RYAN O'CONNELL AND JIM PARSONS' "SPECIAL" IS COMING TO NETFLIX

Netflix has ordered the 8 episode comedy series Special from Warner Bros. TV, Jim Parsons' That's Wonderful, and Stage 13. The series premieres on April 12.

Based on Ryan O'Connell's part-memoir, part-manifesto 'I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves,' the hilarious and heartwarming story centers on a gay man with mild cerebral palsy who decides to rewrite his identity as an accident victim and finally go after the life he wants.

O'Connell stars in this semi-autobiographical series, which he also wrote and executive produced.

The series also stars: Jessica Hecht, Punam Patel, Marla Mindelle, Augustus Prew, and Patrick Fabian.

Jim Parsons, Eric Norsoph and Todd Spiewak serve as executive producers for That's Wonderful Productions.

Anna Dokoza is executive producer and director.

Part of Warner Bros. Digital Networks, Stage 13 is the award-winning, Emmy-nominated original content studio showcasing a new generation of distinctive, multi-dimensional voices in unscripted and scripted storytelling.

RYAN O'CONNELL BIO

RYAN O'CONNELL is an actor, writer, and producer who will next be seen starring in SPECIAL, an eight-episode short-form series on Netflix, which he wrote and executive produced. The series, which is also executive produced by Jim Parsons, is loosely based on O'Connell's own upbringing and experience as a gay man navigating the world with cerebral palsy. O'Connell is an accomplished, sought-after writer and his voice is both refreshing and unique. He is the author of I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves, part-memoir, part-manifesto which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2015 to critical acclaim. He served as the Editor of Thought Catalog and has contributed to Vice, BuzzFeed, and numerous other publications. O'Connell's writing career spans television as well. He recently served as an Executive Story Editor on NBC's revival of WILL & GRACE and was on the writing staff of MTV's AWKWARD.