‘Ordinary Joe’: Shane & Hannah Burcaw on Their Big TV Cameo
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 1, Episode 11 of Ordinary Joe, “Calling An Audible.”]
The latest episode of Ordinary Joe welcomed some very special guest stars into Nurse Joe’s (James Wolk) world as he and his son Christopher (John Gluck) visited the Adaptive Innovators Expo in “Calling An Audible.”
The special expo highlights merchants selling goods that are geared towards people with disabilities, like Chris who is selling adaptive clothing with the help of his caretaker Kinsley (Lili Mirojnick) and dad, Joe. The event also included special talks, particularly from YouTube’s Squirmy and Grubs couple Shane and Hannah Burcaw, who also served as consultants for the writers of the episode.
After dating for several years, the Burcaws tied the knot in September 2020 and that was a primary topic in their cameo appearance. Speaking to an audience at the expo, they emphasize that living with a disability doesn’t mean there are limits on opportunities that life has to offer.
(Credit: NBC)
And it is Gluck’s various versions as Joe’s son that further drive that point home. “We hope people notice that disability is not the entirety of Christopher’s life,” the couple tells TV Insider. “He’s a bright, hilarious, and wildly talented kid who has big ambitions. Disability is often inaccurately portrayed as a tragedy, but John Gluck’s character demonstrates just how false that narrative is.”
While Hannah and Shane are used to being in front of the camera via their web series, they were excited and anxious once they got on set. The pair admits, “We were both surprised by how nervous we were to shoot our scene!
“We were amazed by the sheer scale of the production and how much attention to detail was paid for even the tiniest scenes. It was a fantastic experience and one that we both enjoyed immensely once our nerves subsided.”
Shane became connected with the show after building a relationship with showrunners Garrett Lerner and Russel Friend. “[They] have been friends of mine for many years,” Shane shares. “We originally connected after they read my first book, Laughing at My Nightmare, and reached out to talk about writing.”
After staying connected over the years, the executive producers asked Shane to be their disability consultant for the NBC series. “I was overjoyed by the opportunity to portray disability accurately and authentically on a major TV show,” he gushes, calling the opportunity “a pivotal experience in my career journey.”
The vlogger says being a consultant has “taught me so much about TV writing” — something he hopes to do more of in the future as he’s “hopeful to keep growing in the industry.”
Shane recalls, “Seeing [the cast] bring our scripts to life each week gave me a newfound respect for acting. And it goes without saying, but John Gluck’s talent is remarkable. We got to hang out on set for a while and he carries himself with such confidence, poise, and humility.”
Shane and Hannah say their YouTube community has been an incredible support system throughout this new opportunity. “Our Squirmy and Grubs viewers have been extremely supportive of our work on the show,” the couple says. “We get messages and comments every day from people who started watching [Ordinary Joe] because of our involvement and ended up falling in love with it. That brings us so much joy.”
See them behind-the-scenes on set for their big episode in the special Squirmy and Grubs webisode, above. And keep tuning in for more great storylines as Ordinary Joe‘s season continues on NBC.
Ordinary Joe, Mondays, 10/9c, NBC
