Speechless (TV series)

Speechless
Genre Sitcom
Created by Scott Silveri
Starring
Composer(s) Jeff Cardoni
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 8 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Niki Schwartz-Wright
  • Christine Gernon
  • Jake Kasdan
  • Melvin Mar
  • Scott Silveri
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) Silver and Gold Productions
The Detective Agency
ABC Studios
20th Century Fox Television
Distributor 20th Television
Release
Original network ABC
Original release September 21, 2016 (2016-09-21) – present

Speechless is an American sitcom television series that debuted on ABC on September 21, 2016. Created by Scott Silveri and co-executive produced with Christine Gernon, Jake Kasdan and Melvin Mar, the 20th Century Fox Television/ABC Studios co-production was greenlighted to series order on May 13, 2016.[1] A first-look trailer was released on the same day.[2][3] On September 29, 2016, the series was picked up for a full 22-episode season.[4]

Plot

The series follows the DiMeo family, each with a unique personality: Maya, a take-charge British mother with an no-holds-barred attitude; Jimmy, a husband who doesn't care what others think; Dylan, their no-nonsense athletic daughter; Ray, their middle child who acts as the "brains" in the family; and their oldest son, JJ—a high schooler with cerebral palsy who has a biting wit and sense of humor. The DiMeos move frequently in an attempt to find a good educational environment for JJ and believe they have found an optimal choice when they discover a school that prides itself on being inclusive and where JJ will have an aide to speak for him. Though they quickly find that not everything is as good as it could be, JJ enjoys having Kenneth, a well-meaning groundskeeper at the school, work as his aide.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"P-i-Pilot"Christine GernonScott SilveriSeptember 21, 2016 (2016-09-21)7.38[5]
The DiMeo family moves into a rundown house in a better neighborhood than the one they left, meaning a new school for the kids. Maya DiMeo is forceful in her efforts to get the school to provide everything that JJ, her special needs son, requires. Her attitude rubs many school staff members the wrong way, among them Principal Miller and groundskeeper Kenneth. Meanwhile, Ray wants to rebel against having to go to yet another new school until he sees the school has a planetarium and meets a fellow astronomy buff named Jillian.
2"N-e-New A-i-Aide"Christine GernonScott SilveriSeptember 28, 2016 (2016-09-28)6.43[6]
Maya reluctantly hires Kenneth to be JJ's aide, but wants to fire him when he helps JJ meet the cheerleading squad and JJ ignores her phone calls about his physical therapy appointment. Maya later sees Kenneth helping JJ in the bathroom and decides to keep him on. Elsewhere, Ray continues to pursue Jillian even after learning that she has a boyfriend, while Jimmy makes a bad impression with the new neighbors.
3"B-o-n-Bonfire"Bill PurpleDanny ChunOctober 5, 2016 (2016-10-05)6.03[7]
As the football team prepares to face a rival school, they invite JJ to their annual pre-game bonfire. But, with the bonfire taking place on a beach down a rocky hillside, Maya realizes JJ cannot get to it and forces the school to cancel the event. JJ is now mad at his mother, because he doesn't want to be the reason for spoiling the other students' fun. At home, Ray wants to show Jillian his model Jupiter Probe, but is embarrassed to invite her into the house, which is filled with junk the family has culled from other people's garbage. Jimmy tries to rectify the situation and get rid of the trash but, on the way to throwing it out, he and Ray can't help falling back into old habits. Meanwhile, Dylan questions why she likes to run.
4"I-n-s-Inspirations"Christine GernonSeth KurlandOctober 12, 2016 (2016-10-12)6.03[8]
When people proclaim that JJ and Kenneth are an inspiration and give them special treatment, Kenneth starts taking advantage, getting free admission to and various perks at a baseball game. At home, Ray and Dylan want to back out of widening a doorway for JJ so they can go paintballing. They convince Jimmy and Maya to come along and they all have lots of fun, but the kids soon feel guilty for having fun without JJ around. Maya realizes they've learned that guilt from her, so Jimmy tries to convince her it's okay to do things only she enjoys.
5"H-a-l-Halloween"Rob CohenNiki Schwartz-WrightOctober 26, 2016 (2016-10-26)5.85[9]
Jimmy is upset the kids no longer want to participate in the family tradition of dressing up for Halloween. Maya tries to cheer up Jimmy by allowing him to do things he loves by taking things off the family "Dead to Me" list. Meanwhile, Ray recruits Dylan to help work the school's haunted mansion, and Kenneth is scared of losing his job when JJ gets drunk at a party. Even though Maya is furious, she is thrilled to see JJ having a "normal" social life.
6"D-a-t-e-Date?"Phil TraillDaniel Chun & Mark KunerthNovember 9, 2016 (2016-11-09)5.64[10]
JJ meets Claire (McKaley Miller), a girl his age who is temporarily wheelchair-bound due to twisting both her ankles in a gymnastics accident. Kenneth tries to fix them up despite JJ's insistence that Claire isn't interested in him that way. Meanwhile, Ray takes an embarrassing photo of his nipple, then tries to pass it off as a girl's nipple to some classmates, hoping he can become popular for receiving a "sext". Also, Jimmy tries to help Dylan deal with anger management after Dylan destroys a participation trophy in the school display case because she despises what it represents.
7"T-h-a-Thanksgiving"Claire ScanlonEric LapidusNovember 16, 2016 (2016-11-16)5.72[11]
Maya wants to make a game out of Jimmy's brother Billy (Rob Corddry) and his family's annoying habits when they visit for Thanksgiving, but everyone else worries that this will cause more family drama than necessary. Meanwhile, Ray and Kenneth take over Maya's annual dinner preparation despite their combined lack of cooking experience.
8"R-a-y-c-Ray-Cation"Bill PurpleCarrie Rosen & Seth KurlandNovember 30, 2016 (2016-11-30)4.98[12]
Ray sets up morning drills for the family to make sure he gets to the dock on time for a school trip to the Channel Islands, which is still a month away. Claire continues to watch movies with JJ, but says her casts are being removed soon. Later, Ray helps JJ go to the hospital to tell Claire that he likes her, then stays home to help JJ deal with being rejected. Meanwhile, Dylan realizes she's too grown up now to use her predictive powers and help her father capitalize on what will be the hot toy of the Christmas season.
9"S-l-e-Sled Hockey"[13]Ken WhittinghamElizabeth Beckwith & Ron McCantsDecember 7, 2016 (2016-12-07)TBD
10"C-h-o-Choir"[14]Christine GernonJeremy Bronson & Niki Schwartz-WrightDecember 14, 2016 (2016-12-14)TBD

