Ryan O’Connell’s “Special” is ending with Season 2 on Netflix. The former short-form series will become a 30-minute show for its second and final season, which debuts on May 20.
So that’s pretty special.
“After two seasons, ‘Special’ is sadly coming to an end,” O’Connell said in a statement on Wednesday. “Thank you to the fans and Netflix for allowing me to make exactly the show I wanted to make and for giving me 30-minute episodes to finish the story. Creating this show has been the highlight of my g-damn life.”
Here’s the official Season 2 synopsis:
Ryan (O’Connell) really needs to get his s— together. It’s been two months and he still hasn’t spoken to Karen (Jessica Hecht) since their fight and he has a gnarly case of writer’s block that’s getting him in hot water with Olivia. Enter Tanner, a fun, flirty dance instructor who charms Ryan despite not being totally available. When his writer’s block eventually lifts, he’s inspired to write a long-form piece about disability. From there, he begins a journey of self-discovery that creates unexpected complications in his relationship with Tanner.
Meanwhile, Kim (Punam Patel) lets her guard down when she meets Harrison, a sensitive tech mogul with a humble background – but her insecurities and jealous tendencies continue to hamper her personal life and threaten to push Harrison away. With her spiraling credit card debt driving Kim even further towards rock bottom, she makes a hard choice to regain control of her finances and personal life. Since taking care of Ryan was her life’s purpose until their fight, Karen realizes that she needs to take an active approach to create a fulfilling life for herself – beyond just taking care of her ailing mother. Will she be content with continuing to clean up everyone else’s messes, or will Karen be able to lean into her newfound independence and create a life that centers around her own desires for once?
The logline concludes: “This season is about our primary characters — Ryan, Karen and Kim — coming into their power and realizing they all deserve big gorgeous lives — whether society agrees or not, bitch!”
O’Connell is the creator, executive producer, writer and star of “Special,” which follows a young gay man with cerebral palsy who branches out from his insular existence in hopes of finally going after the life he wants.
Jim Parsons, Eric Norsoph, Todd Spiewak and Anna Dokoza are also executive producers of the Emmy-nominated series. “Special” is produced by Warner Bros. Television, That’s Wonderful Productions, Campfire and Stage 13.