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February 2, 2018TV series ‘This Close’ starring two deaf actors premieres February 14
Colt Prattes as Ryan, Josh Feldman as Michael - ThisClose _ Season 1, Episode 5 - Photo Credit: Gunther Campine/SundanceNow
The show “This Close” is premiering February 14 and will be the first Hollywood TV series to have deaf writers, producers, and creators.
This is huge progress and we hope that this sets the standard for TV series and movies to come. The show is written, produced and created by Shoshannah Stern and Josh Feldman. Stern and Feldman are also starring as the main characters in the show. Other #deaftalent in the show includes Marlee Matlin and Nyle DiMarco.
“This is the first show written, produced and created by deaf people. I hope it won’t be the last show. I’m hoping it shows representation matters,” Stern told the Television Critics Association.
The show will also star actors Cheryl Hines, Zach Gilford, and Colt Prattes. The show is about two best friends, Kate and Michael and their friendship as figure out life together. Kate is newly engaged and Michael is going through a rough time moving on from his ex-fiance. Marlee Matlin will be playing Michael’s mom, Annie. She is a recovering alcoholic attempting to reconnect and form a relationship with her son, Michael. We will get six episodes, 30 minutes each, to spend getting to know these characters.
Why this show is so important to the deaf and hard of hearing community
The trailer for the movie starts out with the pair of friends at an airport asking to pre-board because they are deaf. Right after they say they are deaf, the airport staff woman begins yelling at them, thinking it will help them hear better. In my head, I thought, “that actually happened to me the other day.” Right from the start, the realness about being deaf in a hearing world is shown.
It also seems from the trailer that the show will explore themes around identity and what it feels like to be identified just by your disability. This is important because we want people to know that our hearing loss doesn’t define us. It is a part of our identity, but not our whole identity.
Read more: D.J. Demers: “I never wanted to be the hearing aid guy”
Just from the short trailer, the show looks like it will be humorous, emotional, and super relatable.
Get ready for February 14
Don’t miss the premiere, this Valentine’s Day on Sundance Now. We can’t wait to see it, it’s about time that there is a show written, created and produced by deaf people!
