Special

There are flashes of wit, slapstick, warmth and sadness sown all the way through Special, glinting out at you as the whole thing races by. I ended up watching the entire show in one go, and it would be no hardship to sit down at any point and watch it all again.

With a full half-hour and a bigger budget, Special could go from being a great if slightly-too-scant story to something really magical.

Special is a work in progress about a character who's a work in progress and, in this quickly digestible form, it's set up to potentially continue to grow into something special — hopefully without losing that under-20-minute charm.

There’s plenty to improve upon, but “Special” has the right pieces in place.

The 15-minute episodes are an easy binge and the two lead characters — Ryan and work friend Kim (Punam Patel) — are often a hoot even if some of the secondary characters (a witch-on-wheels boss, in particular) and situations undercut the show’s attempts at realism.

Netflix's flimsy development process failed this show.

It's a promising premise, with charming performances from its supporting cast, but Special's quirkiness, only-sometimes-successfully sweet emotional moments, off putting characters, and humor don't mix well. [5/12 Apr 2019, p.92]