A documentary series featuring seven young adults with Down syndrome is premiering on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on A&E.
鈥淏orn This Way鈥� comes from Bunim-Murray productions, the same company that created MTV鈥檚 鈥淭he Real World鈥� and the E! network鈥檚 鈥淜eeping Up with the Kardashians.鈥� The A&E press release describes the cast as:
- Rachel鈥擶orking in the mailroom for an insurance company, she will be the maid of honor at her brother鈥檚 upcoming wedding. Rachel would love to get married herself, but first she has to find the right guy.
- Sean鈥擜n excellent golfer and avid sportsman, Sean is a self-professed ladies鈥� man, who is not shy about introducing himself to every eligible woman he meets.
- John鈥擣rom a very young age, John made it clear to his parents that he craved the spotlight. A born entertainer, John is committed to his music and is pursuing a career in rap.
- Steven鈥擶orking as a dishwasher at Angel Stadium in Anaheim and in customer service at a local grocery store, Steven is a huge movie buff and knows the title and year of each Oscar winning film.
- Cristina鈥擳his loving and compassionate young adult works in a middle school. In her free time she loves talking on the phone with Angel, her boyfriend of 4 years and the man she plans to marry.
- Megan鈥擜 budding entrepreneur, Megan has created a line of clothing she sells under the brand 鈥淢egology.鈥� She is pursuing her dream of becoming a film producer and is a proud advocate committed to spreading the word that society should not limit adults with disabilities.
- Elena鈥擶ith a flair for the dramatic, this young woman embraces life. Elena loves to cook, dance and write poetry and takes a great pride in her independence.
And here鈥檚 a trailer:
A note: I interviewed Megan Bomgaars, an aspiring film studies student, and her mother earlier this year. She and more than 100 other young people were
The trailer suggests that the parents will also be a major part of the show, as they struggle between wanting to shield their children and guiding them towards independence.
Bunim-Murray Productions has a reputation for slickly produced work that many people love (or love to hate.) This six-episode miniseries promises to have more emotional heft, if it avoids condescending to its subjects and shows that these young adults face the same issues鈥攚ork, friendship, love, independence鈥攁s their peers who do not have disabilities.
Photo: The cast of 鈥淏orn This Way,鈥� a 6-episode series premiering Dec. 8 on A&E (Courtesy A&E Network)