The Patient

The Patient is an American psychological thriller limited series created and written by Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg, who also serve as showrunners and are executive producers along with Chris Long, Caroline Moore, Victor Hsu, and Steve Carell. It premiered on August 30, 2022, on FX on Hulu and concluded on October 25 of that same year, consisting of ten episodes. The series stars Carell, Domhnall Gleeson, and Linda Emond.

The Patient
Genre
Created byJoel Fields &
Joe Weisberg
Written byJoel Fields &
Joe Weisberg
Starring
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
  • Joel Fields
  • Joe Weisberg
  • Chris Long
  • Caroline Moore
  • Victor Hsu
  • Steve Carell
ProducerMichael Maccarone
Cinematography
  • Dan Stoloff
  • Moira Del Pilar Morel
Editors
  • Amanda Pollack
  • Daniel Valverde
  • Kate Sanford
Running time21–46 minutes
Production companies
  • The JS
  • Scallie Filmworks, Inc
  • FXP
Release
Original networkFX on Hulu
Original releaseAugust 30 (2022-08-30) –
October 25, 2022 (2022-10-25)

Synopsis

A therapist (Steve Carell) is held captive by a serial killer (Domhnall Gleeson) who seeks help to curb his homicidal urges.

Cast and characters

Main
  • Steve Carell as Alan Strauss, a therapist mourning the recent death of his wife[1]
    • Jackson Dollinger as young Alan Strauss
  • Domhnall Gleeson as Sam Fortner, a serial killer, new patient of Alan's, and fan of Kenny Chesney. He also works as a restaurant inspector.[1]
  • Linda Emond as Candace Fortner, Sam's mother who is aware of the situation[1]

Recurring
  • Andrew Leeds as Ezra Strauss, the son of Alan and Beth, estranged after he became an Orthodox Jew[1]
  • Laura Niemi as Beth Strauss, the recently deceased wife of Alan who died of cancer and was a beloved cantor at her community's Reform synagogue[1]
  • Alan Blumenfeld as Chaim Benjamin
  • Alex Rich as Elias, a man held captive by Sam and the trigger for why Sam sought out Dr. Strauss
  • David Alan Grier as Charlie Addison, Alan's former therapist[1]

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Intake"Chris LongJoel Fields & Joe WeisbergAugust 30, 2022 (2022-08-30)
2"Alan Learns to Meditate"Chris LongJoel Fields & Joe WeisbergAugust 30, 2022 (2022-08-30)
3"Issues"Kevin BrayJoel Fields & Joe WeisbergSeptember 6, 2022 (2022-09-06)
4"Company"Kevin BrayJoel Fields & Joe WeisbergSeptember 13, 2022 (2022-09-13)
5"Pastitsio"Kevin BrayJoel Fields & Joe WeisbergSeptember 20, 2022 (2022-09-20)
6"Charlie"Gwyneth Horder-PaytonJoel Fields & Joe WeisbergSeptember 27, 2022 (2022-09-27)
In the aftermath of Elias' death, Alan finds ways to cope. As Sam digs Elias' grave, Alan imagines himself in a session with his former therapist, Charlie, who advises Alan to address with Sam how his mother was partially responsible for the abuse he suffered as a child. Alan convinces Sam not to bury Elias' body, but to leave it somewhere it will be found, as that is the nicer thing to do for Elias' relatives. As Sam gets ready to take the body, Alan writes Sam's name on a piece of paper and stuffs it into Elias' mouth for the police to find.
7"Kaddish"Gwyneth Horder-PaytonJoel Fields & Joe WeisbergOctober 4, 2022 (2022-10-04)
Alan continues to disassociate, experiencing visions of a concentration camp and a series of flashbacks to events in his own life. Sam returns to find Alan attempting to recite the Kaddish for his wife but struggling to remember the words. Later, Sam tracks down his elementary school's therapist, Mr. Buchella, and asks if he will be his therapist. Mr. Buchella tells Sam he will consider it, but needs a few days to do so.
8"Ezra"Chris LongJoel Fields & Joe WeisbergOctober 11, 2022 (2022-10-11)
Alan imagines having dialogue with his therapist Charlie. He goes through his various family problems that stem from his son being an orthodox Jew with imaginary Charlie. His son Ezra actively looks for him and is worried, he even changes his rigidity about following Jewish prescriptive traditions in small measures. Sam gets agitated after confronting his boss at work, and later that evening stalks and murders his boss in a back alley. Sam informs Alan that he is changing his therapist.
9"Auschwitz"Chris LongJoel Fields & Joe WeisbergOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)
Alan continues to hallucinate having meaningful talks with Charlie while sharpening an ointment tube to a blade. In a session, he says to Sam that he has to find meaning to his life and has to build relationships, and as a first step he has to rebuild his relationship with Mary, his ex-wife. When Sam complains that it doesn't work, Alan confronts him by saying that the real object of killing is not his victims or their actions but his father. Sam takes the message wrongly and decides to kill his father.
10"The Cantor's Husband"Chris LongJoel Fields & Joe WeisbergOctober 25, 2022 (2022-10-25)
Sam confronts his father about his childhood abuse, and almost kills him before stopping himself and leaving. Alan says it was because Sam doesn't want to become like his father and because Sam is changing as a person who can tolerate other people's shortcomings. He further says it's time to let him go. Sam doesn't feel like honoring his agreement with Alan and prepares for making Alan stay there longer and hints it would be years. Alan isn't ready for it. In the next day's session, he says to Sam that the only proper option for Sam is now institutionalization and that he has to turn in himself. Sam doesn't agree. Alan tries to hurt Sam's mother but ends up being killed by Sam. Alan's family receives a letter written by him from Sam. Sam decides to lock up himself where Alan was locked in and gives the key to his mother.

