From Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayals of Sherlock Holmes, to the Scandinoir investigators Lisbeth Salander of The Millenium Trilogy and Saga Norén of The Bridge, to anime’s L in Death Note, to Christopher Boone in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, increasing numbers of crime shows and movies have featured detectives on the autism spectrum. Portrayals of such characters have been met with acclaim and criticism. Is the entertainment industry celebrating neurodiversity or is it reinforcing stereotypes? In The Autistic Sleuth, over two dozen characters appearing in filmed productions from around the globe will be analyzed to explore how film and television present atypical minds through some of the world’s most popular detectives.

From Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayals of Sherlock Holmes, to the Scandinoir investigators Lisbeth Salander of The Millenium Trilogy and Saga Norén of The Bridge, to anime’s L in Death Note, to Christopher Boone in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, increasing numbers of crime shows and movies have featured detectives on the autism spectrum. Portrayals of such characters have been met with acclaim and criticism. Is the entertainment industry celebrating neurodiversity or is it reinforcing stereotypes? In The Autistic Sleuth, over two dozen characters appearing in filmed productions from around the globe will be analyzed to explore how film and television present atypical minds through some of the world’s most popular detectives.