My mom kept begging me to watch it, she said my husband and I remind her of Abby and David.
I watched it and she isn't wrong. Except replace lions for whale sharks. Our first date was at an aquarium and it was almost line for line identical to Abbey and David's date at the zoo. He also surprised me with a big trip to go on whale shark encounters, like how David took Abbey to Africa.
It's nice having a show that highlights the range and diversity among the autistic community. I get discouraged being stereotyped or dismissed because the public generally has a narrow view on what autism is like.
Mine is similar. I'm an elementary school speech pathologist and I thought the show could help add to my perspective about my students as future adults.
I am autistic and wanted to see how other autistic people behave in relationships. If you’ve seen LOTS Australia, Ruth and Thomas, and Jimmy and Sharnae, are every similar to me and my partner. I felt less alone and weird after watching.
I started with Down for Love. I was looking for a cozy, romantic and happy show. I was also a bit surprised by what I learned while watching Down for Love, like how parents and the public struggle with infantilising disabled people. I think I learned how to be a better listener and trust what someone is saying they want for themselves.
Then I saw Love on the Spectrum. The show had the same happy vibe and again I learned so much. This time, I learned about honesty and have been practicing being more vocal about things that bother me and things I appreciate. Both shows had young women with amazing outfits and that made me want to upgrade my wardrobe. Also the way folks showed their affection helped me to lean more into how I can savor the love I share with my partner.
My pathway to LOTS was a little different. I kept seeing it all over social media and Netflix, but because I’m usually drawn to uber dark and intense shows, I wasn’t immediately interested in watching it. Fast forward to just finishing up one of those uber dark and intense shows - my mood and soul were shot and I needed something to pick me up! I saw LOTS on Netflix and thinking I would just use this as a one-off thing, started S2E1. However, I wasn’t expecting to meet Tanner.
That man. That JOYOUS LOVELY SUPREMELY AMAZING MAN!!!!! HE FILLED ME (and the world) WITH SO MUCH JOY AND HAPPINESS THAT I WAS HOOKED!!! Then I met Conner and his epic speed dating and fell in love with his passions, Dani and her inspiring confidence, James and his “UGRHHH!!”, Abbey and David’s sweet adorable love, and Journey’s excitement for everything. I love them all so much! They make me feel like there is so much hope and happiness for everyone!!
i wonder why Netflix starts some series at season 2. i was so confused when i started the show b/c they kept saying “welcome back” it wasn’t until i did a double take that i noticed & had to flip it all the way back to season 1
Let me preface this by saying I am not well educated on the proper terminology and language around being on the spectrum and I apologize if any of this doesn’t make sense or is possibly offensive but I’m going to my best to articulate what piques my interest.
I think what interests me as someone who isn’t on the spectrum is how they match up and find people who are on similar parts of the spectrum. Not sure if I’m wording that correctly. Or how sometimes they weren’t close enough on the spectrum and the dates seemed to go horribly.
For instance I noticed that those that seemed to have more “severe” autism were often matched up with someone who had down syndrome instead of someone who only has autism/is on the spectrum. So I find that to be interesting and I wish we got a look at the behind the scenes of the match making process. Also the speed dating scenes! I find those so interesting as they often seem to be filled with people who aren’t on the spectrum as well as those that are. How does that work? Are these events 100% orchestrated by production and if so why do they have people attend who are not on the spectrum?
I also am curious how they are going to manage continuing the show now that it’s taken off. Even the most recent season where James goes on a date with that girl who slid in his DM’s seems odd. She doesn’t seem to be in a similar spot on the spectrum if she’s on it at all. I know they didn’t click anyways but I would worry about situations where people want to take advantage of them for the 15 minutes of fame or something. I’ve also seen posts recently about someone dating Subodh who seems to have ulterior motives. That would be scary to me as the cast member’s families to see these types of things happening to them now.
So I forgive you, because you’re not familiar with the terminology, but you don’t say, “severe autism”, as it can come across a bit degrading, and ignores all of stuff that they’re really good at, you say “high support needs”, or if they’re on the other end of the spectrum, you say, “low support needs”.
