Speechless Information

Speechless is an American sitcom television series that debuted on ABC on September 21, 2016. Created by Scott Silveri and co-executive produced with Christine Gernon, Jake Kasdan and Melvin Mar, the 20th Century Fox Television/ABC Studios co-production was greenlighted to series order on May 13, 2016. A first-look trailer was released on the same day. On September 29, 2016, the series was picked up for a full 22-episode season. An additional episode was ordered on December 13, 2016 for a 23-episode season.

Plot

The series follows the DiMeo family, each with a unique personality: Maya, a take-charge British mother with a no-holds-barred attitude; her husband Jimmy, who doesn't seem to care what others think; Dylan, their no-nonsense athletic daughter; Ray, their middle child who acts as the "brains" in the family; and their oldest son, JJ"?a high schooler with cerebral palsy who has a biting wit and sense of humor. The DiMeos move frequently in an attempt to find a good educational environment for JJ. They believe they have found an optimal choice when they discover a school that prides itself on being inclusive and where JJ will have an aide to speak for him. Though they quickly find that not everything is as good as it could be, JJ enjoys having Kenneth, a well-meaning groundskeeper at the school, work as his aide.

Cast

Main

• Minnie Driver as Maya DiMeo
• John Ross Bowie as Jimmy DiMeo
• Mason Cook as Ray DiMeo
• Micah Fowler as JJ DiMeo
• Kyla Kenedy as Dylan DiMeo
• Cedric Yarbrough as Kenneth

Recurring

• Marin Hinkle as Dr. Miller
• Lukita Maxwell as Jillian
• Jonathan Slavin as Mr. Powers
• McKaley Miller as Claire
• David Lengel as Tad

