The Healing Powers of Dude (2020) User Reviews

Great Family Show with Awesome Messages!

[ButILookGood · 7/10 · 28 February 2020]

This is a wonderful family show! It tackles great subjects like social challenges, bullying, standing up for yourself, perseverance, kindness, friendship and learning that differences are just differences and we are all valuable people.

The parents, of course, are made out to be a little obnoxious (probably the kids' views), but they are very loving and supportive. All of the characters have fun personalities and the kids are all great actors and very talented. The friend, Simon and the little sister are very funny!

Just a side note: Emotional Support Animals do not have legal public access rights like Service Dogs do. However, I am sure some schools make an acception. 😁

Ignore the "controversies" and just enjoy the show

[jpmjr-54639 · 7/10 · 28 January 2023]

I have a huge crush on Larisa Oleynik since back in her "Alex Mack" days. So, I decided to check out this show.

I liked it. I thought it was a cute sitcom for kids with very relatable situations. I realize the controversy it created with confusing the difference between service animals and emotional support animals. It is valid but I think people need to lighten up a little and realize this is FICTION. It is not supposed to be realistic and accurate. It is a far more plausible premise than, say, a kid being doused with a mysterious chemical that gave him super powers. (Not that I am knocking ALEX MACK; that's a classic)

I did like how the three of the kids are misfits who nevertheless form their own little friendship. It is cool seeing an actual handicapped actress playing a character that doesn't try to illicit sympathy for her disability.

The kids definitely make the show. The adults on the other hand act kind of goofy on the show. Karen and Marvin feel like clones of the parents from Modern Family. Marvin is sweet but He comes off as an overgrown man child. The character of Karen is ok but kind of grating. You feel She's trying too hard to be Superwoman. It should be noted in real life Larisa Oleynik doesn't have children and it shows.

The dog is cute. The fact that the dogs talk and are slightly anthropomorphized is quirky and kind of out of place in a fairly grounded sitcom. In the pilot the dog is revealed to have been a slacker at his training and thus needs to prove his "worth" as an emotional support dog. There are scenes where He's talking to his friends. Kind of like in HOMEWARD BOUND or WISHBONE.

The fantasy sequences that illustrate Noah's fears are pretty cool. I loved how in the second episode they had Noah morph into a puddle using special effects that looked a lot better in 2020 than 1994. It was a nice tribute to ALEX MACK.

If one can get past the "controversies" surrounding accurate representation of social anxiety as well as service dogs you would like the show

The show only aired 8 episodes and it's been 3 years which means it is probably been cancelled by the notoriously fickle Netflix.

This show started off good and got even better.

[mengladys · 8/10 · 19 January 2020]

Great show. Jace Chapman, who plays Noah, does a great job. The dog is quite adorable, too. In the first two episodes, the little sister character was incredibly annoying. However, in each episode afterward, she softened and grew on me. I cannot wait to watch more episodes.

I like the show but its inaccurate

[hbuckles · 23 May 2021]

Cute show but I don't like that Dude is an emotional support dog because ony service dogs have public access not ESA's.

Fun show but inaccurate

[spcbll1 · 6/10 · 18 January 2020]

So I do love the show but it is not accurate for emotional support/therapy vs service animal. The dog in the show is emotional support. Those type animals are not allowed in the places they show in it. He would not be able to have the dog in class and the dog wouldn't be allowed in school unless it was well trained.

I get they needed the show to be a specific way and funny. But we have had to deal with a ton of hurdles because people don't know the difference between the 2.

I really wanted to like this, but couldn't finish the first episode

[AviAv · 6/10 · 19 January 2020]

The acting didnt feel real. the whole thing felt fake...sorry

Important.

[ambervanhouts · 9/10 · 20 January 2020]

I see some bad reviews and i think it's very important to remember that this show was made for kids. The way Noah's social anxiety is portrayed is exaggerated so that kids can empathize more with it. I personal have social anxiety and i was watching along with my little sister. I immediately thought "wow if this show was around 10 years ago my life would've been so much easier". It's so nice to see representation and mental health issues explained to kids in a subtle and enjoyable way.

Cute series for the entire family

[vanessanijs · 7/10 · 18 March 2024]

This is a cute family friendly TV series about an 11 year old boy suffering anxiety. Not everything in this heartwarming series is accurate, but this didn't bother me. The series plus is that it makes it possible to talk about anxiety with people who don't suffer from it. It's also easier to explain it to children with a series like this.

