‘As We See It’ Creator Jason Katims: Why My Son Hates My TV Shows (Guest Column)
My wife and I stepped out of the limo, returning home from the Kodak Theatre, back in the days when people actually attended awards shows in real life. We were arriving triumphant, a shining new Emmy nestled in my arms. We walked into the house and my daughter leaped into my arms to congratulate me. My son looked at me with a wry smile and said, “It’s no Oscar, Dad.”
This pretty much sums up Sawyer’s less than blown away view of my oeuvre. It’s not that he watches the shows and doesn’t like them, he just chooses not to watch. He is the biggest football fan in America, yet I couldn’t bribe him to watch Friday Night Lights. When I asked him why, he would say, “Why would I watch fake football when I can watch actual football?” Point taken. I would try to explain that it wasn’t just about the games, it was about family and community. This made his eyes glaze over, so I pivoted and started talking about the football parties and drinking. Didn’t move the needle.
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When it came to Parenthood, and the character of Max Braverman was publicly modeled partially on him, I thought how could he not want to see this? He very much did not. When I pressed him, he explained to me that he wasn’t into “those kind of shows” and reminded me he wasn’t alone, citing my less than stellar Nielsen ratings. “Well, what kind of shows are you into?” I asked. Exasperated, he listed a few: Shark Tank, Cops, Bar Rescue. “You know, good shows,” he explained.
The only time he expressed true interest in my work was when he took a class in law as a freshman in college and it occurred to him that he might be able to sue me for writing about him without his consent. “You’re a walking lawsuit, Dad.” But when I told him he would probably need to watch all 104 episodes of Parenthood to develop his arguments, he immediately dropped the case. Not worth it.
Others shows came and went and I stopped bothering to even try to get him to watch. I was starting to grovel and it wasn’t a good look for me. And let’s face it, if he wasn’t going to watch a show about high school football, it was unlikely he was going to watch Rise, a show about a high school musical theater program in Pennsylvania. (Apparently, much of America shared his view.)
But when I started working on the show that would eventually become As We See It, I realized there is no show I’ve done that I would want him to see more than this one. It is about three 25-year-old young adults on the autistic spectrum trying to figure out their lives. It is literally speaking to his moment. The leads, authentically performed by brilliant actors on the spectrum, are pitch perfect. They ooze charm and honesty. They say exactly what is on their mind, at times resulting in the kind of irreverent humor that I know would make Sawyer smile. The characters deal with everything Sawyer and everyone deals with this at this age — love, loss, friendship, jobs — but they do it through the lens of being on the spectrum. Plus, it’s on a streamer, not broadcast, so the characters can drop f-bombs to their heart’s content. A huge plus for Sawyer. I think it could be such a meaningful experience for Sawyer to see a show that that reflects where he is right now in his life. And yes, my ego is at play here. I would give anything to have what I do be acknowledged by my son.
Amazon Prime Video
A few months ago, I had links to the locked cuts of the first season and I was excited to share them with my family. I waited until my daughter, Phoebe, was home on a break from college and surprised everyone at dinner. “My new show is ready for you guys to see. I have all the episodes. We can binge them all starting tonight. Sawyer, I think you especially will like this one.” After dinner, I set it up to watch on our TV and waited to see who in my family would show up. Let’s just say my wife and daughter loved it.
On Friday, the show will not only be playing on our family TV but will be available in more than 240 countries worldwide. People around the globe will watch this show, but it remains to be seen whether my most coveted viewer, Sawyer, will ever watch it. Today, I asked him once more, using that casual tone that really isn’t casual that he can see coming a mile away. “Sawyer, As We See It premieres this weekend. I really, really want you to watch it. I think you’ll like it. What do you think?” He thought for a moment and responded, “We’ll see.” Hope springs eternal.
Jason Katims created Amazon’s As We See It. His credits include creating and showrunning NBC’s Friday Night Lights and Parenthood. All eight episodes of As We See It are now streaming.