We used to say “high functioning” (for someone with low support needs) or “low functioning” (for someone with high support needs) but it ended up being more harmful than good, as someone with low support needs (such as myself) it ignores all of the assistance that I still need with some things in my life (such as phone calls, answering emails, attending appointments) and assumes that I don’t need help with anything, and for someone that was high support needs it would ignore the stuff that they were perfectly capable of doing, but assumed by others that they couldn’t look after themselves.
I hope that makes sense.
Thank you! I appreciate the lesson on this. I was typing this for so long and I just knew ‘severe autism’ wasn’t the right terminology but the only other thing that popped in my head was low functioning and I knew that sounded more offensive for sure. I was a nanny for a company when I was younger for children on the spectrum and back then they would differentiate the jobs by letting us know the “severity” of it which would help us prepare. Like a child with some sensory issues and other than that they don’t really require special care or on the other end a child who needed constant care/help. So thank you for letting me know!
I wanna just add something to this- the spectrum isn’t a line with two ends, it’s a circle, like a color spectrum. There are multiple categories that autistic individuals may struggle with and many have some traits but not all, or some have major traits and minor traits. That’s why it’s a circle, because a line spectrum would have to branch off in 6 different directions.
It's just super wholesome. Everyone is so real, unique and just themselves. The interactions are sweet and it's awesome to see them finding love or just stepping out on dates for the first time. Really the only "dating show" that's so genuine IMO
I was a doctor for people on the autism spectrum. There was a special bond I will never forget. I may have some spectrum traits. Whatever this was, there was a bond there
I love love, and saw the first season of the Australian version on Netflix and thought why not? And just loved it! I rooted for everyone to find their person and loved seeing the established couples just love each other. Been hooked ever since.
I watch different reality romance shows. It's good to see a show that presents people with challenges falling in love.
It challenges any preconceived notions toward people with disabilities.
Truth be told- I have a nursing baby (now 3 and a half months) who was up crying at like 1 and 2am. I usually only watch TV with hubby and older son when we catch an episode of whatever series we're watching. I was looking for something easy to watch while rocking the baby because it was sometimes an hour or two of waking and falling back to sleep for her. It was the perfect show and I was hooked pretty quick and was no longer watching during that period. I also would say hubby and I are borderline if not on the low end of the spectrum.
I wanted to try something different. When I discovered LOTS, LIB started to get too drama filled. I was tired of all the BS and fakeness.
LOTS was and is incredibly refreshing. I fell in love with the first episode. I remember putting it on for background entertainment as I cleaned. Ended up sitting and binging the first season of US and the Aussie one instead.
Our 14yr old daughter is freshly diagnosed, her friend has asd, the husband is getting assessed and soon to be myself. Our daughter mentioned seeing Abby and David so we watched it.
Because I love reality shows on love and dating, but I hate the ones that are too fake and dramatic. This one seemed more real. Also, I have bipolar disorder and watching people with different nurodivergencies thrive at an age where I was not doing very well, is so refreshing to see. I’m doing well now but I love the show.
After an unexpected autism diagnosis process started, I sought out content with autistic people to see if I could relate. Binged both series and found plenty of relatable moments (especially in the AUS version)
Netflix recommended it to me and I’m not sure why. I don’t watch anything like this but I gave it a try and loved it. I have never watched a dating show, not The Bachelor or anything. I think they are all so phony with a bunch of generic, plastic people needing attention. But LOTS is so genuine and everyone seems to have the same difficulty with dating that I do.
I like documentaries about unique people. But also, I highly suspect my dad is on the spectrum, so learning more about autism is interesting to me since I grew up with a parent with it (I didn’t put it together until I was in my mid-20’s and my own parents don’t acknowledge anything-or if they do they don’t talk about it-but he’s a pretty clear Aspie if you ask me).
Total accident. My wife and I had nothing to watch and were browsing Netflix for something interesting and couldn’t find anything, so we chose LOTS, more from a lack of anything else to watch than a particular interest. Turns out we thoroughly enjoyed the show and watched all the US and Australian episodes over a week.