It has some funny moments, especially with the cute dog, and we watched it with the entire family. Our 8 year old loved it too.

The acting is OK for a series like this.

I really wished for a 2nd season. Too bad it didn't get renewed. Netflix should make more family friendly shows like this.

We hope you love it!

[jacechapman · 10/10 · 15 January 2020]

Watch the show! We had the most incredible time creating this series. Everyone from the producers, to the camera operators, to the directors, to the background actors, to the actors- everyone involved. We all worked so hard to create a story that would speak to the viewers and address a hard subject in a sensitive and uplifting way. We hope you love watching the show as much as we loved creating it for you.

"Very Amusing"

[Zac_La_Porte · 6/10 · 15 December 2021]

Plenty of childish humour, non-serious themes centring on social anxiety disorder, and a dog that says silly sentences in voiceovers; The Healing Powers of Dude is really a series that will appeal and amuse young children. Obviously, everything is portrayed in an extremely light-hearted fashion in order to entertain kids, but why not shed some seriousness on the show's drama topic? There's really fun moments and it's not too horribly paced, but it's deeply unrealistic and misses the chance to provide some really important life messages.

If you liked this review, check out the full review and other reviews at aussieboyreviews.

Netflix fails... Again.

[elizaavt · 1/10 · 11 February 2020]

This show has a cute premise. The cutaway scenes showing how social anxiety can feel are really cute and do a good job of showing the audience how little things, like walking into a new school for the first time, can feel massively over whelming to people with social anxiety. However because this show addresses serious issues such as social anxiety, disability, service animals, emotional support animals, and family life I feel like they have a responsibility to get the facts right, and not take too many creative liberties. But from the start they got this wrong. Emotional support animals do not have public access under the Americans with Disabilities act and as such you would not be allowed one in a public setting like a public school. Also if this was a service animal they would never be allowed to behave like this show illustrates. I know it's all for a good laugh and entertainment, but in my opinion if you're going to talk about topics like these you have to get the facts straight right out of the gate. Another Netflix series thrown together that will cause public debate and confusion when with slightly more effort you could have had something worthwhile watching.

Perfect family show

[nyfamilyfarm · 10/10 · 13 January 2020]

Our family just loves this show! Both my adult kids can relate so much with this show in having had social anxiety throughout school and having to control it even now. Dude is the perfect help to bring an awareness to other kids and adults about social anxiety in the schools. Plus, we have a long haired chihuahua who is the kids' 'little brother' and friend with the exact same expressions and 'male' attitude as dude. It keeps my kids in the same room WITHOUT their cellphones in their face while we are watching this show. Just a great show all around for everyone.

Poor writing hobbles a charming cast.

[jaimegiant · 5/10 · 18 January 2020]

This is clearly a lighthearted show about a boy and his dog, I didn't expect much and this show had a hard time delivering even that. The writing for the show seems more like a rejected script for a Saturday morning version of look who's talking. The cast as a whole is charming but clearly not given much to work with. It seems like this is just another bump in the Netflix journey to mediocrity.

Amazing show

[leonorfaustinof · 10/10 · 15 January 2020]

I loved it! I also have social anxiety, not to the extent the character has but I really related to it. The way they portray this disorder might be exaggerated, but I actually liked that, because anxiety is overwhelming and you can see that through the exaggeration. It made me laugh and it also made me tear up. I really liked how they integrated the dog, how he could understand Noah and see what Noah was imagining. I found it to be a great show! I'm waiting for season two now!!

I think it's great!

[lizzyroeth · 10/10 · 15 January 2020]

I loved this show a lot. I'm a college student but still love the lightness of this show. I understand some people may not agree with how the social anxiety disorder was portrayed and I understand where they come from; however, I feel that they exaggerated his attacks so that we, people without it, can have a greater chance of experiencing it and it's also through the mind of a middle schooler.

I myself have been dealing with anxiety during school but nothing to the extent some people deal with. Watching this makes me calm down a lot and helps me to think of my dog back home. I think this is a great show for teaching kids as well as some adults who aren't considerate of the things other people deal with.

Good but writers really need education on SDs vs. ESAs

[christylangley · 5/10 · 13 March 2020]

The only reason I can watch without getting upset at the misrepresentation of the different assistance dogs is Dude looks like a clone of my own Papillon/Dachshund service dog, Sunny, who passed away in Nov. 2019 at age 17.

AWESOME FAMILY SHOW!

[IREVIEWIT · 10/10 · 14 January 2020]

This is perfect for family viewing. Hoping for a Season 2!

