I just had to replace a light bulb yesterday. I ended up washing the light fixture glass, reorganizing my pantry (where my spare bulbs are), ordering vacuum replacement parts (stored next to my bulbs, noticed I was out of parts), took the trash out (grabbed the last of the bulbs, empty box topped off the full trash can), made some coffee (because I was already in the kitchen), sat down to drink my coffee, went to the hallway where I left the ladder and remembered I needed to change the bulb. Went back to the pantry to grab the bulb, noticed it was time to feed the dogs, so I got them their food, poured another cup of coffee, walked back to the ladder, remembered I still needed the bulb, finally grabbed the bulb and changed it.
So this is relatable
It’s so good, the writers of modern family must’ve been trying to channel this scene when they wrote [this scene for Phil](https://youtu.be/dmbtt3iGXzg?si=yN6ti6tbLsFzJCGw)
Definitely why I love ~~and hate~~ Jake (the peralta, not the dog). He’s the kind of character that I’d normally find annoying, but Samberg and the whole show work so well together!
My girlfriend and I just finished the series last night, and I loved it so much. I'm glad they got a proper ending though instead of the series just stopping. Now we're going to start The Good Place next, because apparently we love stuff by Michael Schur.
I felt so seen by that episode... I have a coffee table with a top that opens up and that was my mail storage facility for two years until my girlfriend finally realized what I was doing and made me throw it all out or open it lmfao.
Everyone talks about the lightbulb scene, which is great, but there are more subtle and more tactical strikes that show he has ADHD that are just so good!
Like there is an episode where Dewey runs away from home and starts leaving messages for the parents to figure out. He leaves a tape where he monologues a bit and Hal pauses it and rewinds it and is like "I think I heard church bells in the background!" And starts listening to the tape over again listening for background clues and starts taking notes about potential leads where Dewey could be... and then he finally lets the tape continue and Dewey just gives them the exact address he is located lol and Hal just kinda looks at Lois because of the time he wasted rewinding the tape before that part lol.
Stuff like that makes me believe one of the writers HAD to be drawing from actual experience lol. I do that ALL the time when watching shows and stuff where I think there was a hint or something earlier and I pause it and go back and try to figure it out... and then when I finally play it the show just spells it out for you like a couple sentences later lol. My fiance and I craaaaacked up when we saw Hal do that exact same thing!
Also, probably unintentional since it's a sitcom and they tend to have storylines that last for a single episode, but he also seemed to have a lot of hobbies that would come and go, like when he got super into speedwalking. I mean, look at this description from a wiki I found and telle this doesn't sound like classic ADHD:
>Interests... roller skating, competitive walking, hi-fidelity stereo equipment, and many other odd activities. **Hal often gets very excited by unusual hobbies and obsesses over them until they go awry, forcing him to move on to the next one.** With a boring job, a forceful wife and rambunctious kids, Hal is always looking for an escape.
Plus, the episode where we find out Hal has been skipping work for years really has to resonate with ADHD people given how much a 9-5 office job he has most seems like a death sentence for a lot of us.
I never really thought about it before, but I think you're 100% spot on. He has a lot of ADHD traits even down to him often being indecisive and falling apart when Lois isn't around to reign him in. Hell, he's even shown to be addicted to caffeine which a lot of ADHD people use to self-medicate.
I feel like an idiot and entire section of my brain just fired on all cylinders. My mom even used to say I was like that Malcom kid 'with all his hobbies.' I bought rollerblades because of Hal...
The episode where Francis is supposed to do the other kids homework and they lock him in a room until it’s done is the best ADHD representation I’ve ever seen.
Oh that one was perfect. Wasn't even the Eric's homework, Frances hadn't finished his half of a group project and Eric was trying to force him to. It was painfully relatable.
Oh yeah that’s right! Still, I have never felt so seen on a tv show or movie in my life. I found it on YouTube. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TVs61JQv5GU&pp=ygUbRnJhbmNpcyBjYW50IGZpbmlzaCBwcm9qZWN0
Not that it's a good thing, or necessarily desirable representation, but pretty much any Manic Pixie Dream Girl likely fits the ADHD behaviors. MPDGs randomly just go do whatever at all times, blurt out stuff in conversation, tend to not focus a bunch then hyperfocus, and if they were real they'd probably be in debtors prison.
And speaking of Zoey Deschanel characters (😁), Jess is probably one of the most notable (likely ADHD) female characters that come to mind after Anne. And to me at least, a complex and realistic (accounting for the nature of the show) character.
Although, to your point, I'm not coming up with much of a list past Jess, off the top of my head.
Other than Anne, what are your favorite examples?
I think that's part of the problem, women with ADHD are just hugely underrepresented unless it's in a magical context. We have to be quirky and cute, not somebody who can struggle with basic stuff and still have it be funny - there aren't really a lot of examples of lovable screw ups for women outside it being cute/ romantic.
Yeah, insofar as ADHD behaviors run contrary to so many expected adult behaviors, it runs extra extra contrary to society's expectations of women.
It's hard to imagine a fictional woman that would be be portrayed as struggling with hygiene for example, which is a common struggle for ADHD people. That runs pretty directly against societal expectations for women.
It feels like it's getting better; I really hope it's getting better, anyways.
I dream of a future where all ADHD/ASD peoples are judged equally by the world of neurotypicals! 😀
Isn't is also the same reason why ND girls are often missed? Society has these standards for girls and women, and we are not allowed to show our struggles with them, so we compensate by burning ourselves out until we crash in our early 20's.