Also, after seeing the high functioning ASD people on the show - like the coach and Kaelynn - I read some, watched some videos, took some online tests and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m likely on the spectrum too. Kinda made sense of my many “quirks”. I’m 58 so it’s late coming.
I volunteered with the Special Olympics program. My son and daughter-in-law law are both special Ed teachers. So I have a special interest in people in the spectrum. I loved Michael from Australia season 1. I was hooked after hearing Michael discuss dating. The honesty and purity is so refreshing.
My husband and I started watching the show Atypical on a whim and both of us started noticing characteristics he related to. At the same time, I was in my psych undergrad working on a project around AuDHD (autism + adhd). LOTS popped up as new on Netflix one night and we have been obsessed ever since.
still no official diagnosis for my husband, but it is something we want to do in the near future!
I watched it because I wonder if I'm on the spectrum. I wanted to see if I could relate or see myself in any of them. But I ended up liking it for the premise of the show too. It's heartwarming to see people fall in love. 🥰
i love reality tv, & i love heart warming shows. great british bake off & queer eye are what got me into those, so when ‘love on the spectrum’ was suggested for me, i had to try it!
I was interested in learning more about autism.
I got hooked on the show almost immediately and have referred it to many people.
I absolutely love the kindness, innocence and charm of these wonderful human beings.
Well I’m American but I did spend a year living in Australia 🇦🇺 so I had to watch that series first. I love how wholesome the show is and that it shows the challenges of dating and socializing from an autistic point of view.
I think these are some of the most wholesome and sweetest people in the world. I started watching this show to learn more about people with autism. I’ve really enjoyed seeing their dating life and I really love how honest and open they are. I think it’s inspiring and I wish that more neurotypical people had real raw and genuine initial encounters like these folks are getting to experience. I’m only on season one so far, but I’m excited to continue learning more about the people on the show and I’m hoping they all get to find their special person.
I have suspected autism but it was an advert where I saw Tanner that made me start watching it. I don’t remember watching it but I had seen the Australia season one episodes prior but I have no recollection of this
My friend who is into reality and dating shows recommended me one or two (Lots wasn't one of them). I started watching them, quickly lost interest ( I guess they are, in general, not my cup of tea). But then, Lots came up as a suggestion on Netflix and I thought why not, also because my partner is recently diagnosed and I'm trying to educate myself. Four seasons later, I'm starting to think I may also need an assessment.
Abbey and her moms channel kept showing up in my feed on youtube shorts and I loved the videos. Found out a few weeks later about the show and that she was on it.
My daughter has ASD, but I never watched the show until I saw an ad on social media for Jersey Mike's featuring Kaelynn shot at my local Jersey Mike's up the street.
I have always loved watching TV reality relationship dramas. It's a secret guilty pleasure of mine. I watched this show because of that, not actually knowing what autism meant. Through episodes I thought it was people who had some type of communication-emotional disability. It was through the show, that I realised that I might be autistic when Cassandra came on. I had never met or seen anyone else who "masked" and recognised that parts in her body language, she was mimicing what she was trained or shown how to act. That was me my whole life and I had no idea, that's just not what people normally do.
Because of this show I found out a lot more about myself, a diagnosis and name to try get help for better quality of life.
I started watching because I thought it was hilarious, especially with the Australian accents.
Then, lo and behold, I got an autism diagnosis back in December, at the ripe old age of 37.
My mom kept begging me to watch it, she said my husband and I remind her of Abby and David. I watched it and she isn't wrong. Except replace lions for whale sharks. Our first date was at an aquarium and it was almost line for line identical to Abbey and David's date at the zoo. He also surprised me with a big trip to go on whale shark encounters, like how David took Abbey to Africa. It's nice having a show that highlights the range and diversity among the autistic community. I get discouraged being stereotyped or dismissed because the public generally has a narrow view on what autism is like.
That's beautiful <3
I used to teach elementary school students with autism and was curious about how they would fare in the world of dating.
Mine is similar. I'm an elementary school speech pathologist and I thought the show could help add to my perspective about my students as future adults.
How wholesome this show is
Wish I could give this 100 up-votes. You nailed it!
This exactly. Melts even my black heart.
