TV Trend: Asperger’s
by Maggie Furlong
Introducing a character with Asperger’s or autism on a TV show is hardly a new phenomenon, but it does seem to be more prevalent in pop culture lately. Is this trend on TV just the new, popular character quirk, or is it a sign of society’s efforts to embrace and personify a disorder that has become more and more prevalent?
FX’s “The Bridge” (premieres Wednesday, July 10 at 10 p.m. ET) is the latest TV show to feature a main character that has Asperger’s — in this case, Diane Kruger’s leading lady Det. Sonya Cross — and while it’s unclear if it’s necessary to the storytelling in the first few episodes, especially considering that it’s never actually stated, it’s the reason Kruger signed on for the series, the first TV starring role of her career.
“As soon as I started reading up on it, I realized that this was a really daunting undertaking because it’s not something you can just put on,” Kruger told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s a mind frame that I have to put myself into every day.”
On the other end of the spectrum discussion is NBC’s “Hannibal” — in the pilot episode, it only took a few minutes for Laurence Fishburne’s Jack Crawford to ask FBI analyst-turned-professor Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) where exactly he fell “on the spectrum.” Will’s particular brand of autism or Asperger’s is never explicitly stated, but his laser-like focus, refusal to make eye contact, sympathizing with animals and solitary lifestyle are just a few of the indicators.
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