"NBC recently debuted a new show: Stumble, a comedy about a former cheer coach leading a team of misfits. Some earlier reviews of the show, which premiered on November 7, called it "hilarious" and "full of sharp writing." But the new sitcom, starring Kristin Chenoweth, Jenn Lyon, and Taran Killam, has audiences chuckling at more than just cheer squad antics. It also makes narcolepsy, a serious neurological disorder, into a recurring joke."
"But according to experts, it doesn't look at all the way it often is depicted onscreen-and that's problematic for a number of reasons, they say. Julie Flygare, the founder of Project Sleep, is a leading narcolepsy spokesperson and award-winning author who also has been diagnosed with the condition. In an online petition to NBC, Flygare wrote that narcolepsy is not what Hollywood so often makes it out to be."
Stumble is an NBC comedy about a former cheer coach leading a team of misfits that includes a character, Madonna (Arianna Davis), who has narcolepsy. The show depicts Madonna collapsing without warning, sometimes mid-routine, and treats the condition as a recurring joke. Johns Hopkins Medicine lists narcolepsy symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep paralysis, disrupted sleep, cataplexy, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and depression. Experts and advocates say the onscreen depiction is inaccurate and harmful. Project Sleep founder Julie Flygare, who has narcolepsy, petitioned NBC and emphasized that real sleepiness usually allows time to find a place to nap.
Read at Fast Company
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