Aspergers/Autism on TV

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Is it me or do series, and films display more and more aspergers/autist characters?
(Alphas, Touch, The bridge, Big Bang theory, Bones...)
I wonder why?

Jealousy. Other people wish they could utilize the graphing calculator features of their brains more effectively and thus, they've been presented TV programs based on this social disconnect. The idea of a disorder is a two way street.

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actually, one of the writers of the big bang theory has told the press that sheldon was not written to be an aspie per se, even though he does display many telltale signs.

indeed though, more and more series and movies depict main characters with asperger-type characteristics, but i think that this is becouse the "aspie-ism" is just very well suited for the setting: a silent, calculating detective is a lot 'better' then a partying charismatic one, the side effect is that you get flak/praise from the aspergers community, regardless of the deliberateness of the "aspie" character

Today, I started watching television-series episodes of Touch (2012-2013). While still quite Hollywood-ized, it is an amazing conflation of autism, synesthesia, obsession compulsions about numbers and numerical ratios (like Phi, 1:1.618) within the larger context of action plots.

Created by Tim Kring, the creator of the television series Heroes, Touch features Kiefer Sutherland as the father of his autistic son, Jake, who predicts future events using mathematical ratios.

The series is a fantastic merger of Sutherland's 24 character, Jack Bauer, with a tinge of Heroes fantasy.

Most episodes can be found at YouTube.com.

The Walking Dead has Eugene who seems autistic and the author of The Martian has confirmed that he intended Rich Purnell to be on the spectrum.

Edit: Please forgive the typos and poor wording.
The only characters I'm familiar with are from The Big Bang Theory and Bones, so I can only offer an opinion on those characters.

Dr. Temperance Brennan can be summed up in three words: Brilliant, but flawed. In my opinion, she's a success because of her flaws. She has all the traits that people consider desirable; beauty, intelligence, and wit. Most importantly, she has flaws (her social skills). The flaws are what make her character realistic and believable to the viewer. However, her downfalls are well-crafted for humorous effect while giving her an 'innocent' appearance, so they give her a sense of realism without detracting from the other traits. Nearly all her mistakes almost child-like, giving her a sense of innocence.

To the audience she may appear to have super-human abilities; especially when she is portrayed as being a fiercely strong and independent woman. She's not a damsel in distress and can take care of herself. In collaboration with her almost child-like level of emotional intelligence and innocence, the aforementioned traits are more acceptable.

It doesn't feel like she's imposing unrealistic qualities and, in a way, sort of comforts viewers about their own insecurities Everyone can see her faults and similarly you can easily see her positive traits; you don't need to be an expert or avid fan of the show to fall in love with her character. You can start watching pretty much anywhere in the series.

Anyway, those are just some wondering thoughts I had... I'd probably say something different if asked the question again.