Everyone deserves to experience love, no matter who they are.
How are you feeling about the new season?
CIAN O’CLERY:Good.
We’re feeling good about it.
So it’s good.
Really happy that the stars aligned.
Image via Netflix
It’s just a great day for us to be able to premiere the show.
So I think it’s going to be an audience winner, for sure.
COLLIDER: I’m going to start with a loaded question.
Image via Netflix
Why do we needLove On the Spectrumnow?
CIAN: Can we answer that without talking about the state of the world?
CIAN: Dark and scary.
This feels like a show that is about uniting people and celebrating difference, rather than the opposite.
What do you think Karina?
But it does feel profound.
COLLIDER: Tell me about howLove On the Spectrumcame to be.
Where did it start?
And so I was directing that, Karina was VP, and had a factual at Northern Pictures.
Looking to step into the world of dating.
So that was kind of the genesis of it all.
And then, you know, it kind of grew from there.
You know, it wasn’t a documentary that was going to give you information.
And that was completely the opposite of what the show has demonstrated.
It might just be a bit of a struggle.
CIAN: I mean, no, is the short answer.
It’s kind of like our version of the BBC.
I think people who watched it started to understand a bit more about autism.
We’re really proud of the show, but we also take that responsibility to heart.
What the show is representing is quite important for the community.
COLLIDER: What is your casting process like?
How do you find the participants and the stories you want to share?
So it’s, I guess, unusual in terms of, compared to other dating shows out there.
It’s a very different casting process.
But at the end of the day, people write in express interest in being a part of it.
We have Zoom calls with pretty much everybody who writes in.
We have a quick Zoom call, at least, and get to know them a little bit.
We were looking for interesting people who had something to say.
And once they get to know the family, they stay in the family.
It’s not like they’re handed between a whole bunch of different producers.
So we don’t have a casting team that’s separate to the producing team.
So there’s that follow-through from the very beginning.
What is it like watching them grow and seeing their stories blossom in the way they have?
It’s been great.
And we found David, and had very similar interests, and here we are.
In this later season coming up, they celebrate their three-year anniversary together.
It’s amazing to follow that and to be a part of it.
We never started the show thinking like, “How many matches can we make?”
It was never about that.
It was because so many people were dating for the very first time on the show.
A lot of it was just about getting out there, getting practice.
But having said that, we’ve had some really amazing successes.
And without any spoilers, Season 3 is highly successful when it comes to the love department.
KARINA: There’s a payoff.
CIAN: There’s a lot of love, which is amazing.
It’s been great.
And not just finding love, but also finding friendships, finding close friendships.
You’ll see in Season 3, they come along for his birthday party.
And they are literally in his group of friends now.
And it’s great.
Everyone’s really happy that they’ve been involved, and that makes us happy.
COLLIDER: What is it like seeing them understand that they have kind of become famous?
How are they handling their fame?
People love them because they’re genuinely lovely, interesting, genuine people.
People are really enjoying that people appreciate them for who they are.
And that’s lovely.
They’re not going out and trying to be famous for the wrong reasons.
I think that they’re examples of what kindness looks like, the embodiment of goodness in a way.
So I think that people really support them online.
When you become somebody who’s in the public eye, it can become quite fraught with possible problems.
Because it’s society.
KARINA: It’s our world.
CIAN: Who we are.
We need that."
We were really fortunate that someone as wonderful and lovely asPeri [Kim]came to us this season.
Yes, she’s LGBTQ, but we didn’t cast her because of that.
So it’s always important to explore that.
Is it a match?
The parents, the siblings.
They know how important this is for their loved ones.
What is it like getting to be a part of their family and working alongside them?
CIAN: The families have been amazing.
Not trying to censor themselves.
They’ve just been real.
And it’s quite amazing, really, how truthful and honest everyone’s been just from the get-go.
We venture to instill that kind of feeling when we’re filming.
We have a really tiny crew.
There’s very few of us.
We make a run at make it feel as little like “we’re filming” as possible.
And so I absolutely empathize with members of family and loved ones who just want the best.
It’s got a lot of meta layers as well.
How important is it to have her be part of the storytelling?
KARINA: Jennifer has formed such a strong bond with many of the cast members.
This season we see her withMadison [Marilla], who requested to meet and work with her.
As an autistic woman, who is married with children, she has a perspective the participants appreciate.
CIAN:Jennifer Cooks involvement in the series has been, and continues to be, really important.
KARINA:Watching the cast this season has encouraged me to embrace joy in friendship and love.
Theres such warmth and positivity that comes through in their quest for genuine connection and a rare present-moment sincerity.
It makes me strive to be more open and honest with people in my life.
COLLIDER: Season 3 has a lovely mix of returning favorites and new faces.
What can you tease about this upcoming season?
KARINA:Love!!
We will see lots of it!
So many of the cast have real breakthroughs in this season, and there are so many heartwarming moments.
And by the end of the season, there will be both happy and sad tears.
COLLIDER: Abbey and David.
Will we get aLove on the Spectrumwedding one day?
KARINA:Abbey and David are going so strong, since that very first date in 2021.
They will take their time to do what is right for the two of them.
CIAN:We will see where their relationship goes.
Who knows what could come of their amazing connection!
Tune in for a beautiful celebration of their relationship in this new season.
COLLIDER: Whats next?
What other stories will you tell?
CIAN: We hope the audience loves this season and wants to see more ofLove on the Spectrum.
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