A character in a new comedy series is so blatantly autistic it doesn’t need to be so much as mentioned at any point, the show’s neurotypical creator has said.
The show, What’s the Deal with Grizelda Grumpf, follows kooky main character Grizelda, whose mysteriously peculiar ways delight and frustrate every person around her.
Writer and creator, Karen Hoyland, 32, said: “Grizelda is adorably quirky. She blurts out exacty what she’s thinking at all times, dresses exclusively in primary colours and cries when she washes her hair because ‘it’s all wet now’.”
“It’s basically a story about one woman’s loved ones’ struggles to put up with her inexplicable behaviour, which we have opted not to explain,” she continued.
She added: “We haven’t said she has autism because we wouldn’t want to label her, but she’s loosely based on my six-year-old nephew, who has autism.”
Audiences have lauded the show as “heartwarming” and a second season has already been commissioned. Hoyland has hinted: “Mainly, it’ll be about Grizelda trying to work out whether or not she’s able to feel love.”
Like what you’re reading? Make us your new special interest! Help us grow The Daily Tism by sharing our articles, following us on Instagram, Bluesky, Threads and Facebook, shouting us a coffee on Ko-Fi or joining our bonus-content-packed Club for Terrible Autistics by subscribing to our Patreon. We also now have merch! Check out your favourite headlines in comfy wearable form over on Teemill.
You can also watch episodes one and two of our sketch show, The Daily Tism News, in collaboration with Turtle Canyon Comedy, or listen to episode three in audio form – and tune into our podcast, Autistic Women Oversharing to find out WAY too much about our writers.
