Heartbreak High

One of only three shows with actually autistic representation, with at least one autistic/adhd characters playing autistic/adhd characters. I won’t spoil it but just go watch the show and see if you can figure out who’s autistic. Because the actor really is.

This lends a level of authenticity to simple actions like the way you get up after a shutdown that neurotypical actors cannot match.

It also has a great exmaple of how to be an amazing friend to an autistic person. Every interaction with this person and their friend is heartwarmingly wholesome. To be understood and cared for like that is really something special for neurotypicals to learn to do.

Everything’s Gonna Be Okay

One of the other shows where the creator has ADHD. The speciality here is that the entire cast except for one person, is autistic/adhd. Even the side characters are mostly neurodivergent. This is very refreshing compared to the typical shows where there’s just one neurodivergent person and the rest are neurotypical.

Everything Everywhere All at Once

A movie that’s best described as a tour de force of ADHD. The director loved the style of another movie and tried to do something like it. The very style of the movie is ADHD. He even discovered that he has it during the process of developing the movie. The interview is great to read.

Unstable

The show has a well represented autistic character who plays a scientist. Though I don’t think the actress is actually autistic herself the rep is carried out well and the show has a fun nerodivergent quality.

The Accountant

A movie where there’s good autistic representation though with neurotypical actors. If you ever wanted to see an action movie with an autistic main character this is it. Unfortunately the actor has trauma in his past which is depicted as well as one method which isn’t a good way help yourself but this is THE autistic power fantasy. The Die Hard or Taken or autistic movies and it does really well.

Also very good for having a non-speaker in an important role as well.

Community

At the very beginning of the first episode the main character Abed is introduced who demonstates and states that he might be autistic! The show creator also discovered he’s autistic during the planning of this show.

Since the show creator was on present to give directions to the actor, this is one of the best representations of autism as portrayed by a neurotypical actor Danny Pudi.

It’s also very good at presenting the autistic character as embracing himself and living his best life with a very different and fulfilling social and personal life.

Brooklyn 99

While never directly stated, one of the main characters does a LOT of very autistic things and from a position of power and total self-acceptance which is amazing to see. In later seasons when we get a look into his personal life, we see that his spouse gets his sense of humor which none of the neurotypical presenting characters get so it’s doubly heartwarming.

Shows that don’t present autistics as “less than” and preferably show them in their power are the best representation.

Ally McBeal

I watched this show as a child and the one possibly autistic character John Cage is introduced a little later into season 1. Seeing it as an audlt who knows himself I can see the very autistic representation and another charcacter who’s shown as strange but loved and capable and entirely self-secure. An amazing addition to this great cast.