The series, which was produced by FX but will stream exclusively on Hulu, is a new riff on the “Misery” formula, starring Carell as a therapist who finds himself held hostage by an obsessive young man who forces the doctor to treat his dark thoughts. In addition to Carrell, the show stars Domhnall Gleeson, Linda Emond, David Alan Grier, Laura Niemi, Andrew Leeds, Alex Rich, and Amy Handelman. According to FX’s official synopsis, “The Patient” is “a psychological thriller from the minds of Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg (‘The Americans’) about a therapist, Alan Strauss (Steve Carell), who’s held prisoner by a patient, Sam Fortner (Domhnall Gleeson), who reveals himself to be a serial killer. Sam has an unusual therapeutic demand for Alan: curb his homicidal urges. In order to survive, Alan must unwind Sam’s disturbed mind and stop him from killing again… but Sam refuses to address critical topics, like his mother Candace (Linda Emond).
“Alone in captivity, Alan excavates his own past through memories of his old therapist, Charlie (David Alan Grier), and grapples with waves of his own repressed troubles – the recent death of his wife, Beth (Laura Niemi), and the painful estrangement from his religious son, Ezra (Andrew Leeds). Over the course of his imprisonment, Alan uncovers not only how deep Sam’s compulsion runs, but also how much work he has to do to repair the rift in his own family. With time running out, Alan fights desperately to stop Sam before Alan becomes complicit in Sam’s murders or worse – becomes a target himself.” The show is part of a growing trend of buzzy limited series starring A-list actors as therapists. Apple TV+’s “Shrinking” recently cast Harrison Ford in his first major television role, where he’ll star alongside Jason Segel as an aging therapist who goes rogue. “The Patient” begins streaming on Hulu on August 30. Watch the trailer below:
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