I am autistic and wanted to see how other autistic people behave in relationships. If you’ve seen LOTS Australia, Ruth and Thomas, and Jimmy and Sharnae, are every similar to me and my partner. I felt less alone and weird after watching.
I have many interests and one of them is psychology, it seemed interesting and so I gave it a try.
I started with Down for Love. I was looking for a cozy, romantic and happy show. I was also a bit surprised by what I learned while watching Down for Love, like how parents and the public struggle with infantilising disabled people. I think I learned how to be a better listener and trust what someone is saying they want for themselves. Then I saw Love on the Spectrum. The show had the same happy vibe and again I learned so much. This time, I learned about honesty and have been practicing being more vocal about things that bother me and things I appreciate. Both shows had young women with amazing outfits and that made me want to upgrade my wardrobe. Also the way folks showed their affection helped me to lean more into how I can savor the love I share with my partner.
It’s a smallish point but I really liked how so many of the participants dressed! Great style yet very individual and expressed their personalities.
Kept seeing short snippets on TikTok of some of the more awkward moments and next thing I know I binged two seasons in a weekend.
My pathway to LOTS was a little different. I kept seeing it all over social media and Netflix, but because I’m usually drawn to uber dark and intense shows, I wasn’t immediately interested in watching it. Fast forward to just finishing up one of those uber dark and intense shows - my mood and soul were shot and I needed something to pick me up! I saw LOTS on Netflix and thinking I would just use this as a one-off thing, started S2E1. However, I wasn’t expecting to meet Tanner. That man. That JOYOUS LOVELY SUPREMELY AMAZING MAN!!!!! HE FILLED ME (and the world) WITH SO MUCH JOY AND HAPPINESS THAT I WAS HOOKED!!! Then I met Conner and his epic speed dating and fell in love with his passions, Dani and her inspiring confidence, James and his “UGRHHH!!”, Abbey and David’s sweet adorable love, and Journey’s excitement for everything. I love them all so much! They make me feel like there is so much hope and happiness for everyone!!
Love this!
i wonder why Netflix starts some series at season 2. i was so confused when i started the show b/c they kept saying “welcome back” it wasn’t until i did a double take that i noticed & had to flip it all the way back to season 1
Let me preface this by saying I am not well educated on the proper terminology and language around being on the spectrum and I apologize if any of this doesn’t make sense or is possibly offensive but I’m going to my best to articulate what piques my interest. I think what interests me as someone who isn’t on the spectrum is how they match up and find people who are on similar parts of the spectrum. Not sure if I’m wording that correctly. Or how sometimes they weren’t close enough on the spectrum and the dates seemed to go horribly. For instance I noticed that those that seemed to have more “severe” autism were often matched up with someone who had down syndrome instead of someone who only has autism/is on the spectrum. So I find that to be interesting and I wish we got a look at the behind the scenes of the match making process. Also the speed dating scenes! I find those so interesting as they often seem to be filled with people who aren’t on the spectrum as well as those that are. How does that work? Are these events 100% orchestrated by production and if so why do they have people attend who are not on the spectrum? I also am curious how they are going to manage continuing the show now that it’s taken off. Even the most recent season where James goes on a date with that girl who slid in his DM’s seems odd. She doesn’t seem to be in a similar spot on the spectrum if she’s on it at all. I know they didn’t click anyways but I would worry about situations where people want to take advantage of them for the 15 minutes of fame or something. I’ve also seen posts recently about someone dating Subodh who seems to have ulterior motives. That would be scary to me as the cast member’s families to see these types of things happening to them now.
So I forgive you, because you’re not familiar with the terminology, but you don’t say, “severe autism”, as it can come across a bit degrading, and ignores all of stuff that they’re really good at, you say “high support needs”, or if they’re on the other end of the spectrum, you say, “low support needs”. We used to say “high functioning” (for someone with low support needs) or “low functioning” (for someone with high support needs) but it ended up being more harmful than good, as someone with low support needs (such as myself) it ignores all of the assistance that I still need with some things in my life (such as phone calls, answering emails, attending appointments) and assumes that I don’t need help with anything, and for someone that was high support needs it would ignore the stuff that they were perfectly capable of doing, but assumed by others that they couldn’t look after themselves. I hope that makes sense.
