'The Healing Powers of Dude' (2020)

The Healing Powers of Dude is a 2020 Netflix live-action TV series that is about the bond between a boy and his dog. Noah Ferris is an 11-year-old boy with social anxiety disorder and gets an emotional support dog to help him manage his disorder.

There are strong representative characters living with disabilities. In addition to Noah’s invisible disability, Sophie Kim plays Amara, one of Noah’s good friends. She has a physical disability, as she is confined to a wheelchair. She is also a Korean actress.

Noah portrays social anxiety in a believable way. The show uses clues like the heartbeat sound effect and Noah trying to avoid new situations. His dog, Dude, helps him navigate problems in a middle school setting. There are moments when Noah gets to play with his pet dog. Dude is allowed to be on his middle school campus since he is an emotional support dog. As mentioned in the series title, The Healing Powers of Dude, the dog has emotional support powers that help Noah become more confident in social situations. Dude helps Noah go through tough times such as bullying and friendship troubles. Noah describes Dude as part of his family.

Dude has the ability to speak in complete sentences; his dialogue and inner thoughts are shown to the viewers. His dialogue is voiced by Steve Zahn.

This TV series is recommended for animal lovers since there are a lot of human-dog bonding moments. Sadly, the series had only one season with eight episodes so far. Thought, it has not been officially canceled, most industry experts believe it is likely ghost canceled, and will not receive an official announcement. This is disappointing as it is one of the few mainstream shows centered on characters who are differently abled.