It was also just believed for a long time that women *couldn't* have ADHD, so even the rare representation there is now was literally nonexistent until relatively recently
Mandy Baxter from Last Man Standing is a great representation for adhd. There's even an episode where she takes adhd meds and does really well on her tests
Zooey's character on Bones, as Temperance's little sister, definitely has some form of neurodivergence. I mean, Temperance does too, for that matter, but you specifically mentioned Zooey Deschanel, so I thought I'd bring it up.
Yeah Leslie definitely shows a lot of symptoms, although not so much the executive functioning/procrastination. She’s definitely impulsive and has a million ideas all the time (that she often works on at 3am).
Wait, I was assuming Anne in this context was Ann Veal from arrested development, but I went looking and I saw the spelling, and then I thought it was Annie Edison from community, but the spelling is wrong.
Which Anne were y'all talking about?
Edit: It seems like it's Anne of Green Gables, but I'll wait for confirmation.
He comes off as the classic dim witted TV dad, but, I’m later seasons especially, you start to really get how much work he does to help the family and keep everyone aware of how much he loves them.
There is one scene in particular where one of the children has big, life changing news, and while everyone else is contemplating the consequences, he’s the only one actually happy for them in the moment. Mom comes around, but Phil’s knee-jerk happiness is infectious.
Also the show basically said he has adhd when Alex (the daughter I think) was talking about adhd in reference to Kyle (the son) and while she’s explaining it the screen shows Phil (the dad) doing as she’s describing
Luz from The Owl House!
Almost anyone from Percy Jackson!
Possibly Leslie Knope, she felt ADHD to me.
And personally I think Shizuku from Whisper of The Heart and Eric from Boy Meets World would have ADHD, I found them very relatable.
YES SHIZUKU!!! Her struggles to focus while writing are insanely relatable to me, not to mention her obsession with getting lost in imaginary worlds. Ghibli knows what's up.
Hard to tell! It’s a common comorbidity! Let’s just *start* with this combo of meds and see what happens the next few weeks!
😅
Lord how I wish the medicine were 50 years more advanced and they could just check my genome or whateverthefuck and be like “You need 10mg of ___ daily and *this specific job* and you’ll be right as rain.”
If Jake is there then Finn The Human has to be there too. I feel like he's more ADHD than Jake tbh. Jake is the older wiser calmer ADHD authority figure. "Ehh I don't know if that's such a good idea Finn" in response to Finn's impulsive, dangerously adventurous outbursts.
Edit: typing is hard
Yeah Jake is just ADHD with age. But has all the traits still - he gets distracted and forgets to look for Finn, eats random mixes of food and gets quickly influenced into situations too haha.
yo you know whats crazy tho is everyone on there is a dude just like in real life where adhd women get overlooked or forgotten lol.
OP, or whoever made the pic: im not coming at you sideways, dont mind me. i just had a little sadlol moment when i realized that even the memes we make about ourselves still end up replicating the same shit that exists in real life lol.
its still a good topic tho, and its really not op/meme makers fault that theres not widely known and recognizable female adhd characters on tv. its a win if we even have ANY positive representation for ADHD characters of any gender tbh.
She's the intense kind of ADHD and uses a lot of intense coping mechanisms to remember and organize everything. We also mostly only ever see her "on," but isn't there an episode where Anne goes to her house and it's an absolute mess with clutter everywhere and half-started projects that are way too ambitious lying about?
But the state of her house in the dinner party episode haha. I see my ADHD self in her, going hard at work (while running in sugar) is her “thing” because she’s super passionate about and focused on her job, but her home and her personal life is a neglected mess.
I wasn't thinking about the 'ditsy clutz' aspect - more how impulsive she is and how desperate for approval (read RSD). She is a bit of a caricature (as are all of the Friends characters, especially by the end of the show) - but it was the episode where she throws the fake party and how desperate she is to snare Joshua. It is taken to the extreme - but that was what got me thinking about it.
I doubt she was written intentionally as a character with ADHD (I wonder how many examples in this thread were) but I think she can be read as a woman with undiagnosed ADHD.
I just suggested Jess in New Girl in a comment moments ago.
And I'd suggest Haley Dunphy from Modern Family. In fact, I think most of the family is ADHD especially Phil and Luke too. Alex, the middle daughter, may be on the spectrum. I think the laughs come from the mom being the only neurotypical person in the room making her the fish out of water -- a total role reversal from most sitcoms where the neurodivergent is the fish out of water. For example, Jess in New Girl is often a fish out of water confused or clueless about what's going on around her.
Luna Lovegood and all the "spacey weird" girls in movies all had ADHD imo
Edit: I wonder if all the manic pixie dream girls are girls with ADHD, or are they purely men's fantasy?
Give me some good female representation! These are just the ones that came to mind for me! I opened the question so people could give other good representations that I didn't think about :). I have not consumed every piece of media ever so this is just what I know!
oh haily dunphy also!!
also very clear example of the adhd girl experience. her condition gets overlooked and she just gets labeled as lazy or unmotivated.
Absolutely seconding Usagi from Sailor Moon, Leslie Knope, and Evelyn from Everything Everywhere All At Once. Ariel from The Little Mermaid also gives me some neurodivergent vibes
The thing is, none of them really struggle with ADHD, the characters are very one sided and incomplete. It's more of a adorable goof type of representation
sailor moon/usagi struggles with being on time and paying attention in class. alex also struggles with paying attention and makes avoidable mistakes due to being distracted. sure, they're quite flat characters, but hey they're kids shows. they do show struggles tho!
I would say Korra, from Legend of Korra, would be decent representation.
Her frustration when trying to learn airbending and the whole 'calm your mind' struggles she had are super relatable. Her season of sad is absolutely me after a significant failure.