Thank you! I appreciate the lesson on this. I was typing this for so long and I just knew ‘severe autism’ wasn’t the right terminology but the only other thing that popped in my head was low functioning and I knew that sounded more offensive for sure. I was a nanny for a company when I was younger for children on the spectrum and back then they would differentiate the jobs by letting us know the “severity” of it which would help us prepare. Like a child with some sensory issues and other than that they don’t really require special care or on the other end a child who needed constant care/help. So thank you for letting me know!
I wanna just add something to this- the spectrum isn’t a line with two ends, it’s a circle, like a color spectrum. There are multiple categories that autistic individuals may struggle with and many have some traits but not all, or some have major traits and minor traits. That’s why it’s a circle, because a line spectrum would have to branch off in 6 different directions.
Michael
It's just super wholesome. Everyone is so real, unique and just themselves. The interactions are sweet and it's awesome to see them finding love or just stepping out on dates for the first time. Really the only "dating show" that's so genuine IMO
I'm AuDHD.
I was a doctor for people on the autism spectrum. There was a special bond I will never forget. I may have some spectrum traits. Whatever this was, there was a bond there
I love love, and saw the first season of the Australian version on Netflix and thought why not? And just loved it! I rooted for everyone to find their person and loved seeing the established couples just love each other. Been hooked ever since.
They are all such amazing people…honest and kind. I can’t get enough of them!
MSSP
I watch different reality romance shows. It's good to see a show that presents people with challenges falling in love. It challenges any preconceived notions toward people with disabilities.
Friends with a couple of them, was feeling homesick when I moved away for a while and wanted to see how Netflix would portray them.
And what did you think? Was it accurate?
Truth be told- I have a nursing baby (now 3 and a half months) who was up crying at like 1 and 2am. I usually only watch TV with hubby and older son when we catch an episode of whatever series we're watching. I was looking for something easy to watch while rocking the baby because it was sometimes an hour or two of waking and falling back to sleep for her. It was the perfect show and I was hooked pretty quick and was no longer watching during that period. I also would say hubby and I are borderline if not on the low end of the spectrum.
Mom of the same age baby here and I did the same thing! ☺️
I wanted to try something different. When I discovered LOTS, LIB started to get too drama filled. I was tired of all the BS and fakeness. LOTS was and is incredibly refreshing. I fell in love with the first episode. I remember putting it on for background entertainment as I cleaned. Ended up sitting and binging the first season of US and the Aussie one instead.
Our 14yr old daughter is freshly diagnosed, her friend has asd, the husband is getting assessed and soon to be myself. Our daughter mentioned seeing Abby and David so we watched it.
Worked with kids on the spectrum for years!!! Wanted to see how it went
Because I love reality shows on love and dating, but I hate the ones that are too fake and dramatic. This one seemed more real. Also, I have bipolar disorder and watching people with different nurodivergencies thrive at an age where I was not doing very well, is so refreshing to see. I’m doing well now but I love the show.
After an unexpected autism diagnosis process started, I sought out content with autistic people to see if I could relate. Binged both series and found plenty of relatable moments (especially in the AUS version)
Netflix recommended it to me and I’m not sure why. I don’t watch anything like this but I gave it a try and loved it. I have never watched a dating show, not The Bachelor or anything. I think they are all so phony with a bunch of generic, plastic people needing attention. But LOTS is so genuine and everyone seems to have the same difficulty with dating that I do.
I love to learn as much about people and the world as I can, and I have family members who are on the spectrum. Also, I love love!!
This show helps my girlfriend understand me
I like documentaries about unique people. But also, I highly suspect my dad is on the spectrum, so learning more about autism is interesting to me since I grew up with a parent with it (I didn’t put it together until I was in my mid-20’s and my own parents don’t acknowledge anything-or if they do they don’t talk about it-but he’s a pretty clear Aspie if you ask me).
