Autism spectrum disorder in contemporary American sitcoms: Narrative and social implication

Abstract

The Big Bang Theory, Atypical and Community are sitcoms paradigmatic of a recent representational shift, in which center stage is assumed by individuals who face psychological and neurological challenges. Sheldon Cooper ( TBBT), Sam Gardner ( Atypical) and Abed Nadir ( Community) are young male protagonists who all fall somewhere on the spectrum of autism. These representations signal a breakthrough from past, mainly cinematic depictions, which stereotypically addressed mentally challenged individuals as unstable, problematic, and crazy. Our goal is to examine the narrative and social function of autism in these three sitcoms. The theoretical context uses Thomas Elsaesser ’s concept of “productive pathologies” (2009) to argue that autism is also a “productive pathology” that can be applied in the study of contemporary sitcoms. Autism spectrum disorder as a “productive pathology” is then combined with the Incongruity Theory of humour in order to analyze how Sheldon’s, Sam’s and Abed’s developmental disorder is used to create a distinct type of incongruous comedy and at the same time destabilize notions of identity and social “propriety.”