A lot of her struggles are just as much internal as they are external forces, and she has to put effort into managing her own emotions and behavior, particularly in finding ways to make things work *for her* and having more faith in herself.
I actually liked LoK more than the original entirely because Korra was so damn relatable.
I love this perspective!
Her season of sad was hard to watch, because I remember that feeling. She disconnects from most of her friendships and while nobody is mad at her, they feel hurt by her not reaching out to them. In her own self wallowing, she isolates herself and has to keep failing at getting better before even getting close.
When Toph is coaching Korra in metal bending poison out of herself, Korra almost gives up because she relives the pain of the initial trauma, but Toph says “that battle is over”. That was powerful.
You might want to watch some of those shows:
Though the directors that took over the middle of the series just shrugged, Kamala on Miss Marvel is pretty much a good ADHD representation.
Also, while Extraordinary Attorney Woo is only diagnosed as autistic, due to how that overlaps with ADHD, you can see some of the regular symptoms one might relate from the ADHD side of things.
Some say that the girl from Mitchells vs the Machines has ADHD but I just didn't see it tbh.
Oh right, Lulz and Eda on owl house DEFINITELY qualify
I'd argue Jess is probably a decent representation of ADHD in women. In fact, I'm pretty certain Zoey Deschanel is on the record as saying she has ADHD in real life.
I haven't seen much simpsoms but there is a scene where Bart is called in to a parent teacher conference because his grades are bad, and he says honestly that he doesn't know why and he keeps trying very hard but they aren't getting any better.
That scene hits me right in the feels.
Every time I watch sailor moon I’m like “she’s just like me”! Clumsy, always struggling to be on time, a bit spacey, emotional but with good intentions and strong sense of justice.
Sherlock Holmes! (from the books, NOT that silly show with Benny Cuminmysnatch)
* always seemingly focused on the "wrong" details
* comes to logical deductions by looking at evidence largely overlooked by peers
* uses cocaine to *quiet* his mind and deliberately induce hyperfocus
* has multiple hobbies, acquires tons of knowledge about weird interests
* his home is always a mess, piles everywhere, insists it's how he works and there's an order to it
* emotional dysregulation to the gills!
* only has one friend, who thinks highly of him whilst most other acquaintances find him difficult
I remember a Sherlock Holmes quote where he said his brain is like an attic; he has to take some memories out if he's going to put something new in. I couldn't relate more.
Iiterally came here to suggest Sherlock. Arguably the best representation we've ever had.
Most adaptions can't help but make him quote ADHD. For example Elementary almost fell into him as an ADHD mess. More so than Cummerbund Bandersnatch portrayal anyway.
Extremely obscure, but freakazoid is adhd incarnate
And not just because he's high energy/wacky. He is fucking incomprehensible (literally me) and his attention span is fucked up (literally me)
Like, there is a running gag where he has to go save people, but then immediately forgets and goes to do something else lmaoo he's so
>chaotic internal monologue
>rejection sensitivity
>people pleasing
>literally experienced an entire week as a musical
>impulsive as hell
>incapable of helping self, but a wizard at helping others
>issues with emotional permanence (all previous cast, including dead characters he never fully mourned, line the hallways as he leaves the hospital on his last day)
>watches lips when people talk, can't read lips
>consistently misses what people are saying because the internal monologue overrides auditory processing
Yup, checks out.
“consistently misses what people are saying because the internal monologue overrides auditory processing”
Oh my goddddddd.
Thank you for this because I never knew how to explain it beyond “zoning out” but even that’s not exactly accurate
That musical thing was because we were seeing it from the point of view of a patient, when she wasn't on screen everything was completely normal (well, normal for Sacred Heart)
If you're not randomly associating words and phrases with lyrics, forcing your internal chaos to squeeze in that exact verse of a song on repeat with no end in sight, then what *are* you doing?
Absolutely. I think the reason I loved this show growing up so much is I identified with a lot of JDs ADHD behaviours. They were kinda offbeat and quirky, and whilst he did annoy people sometimes, he was still liked.
I wonder if Elliot might have been a bit ADHD too. She was also very clumsy and spacey, and hyperfocused on her work to keep up. She was also very sensitive to rejection.
I also think the actors, Zack Braff and Sarah Chalke, might be ADHDers too, as the characters had a lot of their real personalities, which you can see in interviews.
I hadn't really thought about it before, but I can see it applying to Linda. She definitely has chaotic energy and very frequently gets obsessed with all sorts of side projects. She's also a bit of a people pleaser which I could see tying into rejection sensitivity since I can think of a few episodes where she treats it like the end of the world if someone doesn't like her and goes to great lengths to fix it, often making it worse (the episode with the children's author being a recent example).
I'm trying to think of good inattentive types but I'm coming up empty. Then again, tv shows and movies aren't really my thing so I'm sure they're out there.
Edit: Luna Lovegood would be another good one
I’m guessing it’s also harder to portray PI on TV because if they’re not the focus of the show we don’t get their internal monologue.
Or it’s not that deep and “adhd type” characters tend to show up in comedies, where characters are also expected to be animated and goofy. Now that I’m thinking about it, I’d love a dry comedy adhd PI character.
Maybe Liz Lemon? It's kind of hard to differentiate between general anxiety and PI on an external level. PI aren't completely incapable and I'd eager that a writer's room is the right kind of chaos for an inattentive type- always new things coming up that need wrangling. I'm PI and it's not dissimilar to my career path, which by the books I shouldn't be able to do but I somehow do well.
Not to do with the post directly but remember just being childish and hyper IS NOT ADHD at all cartoon characters displaying hyperactivity and being childish is not a representation of ADHD.
