Minnie Driver Confirms 'Speechless' Renewal at ABC

Actress Minnie Driver recently revealed that her ABC sitcom Speechless has been renewed for a [...]

By Stephen Andrew

Actress Minnie Driver recently revealed that her ABC sitcom Speechless has been renewed for a third season.

Driver took to Twitter to share the news, writing, "THIS JUST IN: [Spechless] picked up for a 3rd season HA! Brilliant. Couldn't be happier," later adding that the new season will consist of "22 episodes."

Many of Driver's fans shared their excitement about the news, with one tweeting back to her, "So happy for y'all! Also happy they corrected the mistake of giving y'all a shorter season this past year!"

"I LOVE this show. It's intelligence and wit matched only by it's -sarcastic and hilarious- heart. Great news," commented another.

A few of her celebrity friends have congratulated her on the renewal as well, such as former Sex and the City actor Willie Garson, who tweeted, "GREAT NEWS!!!! So happy about this, as you know we just ADORE it over here! (And adore you too, but you know that [Minnie Driver]!) xxxooo WG."

In Speechless, Driver plays Maya DiMeo, a well-meaning but often overzealous mother of a family of hilarious and ill-mannered misfits. The great success of the show, however, is how brilliantly it normalizes a family affected by cerebral palsy (the oldest son, JJ).

"I'd only genuinely seen disability represented on television or in the media supremely negatively. It's an 'Afterschool Special' topic, it's doom and gloom," said Driver in a previous interview with Gold Derby.

"Here was a show that was beautifully extolling the virtues of being a human being, whether you use a wheelchair or not … It was so funny and irreverent and dealt with the issues that challenge families with special needs in such a funny, robust way," she continued. "I wanted in on that."

Commenting on how the dynamic of the show is crucial for the current social climate, Driver added, "Donna Reed, 'Leave it to Beaver,' the whole June Cleaver thing is gone. We're into the real world of people who are messy and broken and messed up, and that's funny and engaging — they grab our hearts, but it's a bit trickier … Women have always been that way — wacky and dimensional — but often need to be perceived in a much tidier box, usually as the addendum to some dude."

Finally, addressing the wave of strong, fully-developed female characters that are dominating TV today, Driver gushed, "These women are like fireworks. I haven't seen that before on television. Carmela Soprano was all we were allowed for a really long time, someone who was bursting at the seams with rage and humanity. I love it. There's never been a better time to be a woman on telly."

Photo Credit: Adam Taylor/ABC

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