The Shrink Next Door (Paul Rudd, Will Ferrell)

[Small Man Big Horse]

Based on a podcast that tells a reportedly true story, after a brief bit in 2010 (where Paul Rudd is supposed to look old, but of course doesn't despite a lot of talcum powder in his hair) it flashes back to 1982 where Will Ferrell's struggling with panic attacks and sister Katherine Hahn all but forces him to go and see psychiatrist Paul Rudd. He's extremely reluctant but eventually goes,

Ferrell is meek and mild, Rudd fast talking and buoyant, I've only watched the first episode so far and eh, it's okay I guess, there's odd amusing moment, but nothing in this suggests it's going to be essential tv, right now I'm thinking I'll wait for it to finish and get the general gist of the reviews and only if they're full of praise will I carry on with it.

[olliebean]

The podcast was interesting but I didn't find episode 1 of this this especially so; gave it a second chance but wasn't engaged enough to finish episode 2.

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

There's a really funny moment in episode 3, that involves a conversation in the middle of Jesus Christ Superstar. I don't know if this event actually happened and if it was mentioned in the podcast, but it wouldn't look out of place in The Thick of It or Veep, when people riff on a disastrous situation just as it happens. It isn't extremely surprising, as head writer Georgia Pritchett wrote for these shows in addition to Succession and less critically revered The Life of Riley and various S Club 7 projects.

There are also some similarities with what happened in real life to Brian Wilson, who was treated for his addictions by a shrink who progressively presented himself as his main collaborator and business partner. When they did the Love & Mercy biopic, they put the angle on his future second wife being the one who protected him from the overbearing influence of his shrink while Wilson was already trying in vain to get away from him, but the story for The Shrink Next Door has the main character spending three decades without ever questioning his therapist, so I don't know if they're trying to make the show less depressing at the beginning by injecting some light comedy in the early episodes or if it's the general mood of the entire show.