‘I made one of Netflix’s most popular shows – it’s changed people’s lives’

After working on some of the world’s biggest dating shows, Cian O’Clery decided he wanted to create one that was ‘more truthful and honest’.

In 2018, Cian was filming the series Employable Me, which featured people with a physical disability or neurological condition and showed they were an asset to workplaces.

Although he found plenty of resources to help people gain employment, many of the young people with autism that he met shared they also ‘wanted to date and find love’. And so, Love on the Spectrum was born.

‘It just felt like there was a space that should and could be explored because there wasn’t a lot of support for that,’ he told Metro.

‘There was lots of support in Australia for disability employment, but there wasn’t any support for helping people navigate dating and relationships.

‘Not every person on the spectrum needs support. There’s plenty of people out there who don’t, but there were a lot of people that did that we met and that were wanting help, and that was where the idea came from.’

Cian prevoiusly worked on reality dating shows like Married at First Sight, When Love Comes to Town and Farmer Wants a Wife.

‘I always wanted to make something that felt a bit more real and truthful and honest,’ he shared.

For those yet to tune into the ‘refreshing and wholesome’ series Love on the Spectrum, which Cian co-created with Karina Holden, it follows people on the autism spectrum as they explore the dating world.

After two Australian seasons, the show was picked up by Netflix, who have since released three American seasons.

It’s been a massive success, with critics calling it ‘marvellously, joyously human TV’. The show has also won five Primetime Emmy Awards.

‘I think it’s a really nice antidote to a lot of what’s out there,’ Cian explained. ‘I’d always wanted to do something that wasn’t Instagram models on islands. Where’s the struggle? Where’s the stakes? There’s a place for those shows but I think it’s nice to just be able to tell real human stories in that dating space.’

When the series was picked up by Netflix, Cian admits he was concerned they might try and ‘reality-ify’ it. However, they were given creative independence and have stuck to producing and filming the show with a small team.

They are also responsible for casting, which has featured 14 participants over the past three seasons of the US series.

Although they had to convince people ahead of the first ever season that the show would be respectful, its success around the world now has people rushing to take part.

‘It’s incredible the amount of people who write in. It’s a shame because we can only do so a few people and that’s always hard, but there’s obviously a real demand out there,’ he said

‘We get written into by people on the spectrum, their families, their friends, their teachers, we get a lot.’

The show even inspired current cast member Madison Marilla, who applied to appear on the show after watching the love story between Abbey Romeo and David Isaacman develop.

‘That’s literally what gave her the confidence to feel like she could find someone. And she says that openly a lot, that Love on the Spectrum is what inspired her to look for love herself,’ Cian said.

On the latest season Madison did find love too – meeting her current boyfriend, Tyler White.

‘It’s really rewarding when we kind of set these people up. We have no idea where the story’s going to go or how it’s going to play out, so we just follow what’s happening,’ Cian reflected.

‘But with Abby and David, to be able to film them having their third anniversary after the very first time that we put their faces together on a whiteboard in our office four years ago…it’s blown us away how many people have connected…there’s just so many couples now.’

In the years since the show launched, organisations and support groups have set up dating events to help people on the spectrum look for romantic connections too.

‘It’s kind of inspired a lot of movement around the world in terms of helping people find each other because there has been a population that has, you know, in a large way been isolated for a while, and again, not everyone, but a lot of people have felt that they have felt quite alone,’ he said.

Speaking about the effect appearing on the show has had on the cast – which also includes Connor Tomlinson, Dani Bowman, Tanner Smith and Pari Kim – Cian explained how impactful it was.

‘Being on TV obviously is going to change anybody’s life. Some dating shows just give people more social media followers and a bit of a celebrity but for some of these people, they’ve found confidence, found a partner and made lots of new friends,’ he shared.

Bringing up Connor, a breakout star of season three specifically, he said: ‘He’s got people who want to know him from everywhere, so it’s really changed in a big way, and we were able to have a hand in that.’

For those who watched the original Australian series, Michael Theo quickly became a fan favourite with his memorable observations on the dating scene.

‘A lot of people our age arent interested in commitment, they are only interested in intercourse,’ he declared to his family over the dinner table once, nearly leading his father to choke on his food in shock.

Working in a factory sanding doors at the time he appeared on Love on the Spectrum, Michael had dreams of becoming an actor. A few years on he’s achieved just that – starring in the comedy series Austin (which was recently released on the BBC in the UK).

‘He just has that presence on screen and it’s amazing that he’s been able to translate that into being an actor. He didn’t have any acting experience at all, we just kind of found him as a young man working at a kitchen manufacturer, sanding doors and he just captured hearts around the world,’ Cian said.

‘Darren Ashton, the director of the drama, saw something in him and Ben Miller as well. They both had seen the series and kind of really just responded to him and his presence,’ he added (Miller and Ashton created the show after watching Michael on Love on the Spectrum).

After working on five seasons of the show and watching lasting connections form, does Cian think there’s something everyone can take on board when dating from the show, neurodivergent or not?

‘Oh, absolutely. Respect, honesty, concern and just being kind. One of the big things that come through is the honesty and just telling things as they are and not playing games.’

He is also hopeful the show could one day be made in the UK too.

‘I mean, never say never, right? I think it’d be great to make a UK version.  I think you’d find some really awesome people…it’d be really, really cool to see.’

Love on the Spectrum is streaming on Netflix.

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