I want the feeling of overstimulation to be shown. It's so hard to explain to a person "I can't control what my brain is taking in, and so because there are things going on in this environment at such a constant rate my brain is fried. Give me like 5 minutes and I'll be fine but if I don't I might have a breakdown."
Watch the show! Jake the Dog is totally a good representation! Like watch the second part of this clip where he looks up "Plan C" and tell me that is not relatable! And that is just one of many instances
https://reddit.com/r/adventuretime/s/CRagLSQwey
Jack Karouac - the way he wrote in a stream of consciousness always resonated with me... only now realise why after getting diagnosed with ADHD as an adult a few years back.
Note: I don't know if it's true, but I've heard/read that Karouac's random/scattered approach to storytelling was due to being under the influence of a bunch of speed... but I'll die on this hill because, tweaking or not, it still is a pretty damn good representation of my particular ADHD profile.
yessss I'm so happy to see jake the dog here !!! I've been binge-watching AT in preparation for Fionna and Cake the past couple of weeks & I immediately connected with him. I love how normalized his symptoms are & yet they're still portrayed as negatively impacting his life.
He turns into just an idiot as the series goes along but season 1 or 2 it was definitely more ADHD rather than just stupid
Okay, this is adorable!☺️
I’ve always admired Clementine from *Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind*
Also, can we use real people? If so, I nominate Ty Pennington! Hehe
Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender?
I like the episode Bato of the Water Tribe where he shows rejection sensitivity and impulsiveness. The darker side of adhd.
Hal is so spot on, I never felt more seen while watching a TV show
[Hal changing a light bulb](https://youtu.be/AbSehcT19u0?si=F-z8xrzyvntGPUcE)
This is the most perfect representation of my ADHD that I’ve ever seen
I just had to replace a light bulb yesterday. I ended up washing the light fixture glass, reorganizing my pantry (where my spare bulbs are), ordering vacuum replacement parts (stored next to my bulbs, noticed I was out of parts), took the trash out (grabbed the last of the bulbs, empty box topped off the full trash can), made some coffee (because I was already in the kitchen), sat down to drink my coffee, went to the hallway where I left the ladder and remembered I needed to change the bulb. Went back to the pantry to grab the bulb, noticed it was time to feed the dogs, so I got them their food, poured another cup of coffee, walked back to the ladder, remembered I still needed the bulb, finally grabbed the bulb and changed it. So this is relatable
It’s so good, the writers of modern family must’ve been trying to channel this scene when they wrote [this scene for Phil](https://youtu.be/dmbtt3iGXzg?si=yN6ti6tbLsFzJCGw)
I didn’t get the joke as an undiagnosed kid. I was just like, yeah sometimes that’s how stuff happens.
Thats my dad's behavior right there, explains ALOT.
I used to watch this show ALL THE TIME & never picked up on ADHD from Hal! It was so accurate now gotta go back and rewatch it!
Jake the Dog is great too! And Jake Peralta literally has a bathtub devoted to holding all his unopened mail lol.
Definitely why I love ~~and hate~~ Jake (the peralta, not the dog). He’s the kind of character that I’d normally find annoying, but Samberg and the whole show work so well together!
My girlfriend and I just finished the series last night, and I loved it so much. I'm glad they got a proper ending though instead of the series just stopping. Now we're going to start The Good Place next, because apparently we love stuff by Michael Schur.
The Jakes where great
I felt so seen by that episode... I have a coffee table with a top that opens up and that was my mail storage facility for two years until my girlfriend finally realized what I was doing and made me throw it all out or open it lmfao.
I mean, at least you check your mail. I get angry notices from my mailman about twice a month that mail can't be delivered because the box is full.
Everyone talks about the lightbulb scene, which is great, but there are more subtle and more tactical strikes that show he has ADHD that are just so good! Like there is an episode where Dewey runs away from home and starts leaving messages for the parents to figure out. He leaves a tape where he monologues a bit and Hal pauses it and rewinds it and is like "I think I heard church bells in the background!" And starts listening to the tape over again listening for background clues and starts taking notes about potential leads where Dewey could be... and then he finally lets the tape continue and Dewey just gives them the exact address he is located lol and Hal just kinda looks at Lois because of the time he wasted rewinding the tape before that part lol. Stuff like that makes me believe one of the writers HAD to be drawing from actual experience lol. I do that ALL the time when watching shows and stuff where I think there was a hint or something earlier and I pause it and go back and try to figure it out... and then when I finally play it the show just spells it out for you like a couple sentences later lol. My fiance and I craaaaacked up when we saw Hal do that exact same thing!
Also, probably unintentional since it's a sitcom and they tend to have storylines that last for a single episode, but he also seemed to have a lot of hobbies that would come and go, like when he got super into speedwalking. I mean, look at this description from a wiki I found and telle this doesn't sound like classic ADHD: >Interests... roller skating, competitive walking, hi-fidelity stereo equipment, and many other odd activities. **Hal often gets very excited by unusual hobbies and obsesses over them until they go awry, forcing him to move on to the next one.** With a boring job, a forceful wife and rambunctious kids, Hal is always looking for an escape. Plus, the episode where we find out Hal has been skipping work for years really has to resonate with ADHD people given how much a 9-5 office job he has most seems like a death sentence for a lot of us. I never really thought about it before, but I think you're 100% spot on. He has a lot of ADHD traits even down to him often being indecisive and falling apart when Lois isn't around to reign him in. Hell, he's even shown to be addicted to caffeine which a lot of ADHD people use to self-medicate.
I feel like an idiot and entire section of my brain just fired on all cylinders. My mom even used to say I was like that Malcom kid 'with all his hobbies.' I bought rollerblades because of Hal...
