ABC has made the decision to cancel Speechless after three seasons at the network, and the show’s star, Minnie Driver, has shared a heartfelt goodbye note to fans and everyone involved with the series, according to a report from Deadline .
The show was a semi-autobiographical comedy from Scott Silveri and focused on the DiMeo family, mother Maya, played by Driver, dad Jimmy, played by John Ross Bowie, middle brother Ray, played by Mason Cook, little sister Dylan, played by Kyla Kenedy, and eldest child JJ, played by Micah Fowler. JJ is non-speaking and uses a wheelchair due to his cerebral palsy and the show focuses on how the family balances their own lives while helping out with JJ and making him feel as normal as possible.
As the series went on, JJ decided to apply to film school and the final episode of Season 3 also effectively served as the series finale, as viewers watched JJ graduate from high school and head off to college in New York City.
Driver’s character is a true “mama bear” and she isn’t afraid to challenge anyone who dares to tell her that JJ can’t do something because of his disability. The actress said she believes the show has contributed to the “conversation about family, disability, and love.”
“Well now listen. Speechless has been canceled and it feels rather sad,” Driver tweeted . “However, I truly believe we have left this conversation about family, disability and love in a better place than we found it. I love all the people I worked with on it, and all of you who loved our show too.”
Driver went on to thank the writers on the show. She also took the opportunity to retweet several tweets and filled her timeline with kind words from fans and other celebrities. She even had a kind exchange with fellow actor Holland Taylor, who played Maya’s mother on the show. Taylor sent Driver a bit of love after news of the show’s cancellation.
Fowler later chimed in and tweeted his own message to the show’s fans, cast, and crew. The actor called his time on Speechless the “greatest three years” of his life.
Thank you to all the fans, cast and crew who made this show so special. It was the greatest three years of my life. I hope we changed the world a little bit. I am so honored I got to do this. #Speechless #heartbroken #Thebestfans https://t.co/V9bpfyOFRb
— Micah Fowler (@micahdfowler) May 10, 2019
The show also starred Cedric Yarbrough as Kenneth Clements, with Marin Hinkle as Dr. Ava Miller, Jonathan Slavin as Mr. Powers, Kayla Maisonet as Izzy, Jack Dylan Grazer as Rev, and David Lengel as Tad in reoccurring roles. Special guest stars included Bella Thorne as Cassidy, Julianne Hough as Miss Bloom, and Sarah Chalke as Melanie.
It’s possible the show could be picked up by another platform, but that has yet to be confirmed.
