An episode that explores autistic and neurodivergent representation in The Big Bang Theory and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. From Sheldon’s neurotypical framing to Charlie Kelly’s proudly autistic chaos, we break down what hits, what misses, and why it matters.
Here’s what’s in store for today’s episode:
In today’s episode, we’re diving into It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and how it nails autistic representation—unlike The Big Bang Theory, which mostly reflects a neurotypical perspective.
We start by breaking down what The Big Bang Theory got right—and wrong—about autism, touching on Young Sheldon and the dynamic between Sheldon and Amy.
After that, we dive into how It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is actually deeply autism-centric, even if it’s not explicitly framed that way.
Then, we dive into how It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is deeply autism-centric—thanks in large part to Charlie Kelly, who is explicitly autistic and gives the show its neurodivergent heart.
We also explore how the writers of It’s Always Sunny approach the show from a neurodivergent lens—crafting characters who consistently misunderstand the world around them in ways that feel deeply relatable to autistic viewers.
Our hosts get into all the autistic tendencies throughout the show—from Sweet Dee, Dennis, and Charlie’s unique quirks to Charlie himself, who has openly identified as autistic multiple times.
We also talk about how the humor in It’s Always Sunny is specifically tailored to an autistic audience and sense of humor—sharp, absurd, and rooted in social misunderstandings.
Matt and Angela also discuss the concept of autistic integrity and how it shows up both in It’s Always Sunny and in the core values of this podcast.
Sometimes we have to play the game of capitalism just to get by—but as long as you’ve got your crew of fellow weirdos to lean on, you’ll make it through.
“It’s representation, but at what cost? We don’t have a seat at the table. There is a picture on the table of a caricature of an autistic person. And then everyone else talking about how weird they are.” - Matt
“The impetus behind It’s Always Sunny was not, ‘hey, let’s make a marketable show and sell it and have lots of airtime and get in the top 20 or whatever.’ They’re like, ‘hey, you know what would be funny? If we did our own thing with a low-res video recorder.” - Matt
“They are very, very socially minded. They’re very, very self conscious about these things, which is the autistic way. They do things in the way that they do it because they think it’s the right thing to do. Whenever they see an issue, they want to call it out on the show. So they do it in the most blatant way possible so that the people watching it will be like, ‘hey, that’s an issue.” - Matt
Did you love this episode? We took a deep dive into autistic representation in pop culture—comparing The Big Bang Theory and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. From Sheldon and Amy’s dynamic to Charlie Kelly’s openly autistic identity, we unpack how neurodivergent humor, character quirks, and autistic integrity show up on screen. We also explore how Sunny nails an autistic lens through its writing, jokes, and chaotic logic. Join the convo with #AutisticCultureCatch!
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Unfortunately I listened to this episode too late to participate in the closed out SPIN study, which I am very interested in the resulting conclusions from that research.
https://consequence.net/2025/04/abbott-elementary-its-always-sunny-2-trailer/
The Abbott Elementary/It’s Always Sunny Crossover Continues: Watch the New Trailer
Yay! I love It’s Always Sunny and quote it at people daily. Thank you for doing this one! 😍
I relate so much to this episode! In high school, my aunt said that I should watch Big Bang Theory cause she thought I would relate to the characters. I just thought the show was making fun of people like me. I didn’t know I was autistic then. Hindsight is 20/20!
Wow I’ve always hated big bang theory and people around me would ask why and I didn’t know. What you described makes perfect sense as to why.
Right? It was like nails on the chalk board to me but I almost felt disloyal to my people not loving it... I loved the way Matt put this episode together. It was a good one. Glad you liked it!
Wow. They never talk about "It's Always Sunny" as an autism-coded show...
My late mother (self-identified autistic) loved The Big Bang Theory specifically for Sheldon, just like she liked Star Trek TOS for Spock and TNG for Data. She enjoyed Young Sheldon even more. I think she overlooked the ways in which Sheldon was slighted. It's too bad she's gone because there are so many much better shows out there.
Wow thank you!
The portrayal of academia is SOO inaccurate on this show: https://feministscientist.substack.com/p/the-big-bang-theory-and-academic
It bothers me too, how much child-Sheldon is used for jokes/laughs and treated terribly as a high needs child. Sheldon's family is so irresponsible and has so many issues, but it's Sheldon that's the joke!
I only got hooked on The Big Bang Theory because of Amy's character!
Christopher?
Chicken