Can't keep watching a show that gets this many things wrong about disabilities

[alitzahc · 1/10 · 25 January 2020]

I watched the first two episodes. It was cute, the dog is adorable, obviously, and the kids are decent enough actors for this type of show. There are two problems with it, however. The first is that the depiction of social anxiety is completely inaccurate, bordering on offensive, with the zombies and giant head explanations of how it works. The show can be cheesy, but it shouldn't be wrong about the one thing it's trying to say something about.

Also, the show's depiction of service animals and ESAs. No. Not even a little. An ESA can't go out in public places with its owner, because an ESA, like Dude, is untrained and a disruption to the public. Service dogs, on the other hand, are well-trained working dogs who enjoy doing tasks to help their owners. Dude is clearly an ESA and shouldn't go out in public, and it's pretty clear from the start that the kid doesn't want him, especially when he keeps running away into trouble. At any middle school, he would never be allowed to casually walk in with a dog without any kind of paperwork or discussion, especially one that pees on people and steals food. This show is an insult to people with ESAs and people with service dogs, because Dude is exactly the misbehaving dog that gets real handlers kicked out of establishments for being disabled.

Long story short, if you reviewed this 10/10 for being cute and pleasantly campy, please spend a few minutes googling ADA law about service dogs and ESAs so you understand how upset people giving critical reviews are. This show is a disgrace and an enormous step backwards for disabled people, and I'm disappointed in Netflix for airing it.

even if you don't have kids

[stankactorman · 9/10 · 19 January 2020]

THE HEALING POWERS OF DUDE: NETFLIX 8 Episodes: Middle school is tough enough as it is and having a social anxiety disorder further complicates 11 year old Noah Ferris' life who's been home schooled up till now. Dude, who failed to make the grade at service dog school is now Noah's support dog and as such, is allowed to accompany Noah to school, much to the dissatisfaction of the school principal, who besides being somewhat of a dick to begin with, is also a cat person who has it out for Dude and he becomes Noah's nemesis, sort of like the Jane Lynch character from Glee. Dude is a bit of a scamp and we're given privy to his thoughts via voice over and the little fella is really trying his best, he just isn't very good at it. Giving all their support to Noah is Mom, Dad, kid sister, and a couple of 'outsider' kids he meets on the first day of school. Even tho the kids have short resumes, you'd never know it because they turn in very credible and funny performances with great comic timing. Through some very clever special effects, we get to see and hear what's really going on in Noah's mind, allowing us to experience what he's feeling in stressful moments. I have inside info that the show is based on real characters. It reminds me of The Wonder Years and is a show for the whole family. It's heartwarming, with smart dialogue and delightful characters. Score: 9. Watch it! ... even if you don't have kids. In the spirit of transparency, I may be only a little biased, because Noah's sister, Embry is played by my granddaughter, Laurel Emory. 1/18/20

Heartwarming

[mason-02692 · 10/10 · 14 January 2020]

This show truly tugged at my heartstrings. I see a lot of 1 star reviews but that just shows there is a specific audience they are delivering to. The plot was great, actors were great, the only thing that is a little bad was that the dialogue was cringy at times. That just proves that it's not made for everyone.

Bad acting, bad writing, "jokes" fall flat

[maria_rasmussen · 2/10 · 21 January 2020]

The premise of the show is great, which is why I started watching. It could have been great, but the really bad acting and writing just makes it a cringy watch. It tries super hard to be funny, but it fails terribly. The dog's lines (yes the dog talks) are the worst. Saw 3 episodes. If I end up exposing myself to any more episodes (which is unlikely) and I change my opinion, I will upgrade my review. Maybe kids would find it funny?

Great Show

[weenie-87489 · 10/10 · 14 May 2021]

My 10 year old son has Generalized Anxiety Disorder and he loves this show. He was so happy to see a show that he could relate to. He's always talking to me about the lead character and what he's going through. He often feels misunderstood so it's great to see him be able to relate to something and see it being represented.

It's such a cute movie!

[rileykh-54250 · 31 December 2020]

This is an amazing tv show for families, and the fact that the tv show is about a kid that has Social anxiety disorder and a dog helping him with his disability is amazing!

Bad... So bad...

[idiotwithnojob · 1/10 · 14 January 2020]

I was looking forward to watch this show. But what a disappointment it is... Characters played so weak... was not able to watch more than 3 episodes.

Funny

[swaycrenwelge · 10/10 · 22 January 2021]

So funny! Dude is a funny dog that he is trained for this role.