When “Love on the Spectrum” creator Cian O’Clery asks a bright-eyed Tanner, on a scale of 1-10, how much he’d like to find love, the 24-year-old answers, “12!”
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That enthusiasm for dating is par for the course on the show, which documents and helps people with autism diagnoses find a romantic partner. “Not everyone [on the spectrum] needs help finding love. But some people do, and some people are screaming out for it,” says O’Clery.
“I’d always wanted to make something in the dating space that featured real people, and that just felt a bit more truthful and honest — and represented more than the potentially narrow field of Instagram models on islands,” O’Clery says. “It felt like a great opportunity to do a few things: one, to introduce people to a large group of diverse people on the spectrum, which I think was missing in media, and also helping some people out who might want some help and support in that space.”
The Netflix series, for which two seasons were shot in Australia before heading to the U.S. for another two, is a reality show that’s truly based in reality. The crew helps participants (who are purposefully not called contestants and referred to by their first name only) find a match in their vicinity, but beyond that, the story largely plays out on its own. There are no manufactured storylines, “villain edits” or producers interrupting experiences, besides an occasional fourth-wall break from O’Clery providing some extra encouragement or advice from behind the camera.
The “set” is as low-key as possible, which means using smaller cameras, no added lights and the crew “hiding in corners” during dates. “I try and be really quiet and have a very small footprint. And we have a really small crew… I shoot the second camera as well,” O’Clery says. “[On dates], we’re generally sitting back, so people aren’t necessarily feeling that we’re there.”
With its lack of producer-driven drama, the docuseries’ success relies on a solid cast. And unlike other reality series, there’s no casting team. Instead, the job is done by the producer; that permits a rolling casting period where the team is always looking for more stories (allowing fan favorites like Michael to join the cast midway through the show’s first season in Australia). It also ensures a “continuity of care and support,” O’Clery says. “The people who first met them are often the people who are there with them on set when we’re filming.
The team originally sought cast members through connections within the autism community — developing relationships with various organizations that support people on the spectrum to get the word out.
“People write in, and then we, as a team, meet people,” O’Clery says. “As the show has become a big thing, now we don’t really need to put a call out. We get inundated with people, because there are so many who want this.”
Now, the harder part is saying “no” to people, as there is limited space on the show, and many spots go to cast members from previous seasons. “You try and represent as much diversity within the spectrum as you possibly can and try and make sure that people’s stories feel different,” O’Clery says. “[You want] people who are engaging and interesting — and want to find love.”
While earlier seasons serve as reassurance potential participants that their journey will be treated with care, O’Clery recognizes it takes a leap of faith to join the series. “It’s a huge amount of trust people are putting in us,” he says.
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As a part of earning that trust, the show has formalized its representational efforts to ensure that it’s depicting autism accurately and respectfully, not only hiring several neurodiverse crew members but a permanent autism consultant to lead sensitivity training sessions. The series also brings in dating coach Jennifer Cook, who advises the participants and is on the spectrum herself.
“The people themselves who we’re filming, to us, they’re also consultants,” says O’Clery. “They know what’s right for them.”
The producers have many factors to consider when playing matchmaker — but many of their decisions come down to “gut” instinct.
“It can be tricky. The spectrum is so diverse, and so many people are on different wavelengths. It’s really just trying to find people that are on a similar wavelength that we think might get along … And it’s great when it works.”
Often, it does, such as with Abbey and David in the U.S. and Ronan and Katie in Australia, just two couples that are still going strong. Even when participants don’t find lasting romantic love, they can make new friends, O’Clery notes. Since appearing on the American series, James has cultivated a broader social circle that includes former romantic interests Maggie and Emma.
Furthermore, many of the participants enjoy newfound stardom after the show, like Michael, who is set to act in ABC’s “Austin.”
Aside from the stars it has helped create, the show’s impact is multifaceted : O’Clery is proud that it documents a broad spectrum of individuals with autism, and escapes the Hollywood pattern of featuring just one autistic character in a series cast.
“We do hear a lot of stories from people saying that watching the show has helped motivate them to start their own [dating] journey,” he says. While O’Clery hints that the show might not be returning to Australia soon, he says he’s open to taking it to more countries, specifically ones like France that could use a better understanding of autism. For now, the series is more than “two-thirds” into filming its third American season.
The show’s second season in the U.S. is up for four Emmys this September. But regardless of its critical acclaim, “The most important critics of the show are the people in the show,” O’Cleary says. “We’re really happy that [the] people [we film] are happy.”
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