Wait! Before you roll your eyes and flip the channel at yet another ABC Family drama, give Switched at Birth a chance. This show contains no pregnant teenagers, murder mysteries, whiny gymnasts or cat girls. It’s realistic characters and poignant acting set it apart from many dramas of its kind bringing a dose of reality with it’s dry wit.

Bay Kennish (Vanessa Marino) and Daphne Vasquez (Katie Leclec) couldn’t have less in common. Daughter of famous baseball player, Bay is wealthy beyond compare; while Daphne resides in a dangerous lower-income neighborhood, Bay’s an artist and Daphne’s an athlete and most importantly Daphne is deaf. What twist of fate could possible bring these two girls together? A mistake, made over fifteen years ago in an Oregon hospital, when two newborn girls were mistaken for one another. Slowly, both girls must accept a life they never got to live and the family they never got to have.

This incredibly enthralling series not only keeps viewers interested but also brings light onto a very serious disability, deafness. Daphne, along with her mother (Constance Marie) and best friend Emmett (Sean Berdie) constantly communicate in sign language and show some of the challenges deaf people face; like phone calls, cooking, school, driving and communicating with hearing people. Famous deaf and ASL advocate (Marlee Matlin) plays Emmett’s mother Melody and an ASL expert is employed on set to keep the sign language consistent. To make viewers better understand conversation from a deaf perspective, all sound is edited out of scenes involving only deaf characters; giving a realness and ambiance to the show. Along with Deaf and ASL advocacy the show diverges into alcoholism, gambling addiction and family trauma. Educating while entertaining.

As it’s first season comes to a close “Switched at Birth” continues to impress and inform. With a scene stealing, convincing cast and researched advocacy this show is sure to keep you coming back every Monday night as it invites you into its dramatic, realistic world.