The Patient is a psychological thriller created and written by Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg. It premiered in August 2022, on FX on Hulu and can be viewed on Disney+ outside of the US.
Starring Steve Carell and Domhnall Gleeson, The Patient is a limited series with an incredible story told over 10 episodes.
But what is it all about, and is it worth watching?
What Is The Patient About?
Alan Strauss is a recently widowed therapist mourning the loss of his wife. Barely getting through each day, his life is quiet and uneventful. That is, until one day, he wakes up chained to a bed in an unfamiliar basement.
Everything becomes very clear very quickly. Sam Fortner (Domhnall Gleeson), one of Alan's patients, has decided that regular therapy isn't really working for him.
He confesses that he is actually a serial killer and needs Alan Strauss to help curb his homicidal urges. Knowing that Strauss would report him in a normal setting, he kidnaps him and plans to keep him chained up until he is cured.
And so begins the therapy sessions designed to help Sam so that Alan can buy time and figure a way out of the situation. The problem is how deep sam's compulsion runs which becomes more and more obvious as The Patient goes on.
So can Dr Strauss unwind Sam's disturbed mind and find a way to set himself free?
The Patient Official Trailer
Is The Patient Worth Watching?
The Patient really is a superb piece of television. Even though all 10 episodes are available to binge watch, it's so intense that it's hard to watch more than two of three at a time.
Domhnall Gleeson and Steve Carell are incredible together, and their scenes are always knife-edge. Because the twist with The Patient is that Sam is not an all-out psychopath.
He does actually have the capacity to know what he is doing is wrong. And he genuinely wants to change. But Gleeson plays it so that there's always something potentially catastrophic bubbling under the surface. You genuinely never know what he is going to do, and it makes for great tv.
Likewise, for Carell, who plays Alan Strauss with such a steadfast hand, you never know whether he sincerely wants to help Alan or he's just saying whatever he has to, to stay alive.
What is particularly good is the use of Alan's time chained up. Disassociating himself, he can work on his own repressed troubles as he thinks about his own family and the mistakes he made with his son Ezra.
Every minute of the show is designed to tell us more about these two men and their lives which keeps you guessing as to how their story will end right up until the last minute.
As Strauss struggles with his own past could the unusual therapeutic demand placed on him be the thing that saves them both? Or is it simply about a serial killer who kidnapped a doctor and there's only one real way that the whole thing can end?
The Patient Season 2
On the back of how successful was for Hulu the big question is now will there be a season 2?
The answer is that it is very unlikely. The Patient was a limited series that had its entire storyline wrapped up in 10 episodes.
The story of Alan Strauss and Sam Fortner is done and we won't be getting any future seasons.
The Patient Cast Members
Steve Carell as Alan Strauss, a therapist in mourning following the death of his wife Beth.
Domhnall Gleeson (Calvary, The Kitchen) as Sam Fortner, a serial killer and new patient of Alan's
Linda Emond as Candace Fortner, Sam's mother
Andrew Leeds as Ezra Strauss, the religious son of Alan and Beth who became an Orthodox Jew
Laura Niemi as Beth Strauss, the recently deceased wife of Alan
Alan Blumenfeld as Chaim Benjamin
Alex Rich as Elias, a man held captive by Sam
David Alan Grier as Charlie Addison, Alan's former therapist
