When a show tells you it’s going to be ‘heart-warming’, do you automatically think, ‘shlocky nonsense?’

Well, there’s a new TV show that is both genuinely heart-warmingandsmart. It’s calledSpeechlessand you can watch it on Network Ten.

It’s about a special-needs family made up of a hilariously combative mother, an accepting and supportive father and two siblings vying for their parent’s attention next to their brother JJ who has cerebral palsy.

But it’s not sad, not even a little bit. It’s hilarious, and most of the humour centres around JJ.

Laura and Tiffany talk about Speechless on The Binge. Article continues after this podcast clip.

Cerebral palsy is a medical term that refers to a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Symptoms include poor muscle tone, tremors and trouble speaking due to poor functionality in the part of the brain that controls movement.

The rest of the brain works perfectly well.

The show has an incredible cast including Minnie Driver as passionate mum Maya, John Ross Bowie as ridiculously supportive and comforting husband and father Jimmy and Micah Fowler, the 19-year-old actor who plays JJ.

Fowler actually has cerebral palsy, and this is why the show works so well, with much it based on his real-life experiences. But Fowler, like JJ in the show, is more than his cerebral palsy.

Actor Micah Fowler plays JJ on Speechless. Image: Network Ten

Micah Fowler has been acting since the age of five, appearing in the movieLabor Dayand nowSpeechless.He scored the title role on his 18th birthday. He toldPeoplemagazine the news he'd won the role was "the best birthday present ever".

He toldEntertainment Weeklythat growing up he couldn't help but notice the distinct lack of characters dealing with disabilities so got busy filling that void. Next, he'd like to appear in aStar Warsfilm or a Marvel movie, he toldBuzzFeed.

Every spare moment he's not on set, Fowler spends working as an ambassador for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation (CPF).

And yet Fowler isn't the only reasonSpeechlessis so special.

Mason Cook as Ray DiMeo, Micah Fowler as JJ DiMeo and Kyla Kenedy as Dylan DiMeo. Image: Speechless, Network Ten

The dynamics of the fictional DiMeo family are extraordinary. The show highlights how differently parents cope with a special-needs child, how their relationship evolves, the competing demands of siblings who can often feel neglected and the constant challenges they face together as JJ tries to navigate a world not designed for him.

If only every single establishment in every single country in the entire world thought to construct wheel chair ramps.

Even the family's financial issues are dealt with hilariously.

Then there's the supporting cast, the hapless yet well-intentioned school principal Dr. Miller played by Marin Hinkle as well as incompetent-yet-loveable carer Kenneth played by Cedric Yarbrough.

Minnie Driver and Micah Fowler in TV show Speechless. Image: Network Ten

Special-needs families around the world are sharing their love of the show:

@Speechless_ABC @ABCNetwork Speechless is a gift to smart comedy as well as to families out there who now know someone "gets it". #season2

— Revn'It (@martuttle) April 1, 2017

Hope there is a season 2 of @Speechless_ABC!!!! Story of my life! Thanks for spreading the true life of families with disabled child!

— K (@CrippledKassie) March 20, 2017

And it's not just special needs parents who are sharing their love of the show, but also those with special needs:

@micahdfowler @Speechless_ABC. You are amazing ! Thank you for showing the world that we are than our disabilities #cerebralpalsy

— Lisa❤teamErinkrakow (@WCTHErinDanfan1) March 22, 2017

You can watchSpeechlesson Network Ten via Tenplay.

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