Reception

Speechless has received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a rating of 98%, based on 40 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Speechless speaks to a sensitive topic with a heartfelt lead performance and a fine balance of sensitivity and irreverence."[15]

The editors of TV Guide placed Speechless seventh among the top ten picks for the most anticipated new shows of the 2016-17 season. In its review from writer Liam Matthews, "ABC has another worthwhile addition to its strong lineup of modern families with Speechless," adding "It's a clear-eyed and empathetic exploration of life in a special needs family that makes plenty of room for hilarity."[16]

Ratings

No. Title Air date Rating/share
(18–49)		 Viewers
(millions)		 DVR
(18–49)		 Total
(18–49)
1 "P-i-Pilot" September 21, 2016 2.0/8 7.38[5] 0.9 2.9[17]
2 "N-e-New A-i-Aide" September 28, 2016 1.8/6 6.43[6] 0.8 2.6[18]
3 "B-o-n-Bonfire" October 5, 2016 1.8/6 6.03[7] 0.8 2.6[19]
4 "I-n-s-Inspirations" October 12, 2016 1.8/7 6.03[8] N/A N/A
5 "H-a-l-Halloween" October 26, 2016 1.7/5 5.85[9] 0.7 2.4[20]
6 "D-a-t-e-Date?" November 9, 2016 1.7/6 5.64[10] TBD TBD
7 "T-h-a-Thanksgiving" November 16, 2016 1.7/6 5.72[11] TBD TBD
8 "R-a-y-c-Ray-Cation" November 30, 2016 1.5/5 4.98[12] TBD TBD
9 "S-l-e-Sled Hockey" December 7, 2016 TBD TBD TBD TBD
10 "C-h-o-Choir" December 14, 2016 TBD TBD TBD TBD

References

  1. ↑ "ABC Picks Up Comedy Pilot ‘Speechless’ To Series, Renews ‘Last Man Standing’" from Deadline (May 13, 2016)
  2. ↑ Trailer for "Speechless" from YouTube
  3. ↑ Gennis, Sadie (June 28, 2016). "ABC Announces Fall Premiere Dates". TV Guide. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  4. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (September 29, 2016). "'Designated Survivor' & 'Speechless' Get Full-Season Orders By ABC". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Porter, Rick (September 22, 2016). "Wednesday final ratings: 'Empire' adjusts up, 'Designated Survivor' adjusts down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Porter, Rick (September 29, 2016). "Wednesday final ratings: 'Empire,' 'Lethal Weapon,' 'Criminal Minds,' 'SVU' & 'Blindspot' all adjust up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Porter, Rick (October 6, 2016). "'Empire,' 'Survivor,' 'SVU,' 'Chicago PD' adjust up, 'Black-ish' adjusts down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  8. 1 2 Porter, Rick (October 13, 2016). "'Empire' and 'The Goldbergs' adjust up: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Porter, Rick (October 27, 2016). "'Survivor,' 'SVU,' ABC comedies adjust up, 'Designated Survivor' adjusts down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Porter, Rick (November 10, 2016). "'Black-ish' adjusts down, others hold: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  11. 1 2 Porter, Rick (November 17, 2016). "'Goldbergs' and 'Speechless' adjust up, 'Black-ish' adjusts down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Porter, Rick (December 2, 2016). "'Empire' adjusts up, 'Black-ish' adjusts down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  13. ↑ ""S-L-E--SLED HOCKEY"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  14. ↑ "(#109) "C-H-O-CHOIR"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Speechless (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Our 10 Most Anticipated New TV Shows of Fall 2016" from TV Guide (September 16, 2016)
  17. ↑ Porter, Rick (October 4, 2016). "'Designated Survivor' is your premiere week DVR champion: Broadcast Live +7 ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  18. ↑ Porter, Rick (October 11, 2016). "Designated Survivor' posts more big DVR gains: Broadcast Live +7 ratings for Sept. 26-Oct. 2". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  19. ↑ Porter, Rick (October 19, 2016). "Rich get richer as 'Empire,' 'Big Bang,' 'Designated Survivor' lead broadcast Live +7 ratings for Oct. 3-9". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  20. ↑ Porter, Rick (November 10, 2016). "'This Is Us,' 'Designated Survivor' stay on top in broadcast Live +7 ratings for Oct. 24-30". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 10, 2016.

External links

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