayngst about Casey and their eventual Relationship Upgrade. Some people outright wish that Netflix makes it possible to skip to scenes involving just the two of them.
• LGBT Fanbase: The show has a strong one, for the surprisingly good lesbian representation with Izzie, with some people even arguing that they should've made her the main character instead, since their skills at writing autistic characters are... less-then-stellar, especially by comparison.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • "Wanting someone to have sex with"
  • Sam's Slasher Smile is also somewhat of a meme, especially since it was a blink-and-you-miss-it moment. It's usually used as an example to show how wrong the portrayal of autism is, some also use it for humorous effect by photoshopping it.
  • "Autism according to Autism Speaks/Anti-Vax Moms" a summary of the show by viewers who find its portrayal of autism insulting. Ironically enough, the show is quite popular with anti-vaxxers.
• Never Live It Down:
  • No matter how much Character Development Sam gets, many will remember him for the infamous "wanting someone to have sex with" line. Many people, particularly people in the autism community, saw this from the series before deciding to stop watching the show.
  • Even though Paige didn't even mind it, many are unwilling to forgive Sam locking her in the closet.
  • And though Julia has forgiven him for it, saying she was acting up due to pregnancy hormones, just try finding someone who forgives or defends Sam breaking into her home. Even this page has listed it more than once.
  • Generally, anything that Elsa says or does to her son, however well-intentioned she or the writers think it is, is carved into the fanbase's memory, contributing to her status as The Scrappy. Some of the most poignant examples is saying the r-word, or giving Sam the "advice" of not being himself to impress a girl. Both of these occurred in Season 1 and were mentioned quite off-handedly, but the fanbase hasn't forgotten them.
• No Yay: Nobody supports Sam/Julia, mainly because she is the only person to give Sam proper and sensible advice about dating girls (compared to people like even Zahid). Sam's actions towards her and Julia's sexualization through him are really disgusting to watch, especially for autistic viewers who know better than to consider starting a relationship with their therapist (considering their therapists actually give them advice about dating) and breaking into her home.
• Questionable Casting: The casting of Keir Gilchrist, a neurotypical actor as the autistic Sam Gardner, has caused quite some controversy to say the least. Many people in the autism spectrum were somewhat uncomfortable, with some comparing likening it to autistic Blackface and thinking the casting choice was a major step backwards, especially since actual autistic actors were considered for the role. This has only gotten worse in Season 2, where Sam interacts with autistic characters played by actual autistic actors, and Gilchrist's imitation of autism sticks out like a sore thumb.
• The Scrappy:
  • Elsa is hated due to being viewed as responsible for stunting Sam’s personal growth. While the show wants the viewers to sympathize with her for being attentive, she comes across as psychologically abusive towards her children and disloyal towards her husband, while blaming her failing marriage on her son, when she could have looked for better coping mechanisms than starting a secret affair. Elsa comes across as too obsessed with autistic support and often doesn’t seem like a proper mother to her son. Even people who otherwise like the show claim that it would be even better if Elsa was shoved out of the family picture altogether.
  • Doug is hated for being initially aloof and uncaring towards Sam's autism, even leaving the family for eight months in 2004 supposedly to “prepare” himself for the differences he would have to face. While Doug’s attempts to connect with and understand Sam better do redeem him in some viewer's eyes, the general consensus is that his first response to Sam’s diagnosis was unacceptable.
  • Evan is not at all liked because he comes across as merely a Satellite Love Interest for Casey. There is also the hate he gets from Casey/Izzie shippers.
• Strawman Has a Point: As said above, Julia yelled at Sam after he broke into her home at the end of Season 1. By now, she would be expected to be over this now that Sam is no longer her client, but in Season 2, she feels guilty and remorseful after Sam repeatedly leaves messages.
• Too Bleak, Stopped Caring: It was there from the very beginning, but became more and more prominent each season. Simply put, all 4 of the main characters are deeply flawed individuals, whose actions and attitudes can be hard to watch sometimes. It gets worse when both Sam and Casey lose their sympathetic qualities around Season 2, with both of their parents already being quite hard to sympathize with. And even the plot doesn't feel engaging anymore, as many different plot threads are either rushed or conclude unsatisfactory, leaving many to wonder if staying around for the Gardner family is even worth it.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic:
  • Elsa. The show really tries to bend over backwards to make the audience see her as a caring but long suffering parent who has to deal with raising an autistic child. But as detailed above, Elsa continually treats Sam like garbage, refuses to see him as anything but a burden sucking her dry, blames him for all of her problems even when he either had nothing to do with it, couldn't have possibly caused them, or when said problems were actually self-inflicted, with the biggest example being going off to have an affair with a bartender and making it out to be Sam's fault, and absolutely refuses to, y'know, actually teach him how to be an independent adult or concepts like respecting boundaries. She's basically the typical Autism Warrior Parent in fictional character form, complete with the writers not realizing that her actions are flagrantly abusive and not that of a caring parent and having all the other characters shill her with praise and make her out to be right, to the point where she basically gets away with all that she puts her family through. Any attempts the series makes afterward to either have her grow as a person or learn from her mistakes feel too little, too late, or even shallow at best for the audience.
  • Sharice. In season 1, when word spreads about Casey transfering from Newton to Clayton, Sharice and Casey's track teammates start treating her quite cruelly, completely overlooking the fact that it was said school who contacted Casey first. However, when they all go shopping for the Winter Formal and Casey is trying on a dress, they take it too far by stealing Casey's clothes. When Elsa finds out and forces her to apologize, Sharice says that if she sided against her was because she felt left out of Casey's life and doesn't tell her anything anymore. Even so, she is still Easily Forgiven by Casey, who in turn also apologizes for being a bad friend, making Sharice's reason to betray her be seen as petty and childish.
• Vanilla Protagonist: One major criticism of Sam's character in the first season is that, aside from being autistic, he doesn't have much of a character. This is coupled with his I Just Want to Be Loved motivation being generic, and the portrayal of his autism being very hit-or-miss. Though Sam does get Character Development in the second season that fleshes out his character, for some viewers, it isn't enough to make him interesting.
• Wangst: The entire Gardner family counts, due to their excessive complaining about their son with autism, instead of actually helping him. Sam especially falls victim to this, autistic viewers commonly state that they can't relate to him until he finally grows a spine.

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