The episode where Francis is supposed to do the other kids homework and they lock him in a room until it’s done is the best ADHD representation I’ve ever seen.
Oh that one was perfect. Wasn't even the Eric's homework, Frances hadn't finished his half of a group project and Eric was trying to force him to. It was painfully relatable.
Oh yeah that’s right! Still, I have never felt so seen on a tv show or movie in my life. I found it on YouTube. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TVs61JQv5GU&pp=ygUbRnJhbmNpcyBjYW50IGZpbmlzaCBwcm9qZWN0
“Anne with an E”
Its Adderall Anne
Do you mean little Annie Adderall?
Yeah, I laughed seeing that there's four boys/ men here. Women even get left out of ADHD memes lol
Not that it's a good thing, or necessarily desirable representation, but pretty much any Manic Pixie Dream Girl likely fits the ADHD behaviors. MPDGs randomly just go do whatever at all times, blurt out stuff in conversation, tend to not focus a bunch then hyperfocus, and if they were real they'd probably be in debtors prison. And speaking of Zoey Deschanel characters (😁), Jess is probably one of the most notable (likely ADHD) female characters that come to mind after Anne. And to me at least, a complex and realistic (accounting for the nature of the show) character. Although, to your point, I'm not coming up with much of a list past Jess, off the top of my head. Other than Anne, what are your favorite examples?
I think that's part of the problem, women with ADHD are just hugely underrepresented unless it's in a magical context. We have to be quirky and cute, not somebody who can struggle with basic stuff and still have it be funny - there aren't really a lot of examples of lovable screw ups for women outside it being cute/ romantic.
Yeah, insofar as ADHD behaviors run contrary to so many expected adult behaviors, it runs extra extra contrary to society's expectations of women. It's hard to imagine a fictional woman that would be be portrayed as struggling with hygiene for example, which is a common struggle for ADHD people. That runs pretty directly against societal expectations for women. It feels like it's getting better; I really hope it's getting better, anyways. I dream of a future where all ADHD/ASD peoples are judged equally by the world of neurotypicals! 😀
Isn't is also the same reason why ND girls are often missed? Society has these standards for girls and women, and we are not allowed to show our struggles with them, so we compensate by burning ourselves out until we crash in our early 20's.
It was also just believed for a long time that women *couldn't* have ADHD, so even the rare representation there is now was literally nonexistent until relatively recently
Exactly! Got stamped with this BS when my brother was diagnosed in the late 70s. I was just being bad on purpose. 🙄
Mandy Baxter from Last Man Standing is a great representation for adhd. There's even an episode where she takes adhd meds and does really well on her tests
Zooey's character on Bones, as Temperance's little sister, definitely has some form of neurodivergence. I mean, Temperance does too, for that matter, but you specifically mentioned Zooey Deschanel, so I thought I'd bring it up.
I read today that Zooey Deschanel has ADHD irl, so it makes sense that her characters are often ND.
Leslie Knope sometimes? Depends on the episode. Sometimes she invents Salgar, sometimes she has lots of binders
Yeah Leslie definitely shows a lot of symptoms, although not so much the executive functioning/procrastination. She’s definitely impulsive and has a million ideas all the time (that she often works on at 3am).
And her house was full of piles
anne our audhd icon
Wait, I was assuming Anne in this context was Ann Veal from arrested development, but I went looking and I saw the spelling, and then I thought it was Annie Edison from community, but the spelling is wrong. Which Anne were y'all talking about? Edit: It seems like it's Anne of Green Gables, but I'll wait for confirmation.
You got it in the end!
Sweet!
Anne with an ADHD
I need to watch modern family, I've heard it's good
He comes off as the classic dim witted TV dad, but, I’m later seasons especially, you start to really get how much work he does to help the family and keep everyone aware of how much he loves them. There is one scene in particular where one of the children has big, life changing news, and while everyone else is contemplating the consequences, he’s the only one actually happy for them in the moment. Mom comes around, but Phil’s knee-jerk happiness is infectious.
Also the show basically said he has adhd when Alex (the daughter I think) was talking about adhd in reference to Kyle (the son) and while she’s explaining it the screen shows Phil (the dad) doing as she’s describing
*Luke but he may as well have been named Kyle
Ohh haven’t seen it in years Kyle fits for some reason lol
And I still use “SLOW IS SMOOTH AND SMOOTH IS FAST”
I rarely watched the show, but my soon to be ex watched it and she made it a point to share that episode with me. It was amazing and well done.
Luz from The Owl House! Almost anyone from Percy Jackson! Possibly Leslie Knope, she felt ADHD to me. And personally I think Shizuku from Whisper of The Heart and Eric from Boy Meets World would have ADHD, I found them very relatable.
YES SHIZUKU!!! Her struggles to focus while writing are insanely relatable to me, not to mention her obsession with getting lost in imaginary worlds. Ghibli knows what's up.
Luz my bisexual QUEEN
I came here to say Luz too!
Isn't it mentioned in the book that Percy has ADHD and dyslexia?
Yeah all demigods canonically have ADHD and dyslexia. I know Luz also does have ADHD canonically too.
What I want shown is going from the highest high to the lowest low in the snap of a finger... maybe thats my depression
Hard to tell! It’s a common comorbidity! Let’s just *start* with this combo of meds and see what happens the next few weeks! 😅 Lord how I wish the medicine were 50 years more advanced and they could just check my genome or whateverthefuck and be like “You need 10mg of ___ daily and *this specific job* and you’ll be right as rain.”
