Love Spectrum problematic
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News Love on the Spectrum Netflix

It’s time to face the fact there are some very problematic aspects of Love on the Spectrum

It's something important we all need to address

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ByEllie Ring

11th April 2025, 13:27

I’ll be the first to admit that I binged the newest season of Love on the Spectrum in a couple of evenings and found it utterly heartwarming. But, as I saw the reaction from other viewers and those who are also on the spectrum themselves, I started to realise that there are some problematic aspects to Love on the Spectrum that we need to address.

The first thing I noticed was an odd perception of the cast by viewers on Reddit and Twitter, especially, where people would be massively infantilising the cast.


This seems to apply to cast members such as Tanner the most, with people singling certain cast members out for being really “cute” or “adorable.”

While all the cast members of the show are amazing people, it’s still important to remember that all of the cast are adults, with the majority of them being in their late twenties with jobs of their own.

In contrast to this, certain cast members, such as Dani and James, seem to receive more negativity due to the fact that they don’t fit the characteristics that viewers seem to have come to expect from those on the show.


Dani is incredibly independent, has her own massively successful business and knows what she wants, but she’s often needlessly criticised for coming across as too bossy.

James also seems to be put in the same boat as Dani, where just because he isn’t constantly positive or smiling, some people have decided he’s just angry and rude, despite this not being the case.

And while a lot of viewers enjoy watching and learning about every member of the cast, it’s still important to raise as an issue within the community.

Another potentially problematic aspect of Love on the Spectrum, which has been raised by a former cast member, is the type of people the show wants the cast to date.


Kaelynn, who appeared in just one season of the show, talked about the issue in a TikTok, saying she thought her dating preferences were “not in alignment” with what the show wanted.

While Kaelynn wanted to return to the show, she explained that Netflix didn’t think think there was anything left to say in her story, something that left her “bummed.”

She admitted: “I was bummed, but I understood. That is, until the production crew invited me to dinner in my hometown.”

Kaelynn ended up going to the dinner and found out the real reason Netflix didn’t invite her back for a further season of Love on the Spectrum.

She revealed: “They said they as though my story had already been told. And that I’ve been able to use my social media to continue telling my own story. Which is true.”


Ultimately, Kaelynn believed that her personal dating preferences were why she wasn’t asked to return for the second season of the dating show.

She confessed: “My preferences for dating a neurotypical man were not in alignment with the matches they were trying to create for everyone.“In other words, my preference made finding matches more difficult for them and less exciting for viewers.”

Others who are also on the spectrum have called out the show for seemingly emphasising that those on the spectrum are different from neurotypical people, reinforcing an “us vs them” culture.


Many people on the spectrum have suggested that they would feel more represented if they were included more in general dating shows, rather than having a whole show just for those on the spectrum.

Whether you think Love on the Spectrum is problematic or not, it’s important that we make sure those whom the show is trying to represent feel happy and supported with the awareness it’s creating, and how the show is going about it.

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