The A Word - Season 1
The extended Hughes family reunites for Joe's fifth birthday party. Tensions soon rise when Joe is diagnosed with autism. The series follows how the dysfunctional family cope with Joe's situation and their own apparent social disorders.
3 November 1969, New Jersey, USA
8 February 1980, Bury, Greater Manchester, England, UK
16 November 1975, Nettlebed, Oxfordshire, England, UK
1958, Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK
12 August 1982, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, UK
1962
1955, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK
July 11, 2016
If the family members were not so hobbled by overly didactic story lines, "The A Word" might have earned an A.
July 12, 2016
What drives the show forward, and makes it a landmark portrayal of a disorder too often stigmatized or left undiscussed, is that second, all-important A Word: acceptance.
April 04, 2017
The soundtrack is a good'un and the scenes of Cumbria are beautiful. If only the script had fewer clunky sex scenes and more told from Joe's perspective.
July 13, 2016
At its core, there is a fascinating and unique story of one child's difficult-to-understand world, and his parents who are being dragged into compassion, kicking and screaming all the way.
July 13, 2016
If The A Word sounds dark and depressing, it isn't. Joe's autism is the central plot point, but this is also a messy soap opera about a family that's always butting heads.
August 23, 2016
Mature themes steer this autism drama into adult territory.
July 12, 2016
In its fearless specificity, The A Word is universal, even as it shines light on the special challenges autism imposes on that child and everyone around him.
July 12, 2016
The A Word gathers its own quiet power as a succession of portraits of people under stress without becoming unbearably morose, thanks to regular bits of dotty British eccentricity and a few comic misunderstandings.
July 13, 2016
As the Hughes figure themselves out, making a lot of wrong decisions along the way, it also challenges viewers to consider our own lives and choices, and how we might react to these same situations.
