Wheelchair-using characters, those with Asperger's become archetypes on TV shows

From Whitney Friedlander at the Los Angeles Times:

For loyal viewers, popular television characters can sometimes seem like a mash-up of Final Draft and Mad Libs. Enter the curly-haired hipster here, exit the effeminate male assistant there. Of course, recycling in Hollywood did not begin with recent strivings to go green. Characters who dress, sound and talk alike are safe, ratings-friendly choices.

“Archetypes are that for a reason — they’ve stood the test of time,” said Josh Schwartz, executive producer for fan favorites “Chuck,” “Gossip Girl” and “The O.C.” “The key is in how you update these characters, modernize them, give voice to them, and most importantly, cast them.”

Here’s the latest list of the small screen’s usual suspects:

The geek as romantic lead.

As recently seen on: “Chuck,” “Melrose Place,” “The Big Bang Theory.”

“Seth Cohen of ‘The O.C.’ was the first prominent one of that ilk and now we see it everywhere,” said Daniel Manu, site director for the we-snark-because- we-care Web site TelevisionWithoutPity.com.

“It’s the geek who doesn’t resemble the stereotypical geek, but is a geek because of what he’s into — as opposed to the glasses and bad hair and bad social skills.”

The Asperger’s syndrome character. As recently seen on: “House,” “Bones,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Community,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Criminal Minds,” “Grey’s Anatomy.” ("Bones" lead actress Emily Deschanel is pictured.)

It seems like no show is green-lighted these days without a watered-down “Rain Man” on board, although most of the sufferers appear to be undiagnosed. “Now you sort of expect to see an Asperger’s guy on TV,” TWOP’s Manu said of the apparent malady-of-the-moment. “This specific form of autism is fair game mainly because I suspect there are folks in Hollywood who suffer from it and mainly because it doesn’t seem as bad as full-on autism.”

The gay assistant. As recently seen on: “Ugly Betty,” “Chef Academy,” “Entourage.”

They’re smart, feisty and, above all, well-dressed! You can largely thank Bravo’s “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” series and its ratings success for this now reoccurring character in both scripted and reality series, according to TV historian Tim Brooks. Though they’re known for coming into a room and lighting it up with laughter (Lloyd from “Entourage”), it may be sometime before the major networks build a scripted show around an openly gay character.

The wheelchair-bound character. As recently seen on: “Brothers” and “Glee.”

Though not exactly a cliché, characters in wheelchairs suddenly popped back onto television screens this year — and one is a main character, Chill played by Daryl “Chill” Mitchell from “Brothers.” (Neither character has come close to reaching the fame of Raymond Burr’s “Ironside,” though.) “A lot of these things come out of Disney Channel and Nickelodeon and cartoons and things kids grow up with, which are among the leading channels introducing handicapped kids,” Brooks said.

The South Asian character.

As recently seen on: “The Big Bang Theory,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Community,” “The Office,” “Heroes,” “30 Rock.”

As the economic power of South Asia has grown, so has its representation in television. Though welcoming the extra work for minorities, the casting has its drawbacks, argues Manu. There aren’t any lead roles. “It’s the faux diversity you see on TV. It’s like checking off a box and it’s diversity for diversity’s sake,” he said.

The soccer mom. As recently seen on: “Desperate Housewives,” “Weeds,” “Cougar Town” “The Real Housewives” series.

They look normal, but underneath you can’t trust ’em as far as you can kick ’em. Conniving, over-competitive and ready to pounce so their spawn can score a goal, they are not to be crossed.