‘Up Syndrome’

Producer Michael Braverman said he expects to keep “in very close contact” with members of the National Down’s Syndrome Congress and other Down’s syndrome-related organizations in order “to stay on the right track” with his upcoming ABC series, “Life Goes On.” Scheduled opposite “60 Minutes” this fall, the series is the first to regularly feature an actor with Down’s syndrome--actor Chris Burke, 23--playing a character with the disorder, Braverman believes.

Braverman said he recently invited some 20 parents of children with Down’s syndrome to view the pilot episode for their input. It’s an hour drama about a blue-collar family with three kids, one an 18-year-old boy with Down’s syndrome. Patti LuPone plays the mother, Bill Smitrovich the father, a construction foreman.

Burke is one of several actors with Down’s syndrome who are members of the Screen Actors Guild.

“Chris doesn’t call it Down’s syndrome, by the way,” Braverman said. “He says, ‘I have Up syndrome,’ which is indicative of his personality. I have an enormous amount of confidence in Chris. He worked very hard. He had to learn the first stanza of ‘The Raven’ for the pilot. He worked for weeks to do it. And when he did it, the entire crew broke into applause.

“It was one of those moments when you realize this business can truly be rewarding after all.”