The Business
In 'Speechless,' Scott Silveri combines comedy, family & disability
Scott Silveri has written and produced sitcoms for more than 20 years. In all that time, he never encountered a TV family that looked anything like the one he grew up in -- with a mom, a dad...and a brother with cerebral palsy. He changed that with his show Speechless on ABC. Silveri tells us about looking to his own past for stories, and why he was determined to make a family comedy and not just a "disability show."
By Kim Masters • • 28m ListenTV writer-producer Scott Silveri earned his sitcom chops writing for Friends 20 years ago, and went on to work on shows like Joey,Perfect Couples and Go On. When he got a deal at Fox and had the chance to pitch his own show, Silveri decided he was done with writing standard sitcom relationships. He started thinking about stories from his own childhood, which included growing up with a brother with cerebral palsy. He's mined that past with his show, Speechless on ABC. He tells us about asking his family for permission to borrow some of their stories and about the nationwide casting search to find an actor who really has cerebral palsy to play a teenager who uses a wheelchair and communicates by pointing a laser at words and letters on a board.
Photo: Scott Silveri, creator of Speechless on ABC
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Read the story7 minScott Silveri on 'Speechless'
The ABC show Speechless centers on the DiMeo's -- mom, dad, and three kids. It's your standard family sitcom setup, except the oldest son, 16-year-old JJ, played by Micah Fowler, has cerebral palsy. JJ uses a wheelchair, and while he doesn't talk, he has no trouble making himself understood.
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