The essential episodes of Speechless

Watch these 15 in order and you've got Speechless — each pick states its reason.

1. 01

   S01E01 · Pilot · September 21, 2016 · 21m

   P-I-PILOT6.8

   Maya DiMeo moves her family to a new, upscale school district when she finds the perfect situation for her eldest son, JJ, who has cerebral palsy.

2. 02

   S01E04 · Top rated · October 12, 2016 · 21m

   I-N-S– INSPIRATIONS7.5

   Exploring the city on their own, JJ and Kenneth realize strangers look at them as inspirational. The two push their luck, receiving free food and baseball game admissions. Kenneth lets this get to his head, goes overboard, and things fall apart. Meanwhile, as the family can’t do anything without having to worry about wheelchair accessibility, Dylan and Ray convince Maya to take them paintballing. But can she let herself have fun without JJ?

3. 03

   S01E06 · Top rated · November 9, 2016 · 21m

   D-A-T-E– DATE?7.5

   JJ meets a new girl at school, an injured gymnast, who must learn to adapt to school life in a wheelchair. JJ shows her the ropes and soon forms a crush. Elsewhere, Ray saves face by claiming a picture of his own nipple on his phone to be a ”sext” from his ”girlfriend.” The plan makes him a hero among the boys at school, but backfires after Maya learns the whole story. Meanwhile, Jimmy teaches Dylan how to properly deal with stress.

4. 04

   S01E07 · Top rated · November 16, 2016 · 21m

   T-H-A-THANKSGIVING7.4

   The DiMeo plan to avoid another horrible Thanksgiving with Jimmy’s brother’s family backfires when they invite themselves over to celebrate. While Kenneth and Ray destroy the turkey, the rest of the family creates a game, checking off the various instances of annoyance their relatives are known for. When Jimmy and his brother Billy decide to take their competition to the streets, the family discovers that Billy’s family is not as perfect as it seems.

5. 05

   S01E08 · Top rated · November 30, 2016 · 21m

   R-A-Y-C RAY-CATION7.8

   Maya enlists the family to assist JJ in romancing a girl at school, but it backfires when JJ expresses his feelings to Claire, and they are not reciprocated. Meanwhile, as the DiMeos are always late, Ray has the family practice to get to school in time for his upcoming weekend field trip.

6. 06

   S01E09 · Top rated · December 7, 2016 · 21m

   S-L-E--SLED HOCKEY7.5

   JJ instantly wants to join a sled hockey team made up entirely of people with disabilities, but Jimmy is not thrilled and thinks it’s dangerous. Meanwhile, Maya takes a CPR class with Kenneth, and she sees how popular he is and realizes that she needs to be nicer in order to keep him as JJ’s aide.

7. 07

   S01E10 · Top rated · December 14, 2016 · 21m

   C-H-O-CHOIR7.5

   It’s Christmas time at the DiMeos, and Maya surprises everyone by embracing a newfound holiday spirit. But her view is put to the test when the family van is stolen, along with all their holiday gifts. Worrying he won’t get into college, Ray joins the choir and gets a coveted solo. But when a very attractive new teacher is hired, JJ decides to join his brother and takes Ray’s solo.

8. 08

   S01E11 · Top rated · January 4, 2017 · 21m

   R-O--ROAD T-R--TRIP7.6

   The family goes on an annual impromptu family road trip, but Ray has something in store, which angers Maya when she finds out what it is. But Maya’s relentlessness proves to be helpful when she takes control of an emergency situation involving Ray’s appendix. Meanwhile, Jimmy attempts to continue his tradition of spending no money on vacation while Dylan becomes anxious after visiting a fortune teller. Back at home, Kenneth has trouble fitting in at school while JJ is away.

9. 09

   S01E12 · Top rated · January 11, 2017 · 21m

   H-E-R– HERO7.4

   In order to get on the good side of their insurance agent to get everything JJ needs, the DiMeos have Dylan make a tough sacrifice at her track meet. Meanwhile, Ray wants to use his brother for inspiration while writing for an essay contest at school, but JJ rejects his plan. But when another student lies using the same plan, Ray and JJ team together to outdo the other student.

10. 10

    S01E13 · Season 1 peak · January 18, 2017 · 21m

    S-I--SICK D-A--DAY8.5

    Dylan becomes Kenneth’s replacement for JJ when Kenneth also gets sick. Jimmy ends up doing well with Maya’s normal duties, but he tries to keep it from her to avoid her feeling bad. Meanwhile, JJ protects Dylan from a boy she’s interested in. And despite its illness, the family bands together and pulls an all-nighter to finish Ray’s school project.

11. 11

    S01E14 · Top rated · February 8, 2017 · 21m

    V-A-L-- VALENTINE'S D-A-- DAY7.5

    Maya attempts to give Jimmy a Valentine's Day gift, with the help of his old roommate and her ex-fiance. Meanwhile, Ray is elated to find out he has a secret admirer and JJ i in charge of distributing candy-grams, which proves challenging for both him and Kenneth.

12. 12

    S01E17 · Top rated · March 8, 2017 · 21m

    S-U-R-- SURPRISE!8.0

    Dylan asks Maya not to have their annual birthday party for her, but Maya holds an amazing surprise party anyway and soon learns the real reason why Dylan didn't want to have a party. Elsewhere, Ray is put in charge to watch JJ but panics when his brother has a day of independence at the mall to buy Dylan a birthday present while Jimmy and Kenneth struggle to find something they have in common.

13. 13

    S02E01 · Season 2 peak · September 27, 2017 · 21m

    W-E– WE’RE B-A– BACK!5.8

    While JJ was at summer camp, Maya decided it’s time the family no longer use JJ’s disability as an excuse to let their lives fall through the cracks. Maya, Jimmy and Dylan make dramatic changes, but a smug Ray decides he will spend the summer watching his family likely failing at their attempts. When JJ comes home, Kenneth finds a love note in JJ’s luggage from Alexa, a girl he met at camp, who wants to give JJ his first kiss. The family chucks their self-improvement projects and hits the road to find Alexa.

14. 14

    S03E01 · Season 3 peak · October 5, 2018 · 21m

    L-O-N– LONDON (1)1.0

    The DiMeos cross the pond so Maya can ask her estranged father, the challenging Martin, for a loan to save their house. Meanwhile, Jimmy puts on his “fun dad” hat to ensure JJ has a great trip, Ray digs deep to summon Californian vibes to endear himself to British girls, and Kenneth reveals a love for all things royal.

15. 15

    S03E22 · Series finale · April 12, 2019 · 21m

    U-N-R– UNREALISTIC1.0

    Maya braces for JJ’s high school graduation and departure for college, but tough news from NYU changes everything. Dylan teaches Jimmy a “Dad lesson” as he gets ready for a big job interview. Kenneth pressures JJ to prepare for a grand finale to their time together, and Ray uses his class trip to Catalina to examine his bad luck in love.