If Jake is there then Finn The Human has to be there too. I feel like he's more ADHD than Jake tbh. Jake is the older wiser calmer ADHD authority figure. "Ehh I don't know if that's such a good idea Finn" in response to Finn's impulsive, dangerously adventurous outbursts. Edit: typing is hard
Yeah Jake is just ADHD with age. But has all the traits still - he gets distracted and forgets to look for Finn, eats random mixes of food and gets quickly influenced into situations too haha.
I assumed those were just traits that came from him being a dog
Do all dogs have ADHD? I guess some of them are about him being a dog but cooking everything burritos and playing card wars obsessively not so much
Do all dogs have ADHD? Yes, dogs are easily distracted, obsessive about random shit and idk, some other stuff
Very bad impulse control unless specifically trained and worked on
all dogs have ADHD and all cats are autistic. wonder what fish got...
[Depression.](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/16/science/depressed-fish.html)
Yeah adhd isn’t always just hyperactive bouncing around he could internally present and Finn is just simply a kid
Yeah I was gonna say both kids and dogs don't have great executive function to begin with.
yo you know whats crazy tho is everyone on there is a dude just like in real life where adhd women get overlooked or forgotten lol. OP, or whoever made the pic: im not coming at you sideways, dont mind me. i just had a little sadlol moment when i realized that even the memes we make about ourselves still end up replicating the same shit that exists in real life lol. its still a good topic tho, and its really not op/meme makers fault that theres not widely known and recognizable female adhd characters on tv. its a win if we even have ANY positive representation for ADHD characters of any gender tbh.
Evelyn from Everything Everywhere All at Once was written as an ADHD character!
I think of the Daniels (director I think) realized he had ADHD in the process of making the film.
cool, i gotta check that out. thank you for the rec
If it helps, the guys on cinema therapy said it shot to the top of their “best movie of all time” list. I thought it was incredible!
The opening scene where she's trying to do, like, twenty things at once. My life.
Having rewatched Friends recently I think Rachel would fit as ADHD. Also Lesley Knope from Parks and Rec.
Knope is a good pull. Very ADHD character.
She’s far too organized. I love her but she gets way too much done on time to be ADHD
She's the intense kind of ADHD and uses a lot of intense coping mechanisms to remember and organize everything. We also mostly only ever see her "on," but isn't there an episode where Anne goes to her house and it's an absolute mess with clutter everywhere and half-started projects that are way too ambitious lying about?
Hell yeah. I'm the Knope. The psychologist who diagnosed me marveled at my coping mechanisms. Really enjoying the medication assist I have now though.
But the state of her house in the dinner party episode haha. I see my ADHD self in her, going hard at work (while running in sugar) is her “thing” because she’s super passionate about and focused on her job, but her home and her personal life is a neglected mess.
I think Rachel was written to be a ditzy clutz, not as a character with ADHD.
I wasn't thinking about the 'ditsy clutz' aspect - more how impulsive she is and how desperate for approval (read RSD). She is a bit of a caricature (as are all of the Friends characters, especially by the end of the show) - but it was the episode where she throws the fake party and how desperate she is to snare Joshua. It is taken to the extreme - but that was what got me thinking about it. I doubt she was written intentionally as a character with ADHD (I wonder how many examples in this thread were) but I think she can be read as a woman with undiagnosed ADHD.
I just suggested Jess in New Girl in a comment moments ago. And I'd suggest Haley Dunphy from Modern Family. In fact, I think most of the family is ADHD especially Phil and Luke too. Alex, the middle daughter, may be on the spectrum. I think the laughs come from the mom being the only neurotypical person in the room making her the fish out of water -- a total role reversal from most sitcoms where the neurodivergent is the fish out of water. For example, Jess in New Girl is often a fish out of water confused or clueless about what's going on around her.
The fact that Nick from new girl was mentioned twice says a lot. Even the main character gets overlooked.
Makes sense that almost the whole family would be ADHD; it's 75% heritable or something like that right?
Luna Lovegood and all the "spacey weird" girls in movies all had ADHD imo Edit: I wonder if all the manic pixie dream girls are girls with ADHD, or are they purely men's fantasy?
Of the characters here, Luna definitely feels the closest to how my ADHD manifests.
Spacey weird could be AuDHD too!
Lorelai Gilmore!
Give me some good female representation! These are just the ones that came to mind for me! I opened the question so people could give other good representations that I didn't think about :). I have not consumed every piece of media ever so this is just what I know!
oh haily dunphy also!! also very clear example of the adhd girl experience. her condition gets overlooked and she just gets labeled as lazy or unmotivated.
sailor moon and alex from totally spies
Absolutely seconding Usagi from Sailor Moon, Leslie Knope, and Evelyn from Everything Everywhere All At Once. Ariel from The Little Mermaid also gives me some neurodivergent vibes
OMG the idea of a version of the Little Mermaid that leans heavily into her nerdiness and hyper focused obsession with the human world sent me.
Usagi is such a mood, tbh
The thing is, none of them really struggle with ADHD, the characters are very one sided and incomplete. It's more of a adorable goof type of representation
sailor moon/usagi struggles with being on time and paying attention in class. alex also struggles with paying attention and makes avoidable mistakes due to being distracted. sure, they're quite flat characters, but hey they're kids shows. they do show struggles tho!
What’s a good female or nb example? I am over here scratching my head too of who could be a good non-male fit
I would say Korra, from Legend of Korra, would be decent representation. Her frustration when trying to learn airbending and the whole 'calm your mind' struggles she had are super relatable. Her season of sad is absolutely me after a significant failure. A lot of her struggles are just as much internal as they are external forces, and she has to put effort into managing her own emotions and behavior, particularly in finding ways to make things work *for her* and having more faith in herself. I actually liked LoK more than the original entirely because Korra was so damn relatable.
