"Circuit Breakers" premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, November 11.
Like many shows that have come before it on the service, the new Apple TV+ show Circuit Breakers, which premieres this Friday, is not expressly about disability. It’s an anthology-based series akin to The Twilight Zone, but designed for children. That’s how it was explained to me in an interview last month by Melody Fox, who is the creator and an executive producer of the show. She developed it, and is credited with writing four of the first season’s fourteen episodes.
In terms of disability representation, Circuit Breakers is not made in the mold as something like the recently departed See, where blindness is the vehicle that carries the storylines. By contrast, disability plays more of a bit part in Circuit Breakers—but its inclusion and eye towards authenticity is nonetheless important. According to Fox, the series focuses on “timeless” stories that have relevance anytime, in the present or decades into the future. Although the backdrop of the show features a lot of science fiction and technology, much is made of personal relationships and the uniqueness of individuals. That notion certain is applicable to members of the disability community; as the disability-centric Best Foot Forward (also a TV+ property) shows, trying to fit in and find one’s place in the world and build relationships while managing a disability is no small feat.
“I think what you’re gonna see [in Circuit Breakers] is this is a little more complex and sophisticated than a lot of children’s shows out there,” Fox said of the show’s writing and scope. “Not just because of the science fiction, but because just the way the material has been approached in a very authentic way.”
Showrunner Andrew Orenstein concurred with Fox’s sentiments.
“I’ve never worked in [an anthology-based series],” he said to me in an interview alongside Fox. “One of the things I love about doing an anthology is every episode is its own movie with its own unique tone. No two episodes seem alike. One is more scary or creepy, then the next episode, we switch gears and we do an episode that’s more comedic in tone. Then we do something that’s more heartfelt and dramatic. As a writer and producer, it was really exciting for me.”
An anthology series lends itself well to diversity and representation, as Fox said she remembers initially pitching Circuit Breakers by pointedly saying “there’s an opportunity” to highlight diversity and parity with actors of different backgrounds. Audiences will see “a lot of diverse faces” when watching Circuit Breakers, which is very much by Fox and team’s design. Those diverse faces include two actors who identify as being disabled, one of them playing a principal role.
In our conversation, Fox and Orenstein highlighted a particular episode in which disability is a part of the characters. The episode, called “Permanent Detention,” about two students who end up in detention, with one of their peers serving as monitor to ensure they’re there under the direction of the school’s vice principal. One of the characters, Orenstein told me, Ben (played by Cale Ferrin), has a condition called Fanconi anemia. The disease, colloquially known as FA, is an exceedingly rare disorder that “affects the way genetic information (DNA) is copied and repaired,” according to the NIH. It leads to bone marrow failure, skeletal abnormalities, and a higher risk of getting cancer. Fewer than 50,000 people in the United States are reported to be afflicted with the disease.
“I like to think of it as The Breakfast Club with science fiction,” Fox said about “Permanent Detention.” “Because you have three kids who are stuck in detention together, two of them were assigned detention for misbehaving.”
Ferrin made an immediate impact on Fox when she saw him on a casting tape, and she thought he’d do a great job in the role as the detention monitor. After consulting with Andrew and other producers, Fox and crew brought Ferrin on to play the aforementioned Ben the detention monitor.
Zooming out to the bigger picture, both Fox and Orenstein are thrilled to be part of a show that celebrates diversity so enthusiastically. Much of their excitement, they said, is due to Apple’s stewardship of their streaming video platform. As soon as the show was green-lit, Fox said, Apple was full speed ahead in looking for actors with disabilities; they even accommodated one with a sign language interpreter during an audition. Likewise, in a comment I’ve often heard from other TV+ showrunners, Fox and Orenstein said Apple executives have never once been meddlers—rather, the company gave the Circuit Breakers team the latitude to make the show they wanted to make, only offering input when necessary.
For his part, Orenstein was effusive in his praise. “Apple is phenomenal,” he said. “I just wish everybody were having the conversations that we’re having with Apple [about diversity onscreen]. I’m just grateful to be working there. Hopefully, they’re leading an example for other networks. Yeah, they’re remarkable.”
As for Hollywood writ large, Fox and Orenstein both feel diverse representation—particularly around disability—is becoming more of a mandate in the industry, and it’s been a long time coming. Diverse perspectives, on both sides of the screen, can only lead to more enriching entertainment that’s genuine and earnest in its depiction of people of all backgrounds and all walks of life.
Said Fox: “Apple shows always have an emotional core to them. I think all the shows have something [positively] to say. Our show does. I think that’s one reason it’s a good fit. I also feel like they have the know-how to make a premium show that looks good. We have visual effects that are stunning. They want the input, the quality of the show, not just the writing or the messaging—they want to make an elevated product. That’s another reason TV+ is a good home for Circuit Breakers.”
Circuit Breakers can be found in the TV app.
