Palace in Underland

If you liked The Pitt for how it treats disability as part of real life—not just a diagnosis, a tragic backstory, or a miraculous recovery—there are some really good shows and movies worth watching.

What makes The Pitt stand out is that it gives neurodivergent characters complexity, shows how healthcare systems can fail disabled patients, and explores communication barriers and accessibility without making disability their only defining trait. Disability advocates and healthcare experts have specifically praised these aspects of the show.

Here are my recommendations, especially if you want that same grounded, compassionate, sometimes messy realism.

TV shows I’d recommend first

1. As We See It

Closest match for nuanced autism representation

Three autistic roommates navigate relationships, employment, independence, and everyday adult life. The show features autistic actors in autistic roles and avoids making every storyline about a diagnosis.

Tone: Intimate, funny, heartfelt

2. Speechless

A family comedy centered on JJ, a nonspeaking teenager with cerebral palsy, played by an actor with cerebral palsy. It handles communication devices, accessibility, overprotective family members, and the right to make your own decisions. It is genuinely funny without turning JJ into a pity story.

Tone: Funny, sharp, family-focused

3. Special

Created by and starring Ryan O’Connell, who has cerebral palsy, this short comedy follows a gay man trying to build an independent adult life. It gets into dating, sex, work, internalized ableism, and the tension between accepting help and wanting autonomy.

Tone: Witty, personal, occasionally uncomfortable

4. Switched at Birth

A family drama with substantial Deaf representation, including American Sign Language, Deaf education, discrimination, and debates about cochlear implants. It explores Deaf culture as a community and identity, not simply hearing loss as a medical problem.

Tone: Emotional, socially conscious, soapy

5. Deaf U

A reality series following Deaf and hard-of-hearing students at Gallaudet University. Relationships, sex, friendship, social status, and differences within the Deaf community take center stage. It’s a good choice if you want to hear and see people with disabilities living their lives rather than being the subject of a lesson.

Tone: Candid, social, reality TV

6. Only Murders in the Building

A lighter option with a Deaf character, Theo, played by Deaf actor James Caverly. The show incorporates sign language, communication differences, and Deaf perspectives into a broader mystery rather than making disability the whole plot.

Tone: Cozy mystery, dark comedy

Movies that get disability right

CODA (2021)

A hearing teenager grows up in a Deaf family. It explores family responsibility, communication, independence, and the difference between supporting someone and speaking for them. Features Deaf actors in Deaf roles.

Best for: Family dynamics and Deaf culture

Sound of Metal (2019)

A musician begins losing his hearing and struggles with the changes to his identity and future. It explores the difference between treating deafness as something to fix and learning to live within a Deaf community. It’s emotionally intense and doesn’t offer an easy solution.

Best for: Acquired disability and identity

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (2020)

A powerful documentary about a summer camp for disabled teenagers and the disability-rights movement that grew from those experiences. It centers disabled people’s own voices, friendships, political organizing, and fight for access.

Best for: Disability rights and lived experience

A Quiet Place (2018)

A horror film featuring Deaf actress Millicent Simmonds as a Deaf teenager. Deafness is part of the family’s everyday communication and survival, not a character flaw. The suspense is intense, but the casting and use of sign language are notable.

Best for: Disability representation in genre films

The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)

A road-trip dramedy about a teenager with muscular dystrophy and his caregiver. It tackles humor, independence, sex, frustration, and the awkwardness of caregiving. It has some familiar feel-good movie conventions, but gives its disabled protagonist personality and agency.

Best for: Caregiving and independence

The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)

An adventure about a young man with Down syndrome who wants to pursue his dream of becoming a wrestler. Zack Gottsagen, who has Down syndrome, plays the lead. It’s warm and funny, with a strong emphasis on friendship and self-determination.

Best for: Autonomy, friendship, and adventure

More options by disability or topic

One small caveat: no show gets everything right, and disabled viewers can disagree about the same portrayal. I tend to give extra weight to stories that cast disabled actors, give disabled characters agency and relationships, and show barriers created by society rather than suggesting the disability itself is the entire problem.