How To Watch 'Love On The Spectrum' In Order
April is Autism Awareness Month, making it the perfect time to look into Love on the Spectrum (2022). The series is a refreshing addition to the world of reality TV dating shows. It gives viewers an inside look at how individuals on the autism spectrum navigate the world of love and relationships. The show offers a level of wholesomeness that’s rare in the reality TV world and helps destigmatize autism.
If you’re looking to get into the series, use our guide to find out how to watch Love on the Spectrum and its related shows in release date order.
Love on the Spectrum (2019-2021) - Australian TV Series
The original Love on the Spectrum is an Australian reality TV series created by Holden and O’Clery. Love on the Spectrum centers on seven young adults on the autism spectrum as they work with job coach and relationship counselor Jodi Rodgers to find love. It’s easy nowadays to come away from reality TV shows with little more than gossip and criticism. However, Love on the Spectrum is different and rare in that, from episode one, you will fall in love with the subjects and find yourself rooting for their success.
I especially love that Love on the Spectrum gives its subjects the ability to tell their own story. So often, the autism we see onscreen in shows and movies is written or performed by individuals who are not autistic. Hence, the authenticity of Love on the Spectrum is really refreshing, and it’s the perfect show to help deconstruct stereotypes and push for a little more empathy.
Love on the Spectrum (2022-Present) - American TV Series
Love on the Spectrum is the American version of the Australian series of the same name. It’s the same concept as the original, tracking the stories of several different individuals on the spectrum as they navigate the dating world with the help of relationship coach Jennifer Cook. The main difference is that the American version focuses on individuals who are single at the beginning of the show, whereas the Australian version features a few pre-established couples.
The American version also has more seasons and is currently on Season 4, while the Australian version was not renewed beyond Season 2. Love on the Spectrum is perfect if you want more of the Australian version and Employable Me. It has all the same heart, warmth, and honesty, and its longer run ensures it captures double the joy and wholesomeness of the original.
Employable Me is technically where it all started, as it is where the creators of Love on the Spectrum, Karina Holden and Cian O’Clery, first got the idea for their reality dating series. The Australian docuseries follows several job seekers with disabilities as they work to find employment. It’s a little broader than Love on the Spectrum, featuring individuals with disabilities ranging from Tourette’s to cerebral palsy to achondroplasia.
In Employable Me, job coaches, psychologists, and family members rally around job seekers with disabilities, working to place them in the perfect job after years of rejection. At times, it’s brutally honest and hard to watch, but the docuseries finds balance in highlighting the more heartwarming and funny moments of the job search. It’s not hard to believe that Employable Me is where the idea for Love on the Spectrum was born, as the two projects share a similar tone and goal.
