Love On the Spectrum: Some Critics Slam the Show – You Should Still Watch It.

Love on the Spectrum Season 2 debuted on Netflix this week but not everyone’s a fan of the dating show about autistic Australians. Don’t let critics deter you from this feel-good show that’s more approachable and relatable than it’s fancier US mainstream counterparts.

It’s a rare gem in a sea of contrived reality nonsense that will leave you hopeful about romance whether you’re somewhere on the spectrum, are neurotypical, happily partnered, or lovelorn yourself.

Love on the Spectrum is a Rarity in the Reality World – a Sweeter Take on Dating

One reason many fans in Australia, US, and more than 200 other countries that air LOTS is that it’s a breath of fresh air in the over crowded world of trumped up reality TV. One word often attached to it is “wholesome”. There’s not a lot of instant make out sessions or overt sexual innuendos from thirsty trollops (or pumped up wanna-boys) trying to get that first rose.

However, one critic, herself on the spectrum, took issue with Love on the Spectrum because host Cian O’Clery asked last season if Jimmy Berresford and Sharnae Furner had “consummated” things. These two were moving in together on season 1 and are back for season 2. The person speaking took issue calling it a “bizarre question” because “autistic people have sex… like anybody else.”

In defense of Love on the Spectrum production, that’s a standard question on any dating reality show. The Bachelor franchise always wants the answer after fantasy suite night. Married at First Sight viewers want to know if the couples did the deed on night one, on the honeymoon, or when precisely they got intimate. That’s a question you’d expect on any dating program.

Netflix Broaches Autism and Dating in Docuseries and Scripted

This is season 2 of Love on the Spectrum to feature on Netflix but not its only series to cover the topic. Another series with four seasons behind it is Atypical, the story of Sam Gardner (Keir Gilchrist), an autistic teen, who decides to get himself a girlfriend. He wants love and independence and pushes back on his helicopter mother, Elsa Gardner (Jennifer Jason Leigh).

Sam’s sister, Casey Gardner (Brigette Lundy-Paine) feels like her brother sucks up the oxygen in the room. And their dad, Doug Gardner (Michael Rapaport), is frustrated by his wife not letting him participate more with their son. Sam also bites off more than he can chew when he lands a girlfriend then can’t handle it. It’s sweet, it’s poignant – but it’s scripted. Like so much of reality TV.

On the other end of that Love on the Spectrum, the Australian series seems to be as it presents itself. The producer off camera asks questions, but they don’t look to be inducing drama. They also don’t seem to be intentionally driving the participants to tear-laden confessionals or tantrums. They just let the romance, awkwardness, and frustrations unfold.

What’s Love on the Spectrum Success Rate? Not too Shabby

The success rate of dating shows in general is dismal. Very few bachelors and bachelorettes last past the final rose ceremony. Netflix’s Love is Blind fared slightly better and US and Aussie franchises of MAFS are a mixed bag with some seasons being a total matrimonial bust. Out of the seven featured singletons on LOTS Season 1, we’ve got two marriages. That’s not bad odds.

Love on the Spectrum Season 1’s Ruth (who liked to wear her snake on her glasses) found love with Thomas Wyndham. and they married last summer. They dated for four years before he popped the question on a bus on his route. They’d hoped to wed at a train station – but coronavirus quelled that aspiration.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Berresford & Sharnae Furner Berresford are also happily hitched (and back in Season 2) for more relationship exploration on Love on the Spectrum. The season 2 cast, with a couple of returning faces, are sweetly optimistic. They approach love in a hopeful way you’d never see among any other dating show cast.

Should you watch Love on the Spectrum on Netflix? Definitely. As to the critics – some reviews come from those on the spectrum themselves. And they differ on how they interpret the series – some positive, some negative. Neurotypical reviewers seem to find it endearing.

For the jaded reality watcher consuming dumpster fire fare like 90 Day Fiance and Love Island, it’s a breath of refreshing air.