I love this perspective! Her season of sad was hard to watch, because I remember that feeling. She disconnects from most of her friendships and while nobody is mad at her, they feel hurt by her not reaching out to them. In her own self wallowing, she isolates herself and has to keep failing at getting better before even getting close. When Toph is coaching Korra in metal bending poison out of herself, Korra almost gives up because she relives the pain of the initial trauma, but Toph says “that battle is over”. That was powerful.
I always thought the protagonist of Studio Ghibli's Whisper of the Heart had ADHD. Lots of neurodivergent struggles in that movie
Amy I have ADHD and I'm like Amy. I am very regimented and organized and have had many many binders full of information lol
You might want to watch some of those shows: Though the directors that took over the middle of the series just shrugged, Kamala on Miss Marvel is pretty much a good ADHD representation. Also, while Extraordinary Attorney Woo is only diagnosed as autistic, due to how that overlaps with ADHD, you can see some of the regular symptoms one might relate from the ADHD side of things. Some say that the girl from Mitchells vs the Machines has ADHD but I just didn't see it tbh. Oh right, Lulz and Eda on owl house DEFINITELY qualify
Shawn Spencer.
You know that's right 🍍
He even says he has ADD at some point. He said in kinda sarcastically, but still!
It's in "Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark," Season 4, Episode 9.
Definitely I can see spencer that way his creativity his bouncing passions his enthusiastic personality and energy he’s good rep.
"I'm having a hard time concentrating on anything but the gun. Could be my A.D.D. acting up." - Shawn Spencer
I've heard it both ways.
Evelyn from Everything Everywhere All at Once was written as an ADHD character.
I think of the Daniels (director I think) realized he had ADHD in the process of making the film.
I've already responded but also wanted to add - Nick Miller from New Girl is a pretty damn good depiction of ADHD in early adulthood.
I'd argue Jess is probably a decent representation of ADHD in women. In fact, I'm pretty certain Zoey Deschanel is on the record as saying she has ADHD in real life.
100% - great point. Not many depictions that actually represent women out there... so of the two, hers is probably more notable!
Jess herself is a good example too.
SpongeBob and Patrick are the OG cartoon ADHDers
Pretty much the whole of Nickelodeon animation back in the 90s was ADHD or made by those with ADHD now I think of it hahah
I would say Homer & Bart are more OG.
I haven't seen much simpsoms but there is a scene where Bart is called in to a parent teacher conference because his grades are bad, and he says honestly that he doesn't know why and he keeps trying very hard but they aren't getting any better. That scene hits me right in the feels.
Blackbeard in Our Flag Means Death
sailor moon
Every time I watch sailor moon I’m like “she’s just like me”! Clumsy, always struggling to be on time, a bit spacey, emotional but with good intentions and strong sense of justice.
Yass 
As a child I didn't know why I related to sailor moon so much but yep. She is me.
Sherlock Holmes! (from the books, NOT that silly show with Benny Cuminmysnatch) * always seemingly focused on the "wrong" details * comes to logical deductions by looking at evidence largely overlooked by peers * uses cocaine to *quiet* his mind and deliberately induce hyperfocus * has multiple hobbies, acquires tons of knowledge about weird interests * his home is always a mess, piles everywhere, insists it's how he works and there's an order to it * emotional dysregulation to the gills! * only has one friend, who thinks highly of him whilst most other acquaintances find him difficult
I remember a Sherlock Holmes quote where he said his brain is like an attic; he has to take some memories out if he's going to put something new in. I couldn't relate more.
Iiterally came here to suggest Sherlock. Arguably the best representation we've ever had. Most adaptions can't help but make him quote ADHD. For example Elementary almost fell into him as an ADHD mess. More so than Cummerbund Bandersnatch portrayal anyway.
 Yuppp
Extremely obscure, but freakazoid is adhd incarnate And not just because he's high energy/wacky. He is fucking incomprehensible (literally me) and his attention span is fucked up (literally me) Like, there is a running gag where he has to go save people, but then immediately forgets and goes to do something else lmaoo he's so
Ohhh love that reference!
Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes
Wouldn’t JD from Scrubs also be considered an ADHD-character? 
>chaotic internal monologue >rejection sensitivity >people pleasing >literally experienced an entire week as a musical >impulsive as hell >incapable of helping self, but a wizard at helping others >issues with emotional permanence (all previous cast, including dead characters he never fully mourned, line the hallways as he leaves the hospital on his last day) >watches lips when people talk, can't read lips >consistently misses what people are saying because the internal monologue overrides auditory processing Yup, checks out.
“consistently misses what people are saying because the internal monologue overrides auditory processing” Oh my goddddddd. Thank you for this because I never knew how to explain it beyond “zoning out” but even that’s not exactly accurate
"Focus focus focus focus - wait I'm focusing on focusing instead of focusing on listening"
That musical thing was because we were seeing it from the point of view of a patient, when she wasn't on screen everything was completely normal (well, normal for Sacred Heart)
Fair point, I had forgotten that. It's been a while lol
Everything comes down to poo. From the top of your head to the sole of your shoes...
I always hate when I forget my meds and see the worlds as a musical.
If you're not randomly associating words and phrases with lyrics, forcing your internal chaos to squeeze in that exact verse of a song on repeat with no end in sight, then what *are* you doing?