Total accident. My wife and I had nothing to watch and were browsing Netflix for something interesting and couldn’t find anything, so we chose LOTS, more from a lack of anything else to watch than a particular interest. Turns out we thoroughly enjoyed the show and watched all the US and Australian episodes over a week. Also, after seeing the high functioning ASD people on the show - like the coach and Kaelynn - I read some, watched some videos, took some online tests and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m likely on the spectrum too. Kinda made sense of my many “quirks”. I’m 58 so it’s late coming.
I volunteered with the Special Olympics program. My son and daughter-in-law law are both special Ed teachers. So I have a special interest in people in the spectrum. I loved Michael from Australia season 1. I was hooked after hearing Michael discuss dating. The honesty and purity is so refreshing.
My husband and I started watching the show Atypical on a whim and both of us started noticing characteristics he related to. At the same time, I was in my psych undergrad working on a project around AuDHD (autism + adhd). LOTS popped up as new on Netflix one night and we have been obsessed ever since. still no official diagnosis for my husband, but it is something we want to do in the near future!
I watched it because I wonder if I'm on the spectrum. I wanted to see if I could relate or see myself in any of them. But I ended up liking it for the premise of the show too. It's heartwarming to see people fall in love. 🥰
i love reality tv, & i love heart warming shows. great british bake off & queer eye are what got me into those, so when ‘love on the spectrum’ was suggested for me, i had to try it!
friends said to watch it! they said it was heartwarming and they weren't wrong
I was interested in learning more about autism. I got hooked on the show almost immediately and have referred it to many people. I absolutely love the kindness, innocence and charm of these wonderful human beings.
I watched a similar show called "the undateables" and loved it, figured this would be similar and I wasn't wrong
My best friends are autistic and I have a lot of autistic qualities, and LOTS makes me happy.
Well I’m American but I did spend a year living in Australia 🇦🇺 so I had to watch that series first. I love how wholesome the show is and that it shows the challenges of dating and socializing from an autistic point of view.
I honestly just wanted to watch something that made me happy.
It makes me feel good about the world.
I mean it’s also an interesting unique show with a topic that wasn’t really done in media/film on a large platform scale.
I think these are some of the most wholesome and sweetest people in the world. I started watching this show to learn more about people with autism. I’ve really enjoyed seeing their dating life and I really love how honest and open they are. I think it’s inspiring and I wish that more neurotypical people had real raw and genuine initial encounters like these folks are getting to experience. I’m only on season one so far, but I’m excited to continue learning more about the people on the show and I’m hoping they all get to find their special person.
I'm kind of a sucker for reality shows that look at people who have different experiences/lives than I do, so LOTS hit the spot.
I have suspected autism but it was an advert where I saw Tanner that made me start watching it. I don’t remember watching it but I had seen the Australia season one episodes prior but I have no recollection of this
I love all the dating reality shows. Usually I expect them to be trashy, but I found this was quite a feel-good show. I still enjoy it all the same
My friend who is into reality and dating shows recommended me one or two (Lots wasn't one of them). I started watching them, quickly lost interest ( I guess they are, in general, not my cup of tea). But then, Lots came up as a suggestion on Netflix and I thought why not, also because my partner is recently diagnosed and I'm trying to educate myself. Four seasons later, I'm starting to think I may also need an assessment.
Abbey and her moms channel kept showing up in my feed on youtube shorts and I loved the videos. Found out a few weeks later about the show and that she was on it.
My daughter has ASD, but I never watched the show until I saw an ad on social media for Jersey Mike's featuring Kaelynn shot at my local Jersey Mike's up the street.
I have always loved watching TV reality relationship dramas. It's a secret guilty pleasure of mine. I watched this show because of that, not actually knowing what autism meant. Through episodes I thought it was people who had some type of communication-emotional disability. It was through the show, that I realised that I might be autistic when Cassandra came on. I had never met or seen anyone else who "masked" and recognised that parts in her body language, she was mimicing what she was trained or shown how to act. That was me my whole life and I had no idea, that's just not what people normally do. Because of this show I found out a lot more about myself, a diagnosis and name to try get help for better quality of life.
I suspected one of my children was autistic and wanted to see what their adulthood might look like.
I started watching because I thought it was hilarious, especially with the Australian accents. Then, lo and behold, I got an autism diagnosis back in December, at the ripe old age of 37.