‘Speechless’: Zack Anner Talks Writing For Season 2 Of The ABC Comedy
After serving as a consultant and appearing in an episode of “Speechless” last season, Zack Anner is now a writer for Season 2 of the ABC series.
In a recent interview with 89.3 KPCC, Anner opened up about how his experiences as a person with cerebral palsy have helped him perform his new duties on the Scott Silveri-created series.
“Basically, everyone’s role [in the writing room] is to come up with good stories to tell,” Anner said. “And then make sure they’re authentic and make sure that they’re funny. … But they got it right in Season 1. [So] I feel like what I bring in Season 2 is maybe just a little more insight into what [JJ’s] character might be going through in certain situations.”
“Because, you know, I was a teenager with a disability, and I remember just wanting all the things that all my other classmates wanted — to have relationships with girls and to have independence,” Anner continued. “And there was just a little bit of a different route that I would need to take. So whenever I can have insight into, ‘Oh, JJ (Micah Fowler) might go about it this way, and the family conversation might veer off in this direction’ ... I love to do that.”
The second season of “Speechless” premieres tonight, and according to Silveri, the show’s sophomore run will delve into JJ’s aging and what that means for him and his mother, Maya (Minnie Driver).
“There’s so much that’s available to a kid with a disability. Then, the older you get, there’s a little less,” Silveri, who grew up in a home with a nonverbal brother with cerebral palsy, told Uproxx. “There’s a little less infrastructure. It’s a little less cute to people. There’s less novelty and help. [So] now we’re feeling like, ‘What is JJ’s life going to be?’ He’s going to apply to college. He’s going to have to become realistic about what his options are while challenging himself.”
As a result of JJ’s growing independence, Maya will have an opportunity to re-discover herself. “She doesn’t want to hold [JJ] back, but at the same time [she’s thinking], ‘This kid’s been my life forever, what am I without him?’” Silveri said of Maya’s dilemma in the new season. “It’s going to open up new worlds for her about where is she, what is her place in the world, in a world that’s already a little less dominated by him. Now he’s in the school, and he’s got an aide, and he’s going to be more independent, and she’s going to get more independent, we want to meet her family.”
“Speechless” Season 2, episode 1, titled “W-e-We’re B-a-Back!” airs tonight at 8:30 p.m. EDT on ABC. Watch a sneak peek from the episode below:
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.