Production

Development

In October 2021, the series was announced and given a ten-episode order. Steve Carell was set to star and executive produce the limited series. Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg created the show and serve as showrunners, as well as co-write each episode. Caroline Moore, Victor Hsu, and Chris Long are the other executive producers,[2][3][4] with Long also directing for the series.[5]

Casting

Alongside the series announcement, Steve Carell was cast.[2] Domhnall Gleeson, Linda Emond, Laura Niemi, and Andrew Leeds were cast in January 2022.[5][6] In February 2022, Alex Rich and David Alan Grier were cast in recurring roles.[7][8]

Filming

Filming began in mid-January 2022 in Los Angeles.[9][5]

Reception

Audience viewership

According to Whip Media, The Patient was the ninth most streamed original series in the United States across all platforms, during the week of September 4, 2022,[10] the sixth during the week of October 9, 2022,[11] the fifth during the week of October 23, 2022,[12] and the third during the week of October 30, 2022.[13] According to the streaming aggregator Reelgood, The Patient was the fourth most watched program across all platforms during the week of September 9, 2022.[14]

Critical response

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 88% with an average rating of 7.1/10, based on 57 reviews. The website's critics consensus is, "While The Patient might test viewers' patience by overextending its killer conceit, the arguably career-best work by Domhnall Gleeson and Steve Carell make this therapy session worth eavesdropping on."[15] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the series has received a score of 74 out of 100 based on 30 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16]

Accolades
Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref.
2022 Peabody Award Entertainment The Patient Nominated [17]
2023 28th Critics' Choice Awards Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television Domhnall Gleeson Nominated [18]
80th Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actor – Television Limited Series/Motion Picture Nominated [19]
29th Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series Steve Carell Nominated [20]

References
  1. "Cast – The Patient on FX". FX Networks. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  2. Petski, Denise (October 7, 2021). "Steve Carell To Star In & EP FX Limited Series 'The Patient' From 'The Americans' Duo". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  3. Goldberg, Lesley (October 7, 2021). "Steve Carell to Star in FX Comedy From 'The Americans' Duo". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  4. "The Patient (2021-2022)". Writers Guild of America West. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  5. Andreeva, Nellie (January 11, 2022). "'The Patient': Domhnall Gleeson To Star, Three Others Join Steve Carell In FX Series From 'The Americans' Duo". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  6. Porter, Rick (January 11, 2022). "Domhnall Gleeson to Star With Steve Carell in FX's 'The Patient'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 24, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  7. Otterson, Joe (February 7, 2022). "FX Limited Series 'The Patient' Casts 'GLOW' Alum Alex Rich (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  8. Petski, Denise (February 10, 2022). "'The Patient': David Alan Grier Joins Steve Carell & Domhnall Gleeson As Recurring In FX Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 24, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  9. "The Patient - Production List". Film & Television Industry Alliance. December 6, 2021. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  10. Prange, Stephanie (September 6, 2022). "'Elvis,' 'She-Hulk: Attorney at Law' Top Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Charts". Media Play News. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  11. Prange, Stephanie (October 11, 2022). "'Werewolf by Night,' 'She-Hulk: Attorney at Law' Top Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Charts". Media Play News. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  12. Prange, Stephanie (October 25, 2022). "'The School for Good and Evil,' 'Andor' Top Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Charts". Media Play News. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  13. Prange, Stephanie (November 1, 2022). "'Barbarian,' 'Andor' Top Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Charts". Media Play News. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  14. "The most watched TV and movies of the week: 'The Rings of Power' rules them all". Mashable. September 9, 2022. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  15. "The Patient: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  16. "The Patient: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  17. "The Patient". The Peabody Awards. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  18. Nordyke, Kimberly (January 15, 2023). "Critics Choice Awards: Full List of Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  19. "Winners & Nominees 2023". Golden Globes. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  20. "Nominations Announced for the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®". Screen Actors Guild. January 11, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
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