Special (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The first official trailer was released on March 25, 2019.
• The first season consists of 8 episodes.

Cast and characters

Ryan O'Connell stars as Ryan Hayes, an unpaid intern at Eggwoke. Jessica Hecht plays Karen Hayes, Ryan's mother. Punam Patel portrays Kim Laghari, Ryan's friend and co-worker. Marla Mindelle appears as Olivia, their boss. Augustus Prew plays Carey, a friend of Kim. Patrick Fabian is Phil, Karen's new neighbor and love interest. Max Jenkins appears in season 2 as Tanner, Ryan's love interest in an open relationship. Gina Marie Hughes plays Samantha, a co-worker. Buck Andrews appears in season 2 as Henry, a neurodivergent love interest of Ryan. Other cast members include Kat Rogers, Jason Michael Snow, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Shalita Grant, Charlie Barnett as Harrison, Ana Ortiz as Susan, Utkarsh Ambudkar as Ravi, Lauren Weedman as Tonya, Anjali Bhimani as Bina Laghari, Ajay Mehta as Vijay Laghari, Karan Soni as Dev Laghari, Leslie Jordan as Charles, and Jeremy Glazer as Marc Miller.

Production

On February 5, 2019, Netflix ordered an eight-episode first season. Ryan O'Connell created the series and serves as executive producer alongside Jim Parsons, Anna Dokoza, Eric Norsoph, and Todd Spiewak. Production companies include That's Wonderful Productions and Stage 13. The series was renewed for a second and final season on December 16, 2019. Alongside the series order, Ryan O'Connell, Jessica Hecht, Punam Patel, Marla Mindelle, Augustus Prew, and Patrick Fabian were confirmed to star. Max Jenkins was cast in a recurring role for season 2 in February 2020. In March 2021, Charlie Barnett, Ana Ortiz, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Lauren Weedman, Buck Andrews, Anjali Bhimani, Ajay Mehta, and Karan Soni joined in recurring roles, with Leslie Jordan guest-starring.

Reception

The first season of Special was well-received by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it earned a 96% approval rating, averaging 7.30 out of 10 from 25 reviews. Critics there called it honest and genuinely affecting, though some labeled it a "woke, sappy millennial dream." Metacritic gave it a score of 66 out of 100 from 9 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. Variety praised the show, describing the main character as quick, snarky, deeply insecure, and sometimes more selfish than he admits. TV Guide offered a mixed review, noting the season improves as it goes and expressing hope for a second season with a bigger budget and writing staff.