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)	Viewers = 7.38	ShortSummary = The DiMeo family moves into a rundown house in a better neighborhood than the one they left, meaning a new school for the kids. Maya DiMeo is forceful in her efforts to get the school to provide everything that JJ, her special needs son, requires. Her attitude rubs many school staff members the wrong way, among them Principal Miller and groundskeeper Kenneth, the latter to whom JJ takes a liking. Meanwhile, Ray wants to rebel against having to go to yet another new school until he sees the school has a planetarium and meets a fellow astronomy buff named Jillian.	LineColor = #73C2FB }}	Viewers = 6.43	ShortSummary = Maya reluctantly hires Kenneth to be JJ's aide, but wants to fire him when he helps JJ meet the cheerleading squad and JJ ignores her phone calls about his physical therapy appointment. Maya later sees Kenneth helping JJ in the bathroom and decides to keep him on. Elsewhere, Ray continues to pursue Jillian even after learning that she has a boyfriend, while Jimmy makes a bad impression with the new neighbors.	LineColor = #73C2FB }}	Viewers = 6.03	ShortSummary = As the football team prepares to face a rival school, they invite JJ to their annual pre-game bonfire. But, with the bonfire taking place on a beach down a rocky hillside, Maya realizes JJ cannot get to it and forces the school to cancel the event. JJ becomes angry with Maya because he doesn't want to be the reason for spoiling the other students' fun. At home, Ray wants to show Jillian his model Jupiter Probe, but is embarrassed to invite her into the house, which is filled with junk the family has culled from other people's garbage. Jimmy tries to rectify the situation and get rid of the trash but, on the way to throwing it out, he and Ray can't help falling back into old habits. Meanwhile, a conversation with Kenneth makes Dylan question why she likes to run.	LineColor = #73C2FB }}	Viewers = 6.03	ShortSummary = When people proclaim that JJ and Kenneth are an inspiration and give them special treatment, Kenneth starts taking advantage, getting free admission to and various perks at a baseball game. At home, Ray and Dylan want to back out of widening a doorway for JJ so they can go paintballing. They convince Jimmy and Maya to come along and they all have lots of fun, but the kids soon feel guilty for having fun without JJ around. Maya realizes they've learned that guilt from her, so Jimmy tries to convince her it's okay to do things only she enjoys.	LineColor = #73C2FB }}	Viewers = 5.85	ShortSummary = Jimmy is upset that the kids no longer want to participate in the family tradition of dressing up for Halloween. Maya tries to cheer him up by allowing him to do things he loves that are on her "Dead to Me" list. Meanwhile, Ray recruits Dylan to help work the school's haunted mansion and Kenneth is scared of losing his job when JJ gets drunk at a party. Even though Maya is furious, she is thrilled to see JJ having a "normal" social life.	LineColor = #73C2FB }}	Viewers = 5.64	ShortSummary = JJ meets Claire (McKaley Miller), a girl his age who is temporarily wheelchair-bound due to twisting both her ankles in a gymnastics accident. Kenneth tries to fix them up despite JJ's insistence that Claire isn't interested in him that way. Meanwhile, Ray takes an embarrassing photo of his nipple, then tries to pass it off as a girl's nipple to some classmates, hoping he can become popular for receiving a "sext". Also, Jimmy tries to help Dylan deal with anger management after Dylan destroys a participation trophy in the school display case because she despises what it represents.	LineColor = #73C2FB }}	Viewers = 5.72	ShortSummary = Maya wants to make a game out of Jimmy's brother Billy (Rob Corddry) and his family's annoying habits when they visit for Thanksgiving, but everyone else worries that this will cause more family drama than necessary. Meanwhile, Ray and Kenneth take over Maya's annual dinner preparation despite their combined lack of cooking experience.	LineColor = #73C2FB }}	Viewers = 4.98	ShortSummary = Ray sets up morning drills for the family to make sure he gets to the dock on time for a school trip to the Channel Islands, which is still a month away. Claire continues to watch movies with JJ, but says her casts are being removed soon. Just before this happens, Ray helps JJ go to the hospital to tell Claire that he likes her, then stays home to help JJ deal with being rejected. Meanwhile, Dylan realizes she's too grown up now to use her predictive powers and help her father capitalize on what will be the hot toy of the Christmas season.	LineColor = #73C2FB }}	Viewers = 4.59	ShortSummary = On a trip with Kenneth to play arcade games at a local ice rink, JJ discovers a recreational sled hockey league. Despite his father's initial reluctance, the two discover themselves bonding when they take the ice. Meanwhile, Ray and Dylan butt heads over a secret crawlspace in the house; and Maya and Kenneth work on their relationship during a CPR class.	LineColor = #73C2FB }}	Viewers = 5.46	ShortSummary = With the year coming to a close, Maya proclaims she is finally seeing the good in people. Her attitude quickly changes, however, when the van is stolen with all of the family's Christmas presents in it. Elsewhere, Ray looks for an extracurricular activity when he stumbles upon the school choir. He earns a solo and thinks he has finally found something he's skilled in besides his core academics, but JJ quickly worms his way into getting the solo instead, with Kenneth doing the actual singing.	LineColor = #73C2FB }}	Viewers = 5.75	ShortSummary = The DiMeos are set to embark on their annual free-form road trip, for which they have no agenda and just wing it. The ultra-organized Ray, however, has secretly plotted out a course to his own benefit, based on his family's habit of always out-voting him on which direction to go. Things go from bad to worse for Ray when he comes down with appendicitis. Kenneth shows up at school, and finds it awkward to hang with the students without JJ by his side. He then tries to hang out with his old building & grounds crew, but they shun him since he is no longer one of them.	LineColor = #73C2FB }}	Viewers = 5.93	ShortSummary = In order to get on the good side of their insurance agent to get everything JJ needs, the DiMeos ask Dylan to make a tough sacrifice at her next track meet. Meanwhile, Ray wants to use his brother for inspiration to write for an essay for a contest at school, but JJ rejects his plan. But when another student lies about being JJ's friend to write a similar essay, Ray and JJ team together to outdo the other student. They fail but the fake inspirational speech encourages the insurance agent to support JJ.	LineColor = #73C2FB }}	Viewers = 5.39	ShortSummary = When Kenneth shows up to the house with the flu and Maya catches the illness, Jimmy is forced to be the mom of the house while Dylan becomes Kenneth's replacement for JJ at school. JJ protects Dylan from a boy she's interested in, though she doesn't realize it at first and thinks her brother won't accept that she's blossoming. Meanwhile, despite the spread of illness, the family bands together and pulls an all-nighter to finish Ray's school project.	LineColor = #73C2FB }}	Viewers = 5.54	ShortSummary = While dining out with the family, Maya sees her ex-fianc Ethan (Ken Marino), who was also Jimmy's former roommate. This leads her to tell the kids the story of how Jimmy stole her away from Ethan. The reminiscing makes Maya and Jimmy resolve to restore the "heat" in their relationship. At school, Ray receives a candy-gram from a secret admirer. Dylan finds the girl who sent it, and realizes it was meant for a popular jock named Ray Diblasio, not Ray DiMeo. Dylan decides to have fun by catfishing Ray as the admirer, but later regrets her actions. Meanwhile, JJ succumbs to his sugar addiction and begins eating several of the candy-grams he and Kenneth are supposed to be delivering.	LineColor = #73C2FB }}	Viewers = 5.64	ShortSummary = Maya lies her way into an exclusive club so the family can use the pool. Ray meets another boy and they hit it off, causing Ray to try and figure out a way he can keep attending the club. Meanwhile, a guy in JJ's disabilities group inspires him to get a computerized pad that speaks for him, causing Kenneth to feel like he's no longer needed.	LineColor = #73C2FB }}	Viewers = 5.34	ShortSummary = Maya is hosting her annual Oscar party for the mothers with disabled children club, but a mishap with the cable TV forces them to the home of new member Becca (Michaela Watkins). Becca annoys Maya by seemingly being able to do everything in addition to caring for her child, including looking nice and keeping a clean home. Jimmy finds that the club members' husbands are conditioned to do whatever they are told, and he takes advantage of it. Elsewhere, Kenneth runs a movie trivia game for the kids, trying to make it fair enough to cover their multiple disabilities, while Ray falls for the sister of one of the kids and pretends to be a "free spirit" like her.	LineColor = #73C2FB }}	Viewers = TBA	ShortSummary = Maya plans a surprise party for Dylan's birthday even though Dylan herself is adamant about not having one. Meanwhile, Ray is unnerved by a trip to the mall with JJ to buy their sister a present; and Jimmy and Kenneth realize they have nothing in common.	LineColor = #73C2FB }}	Viewers = TBA	ShortSummary = After leaving a note behind Maya"?s back, Ray takes sides against the family when Maya dings a nearby car. Following through on a promise, Jimmy and Dylan share a moment, as father and daughter are on a search in the back room at the local supermarket while JJ teaches a rude customer a lesson, and a moonlighting Kenneth hides his side job from the DiMeos.	LineColor = #73C2FB }}