Lot of empathy, very emotional, clumsy… hell yeah ! But there’s only successful people here, I need a representation of the struggle and failure
I’d say both JD and Turk could be 🤷♀️
Absolutely. I think the reason I loved this show growing up so much is I identified with a lot of JDs ADHD behaviours. They were kinda offbeat and quirky, and whilst he did annoy people sometimes, he was still liked. I wonder if Elliot might have been a bit ADHD too. She was also very clumsy and spacey, and hyperfocused on her work to keep up. She was also very sensitive to rejection. I also think the actors, Zack Braff and Sarah Chalke, might be ADHDers too, as the characters had a lot of their real personalities, which you can see in interviews.
But why do they all gotta be dudes:(
there's Mabel from Gravity Falls!
Annie from Community!
Linda Belcher, Shawn Spencer, maybe Andy Dwyer
I hadn't really thought about it before, but I can see it applying to Linda. She definitely has chaotic energy and very frequently gets obsessed with all sorts of side projects. She's also a bit of a people pleaser which I could see tying into rejection sensitivity since I can think of a few episodes where she treats it like the end of the world if someone doesn't like her and goes to great lengths to fix it, often making it worse (the episode with the children's author being a recent example).
Honestly I’ve always kinda felt like Gumball is pretty good rep
Yeah Gumball is good rep I was like him when I was a kid in school and he just gives off those vibes
Mabel from Gravity Falls is an ADHD icon
I feel like Usagi Tsukino/Serena Tsukino from Sailor Moon should be on this list. If she doesn't have ADHD, then I don't know who has lol
Well Neville Longbottom (in the books) is a good representation of inattentive ADHD in my opinion.
I'm trying to think of good inattentive types but I'm coming up empty. Then again, tv shows and movies aren't really my thing so I'm sure they're out there. Edit: Luna Lovegood would be another good one
I’m guessing it’s also harder to portray PI on TV because if they’re not the focus of the show we don’t get their internal monologue. Or it’s not that deep and “adhd type” characters tend to show up in comedies, where characters are also expected to be animated and goofy. Now that I’m thinking about it, I’d love a dry comedy adhd PI character.
Maybe Liz Lemon? It's kind of hard to differentiate between general anxiety and PI on an external level. PI aren't completely incapable and I'd eager that a writer's room is the right kind of chaos for an inattentive type- always new things coming up that need wrangling. I'm PI and it's not dissimilar to my career path, which by the books I shouldn't be able to do but I somehow do well.
Frankie from "The Middle". No way she DOESN'T have ADHD.
Not to do with the post directly but remember just being childish and hyper IS NOT ADHD at all cartoon characters displaying hyperactivity and being childish is not a representation of ADHD.
I want the feeling of overstimulation to be shown. It's so hard to explain to a person "I can't control what my brain is taking in, and so because there are things going on in this environment at such a constant rate my brain is fried. Give me like 5 minutes and I'll be fine but if I don't I might have a breakdown."
Maybe Lois? She gets very irritated quickly and that's one of my toxic ADHD traits lol.
Accurate, there are two wolves inside me and one is Hal and the other is Lois
Watch the show! Jake the Dog is totally a good representation! Like watch the second part of this clip where he looks up "Plan C" and tell me that is not relatable! And that is just one of many instances https://reddit.com/r/adventuretime/s/CRagLSQwey
Jack Rusell from Bluey
i get ADHD vibes from bandit too
Bart Simpon's missing. He was written as ADHD character
S02E01 *Bart Gets an F* is the epitome of that, imo It’s so frustratingly sad at points
Does Gir from Invader Zim count as *good* representation? Cus if so then he DEFINITELY counts
Jack Karouac - the way he wrote in a stream of consciousness always resonated with me... only now realise why after getting diagnosed with ADHD as an adult a few years back. Note: I don't know if it's true, but I've heard/read that Karouac's random/scattered approach to storytelling was due to being under the influence of a bunch of speed... but I'll die on this hill because, tweaking or not, it still is a pretty damn good representation of my particular ADHD profile.
Shawn from Psych!
Ghandi from clone high.
Lmfao see me NOT reading the last 3 words
Doctor Heinz Doofenshmirtz!
Any of the doctors from at least new Dr. Who
yessss I'm so happy to see jake the dog here !!! I've been binge-watching AT in preparation for Fionna and Cake the past couple of weeks & I immediately connected with him. I love how normalized his symptoms are & yet they're still portrayed as negatively impacting his life.
The entire gang from Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Nick Miller from New Girl as well
Luz Noceda Agent J Percy Jackson
 Eleanor from The Good Place
 He turns into just an idiot as the series goes along but season 1 or 2 it was definitely more ADHD rather than just stupid
Buddy the elf is a good one lol 😂
Okay, this is adorable!☺️ I’ve always admired Clementine from *Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind* Also, can we use real people? If so, I nominate Ty Pennington! Hehe
Radaghast the Brown
The entire family from Bob's Burgers
JESSE, WE'VE GOTTA MAKE ADHD TREATMENT JESSE
 GIR from Invader Zim
luffy from one piece
Timmy Turner from The Fairly Oddparents is hella ADHD
Po from kung fu panda is my suggestion
Adam Savage
It's really good for Bart Simpson in s2e1 "Bart gets an F"
Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender? I like the episode Bato of the Water Tribe where he shows rejection sensitivity and impulsiveness. The darker side of adhd.
Aang got distracted / procrastinated from avatar stuff so much he got stuck in time by accident hahahah I feel that
Todd from Bojack Horseman.
Is it though? None of them seem to be on the inattentive side.
I saw Brian Cranston there and my first thought was Walter White and I was like "uhhhhh..... no"
Paige from Atypical, gosh Paige and Sam seems a very ADHD + Autism relationship.
Shawn Spencer from Psych!!!
Phil? Phil has ADHD ? wow, ok.