Reception

Speechless received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a rating of 98% based on 41 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Speechless speaks to a sensitive topic with a heartfelt lead performance and a fine balance of sensitivity and irreverence." On Metacritic the series has a score of 76 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "generally positive reviews".

The editors of TV Guide placed Speechless seventh among the top ten picks for the most anticipated new shows of the 2016-17 season. In its review from writer Liam Matthews, "ABC has another worthwhile addition to its strong lineup of modern families with Speechless," adding "It's a clear-eyed and empathetic exploration of life in a special needs family that makes plenty of room for hilarity."

Ratings

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| title2 = N-e-New A-i-Aide | date2 = September 28, 2016 | rs2 = 1.8/6 | viewers2 = 6.43 | dvr2 = 0.8 | total2 = 2.6

| title3 = B-o-n-Bonfire | date3 = October 5, 2016 | rs3 = 1.8/6 | viewers3 = 6.03 | dvr3 = 0.8 | total3 = 2.6

| title4 = I-n-s-Inspirations | date4 = October 12, 2016 | rs4 = 1.8/7 | viewers4 = 6.03 | dvr4 = n/a | total4 = n/a

| title5 = H-a-l-Halloween | date5 = October 26, 2016 | rs5 = 1.7/5 | viewers5 = 5.85 | dvr5 = 0.7 | total5 = 2.4

| title6 = D-a-t-e-Date? | date6 = November 9, 2016 | rs6 = 1.7/6 | viewers6 = 5.64 | dvr6 = | total6 =

| title7 = T-h-a-Thanksgiving | date7 = November 16, 2016 | rs7 = 1.7/6 | viewers7 = 5.72 | dvr7 = | total7 =

| title8 = R-a-y-c-Ray-Cation | date8 = November 30, 2016 | rs8 = 1.5/5 | viewers8 = 4.98 | dvr8 = 0.6 | total8 = 2.1

| title9 = S-l-Sled H-o-Hockey | date9 = December 7, 2016 | rs9 = 1.3/5 | viewers9 = 4.59 | dvr9 = | total9 =

| title10 = C-h-o-Choir | date10 = December 14, 2016 | rs10 = 1.6/5 | viewers10 = 5.46 | dvr10 = 0.6 | total10 = 2.2

| title11 = R-o-Road T-r-Trip | date11 = January 4, 2017 | rs11 = 1.7/6 | viewers11 = 5.75 | dvr11 = | total11 =

| title12 = H-e-r-Hero | date12 = January 11, 2017 | rs12 = 1.8/6 | viewers12 = 5.93 | dvr12 = | total12 =

| title13 = S-i-Sick D-a-Day | date13 = January 18, 2017 | rs13 = 1.6/6 | viewers13 = 5.39 | dvr13 = | total13 =

| title14 = V-a-l-Valentine's D-a-Day | date14 = February 8, 2017 | rs14 = 1.6/6 | viewers14 = 5.54 | dvr14 = | total14 =

| title15 = T-h-The C-l-Club | date15 = February 15, 2017 | rs15 = 1.6/6 | viewers15 = 5.64 | dvr15 = | total15 =

| title16 = O-s-Oscar P-a-Party | date16 = February 22, 2017 | rs16 = 1.6/5 | viewers16 = 5.34 | dvr16 = | total16 = }}