The Shrink Next Door Review: The Consultation, The Ceremony, The Treatment (Season 1 Episodes 1-3)
The Shrink Next Door is a sobering tale ripped from the podcasts about a toxic therapist/patient relationship between Isaac “Ike” Herschkopf and Martin “Marty” Markowitz.
It’s another moody dramedy from AppleTV+ in the same vein as the recent Joseph Gordon Levitt project, Mr. Corman. And it also has a similar quality from that of Netflix’s Living With Yourself which, coincidentally, stars Paul Rudd.
The Shrink Next Door is starting off by setting a dreary tone. It’s difficult to watch someone get taken advantage of, and a lot of that happens in these first three episodes.
Will Farrell, best known for broader comedy roles with a few notable dramatic exceptions, is Dr. Herschkopf’s mark, Marty Markowitz. Paul Rudd, recently crowned 2021’s Sexiest Man Alive by People and America’s long-standing sweetheart (although you couldn’t tell by looking at him), is the manipulative therapist.
It’s not that Rudd and Farrell aren’t superb performers, but it is slightly jarring to see them both in roles that deviate so much.
Marty is too obsequious. He spends most of his time sniveling and kowtowing to Dr. Ike. I do not want to diminish the very real pain of panic attacks nor equate anxiety with being whiny or pathetic, but Marty is in that state so often that it becomes grating.
It feels a bit like Farrell is trying too hard to sell Marty as a passive figure. That comes across from the mere premise of the series alone—it’s kind of built right there into the plot—that it doesn’t need to be laid on quite as thick as it is.
This might be a quirk that sorts itself out in the remaining episodes; at least, that is my hope, because otherwise I am engrossed in Farrell’s performance and enjoying Rudd’s portrayal of the smooth-talking psychoanalyst.
Although surpassing both of these top-billed men is Kathryn Hahn as Marty’s sister, Phyllis. Fresh off her success as scene-stealer on WandaVision (which led to her own upcoming spinoff, Agatha, House of Harkness), Hahn continues her spree, stealing nearly every scene she’s in on The Shrink Next Door.
Phyllis: You’re a nice guy and a good therapist. And I don’t have your brains, or your education, or your qualifications, but I do have good instincts, and I don’t trust you Dr. Herschkopf.
Phyllis sees Isaac through to his scheming core very early on despite being the one who first encourages Marty to see him. It’s a well-done pivot for her character whereas Marty goes from not believing in therapy to putting his complete trust and faith in Dr. Ike too quickly.
The first three episodes of The Shrink Next Door yield a weird, cagey energy. One might not always be in the mood for that kind of fare. I have to say, it’s a downer of an introduction, and one that has dulled any anticipation for the next installment.
But there is Kathryn Hahn to look forward to.
What did you think of the first three episodes of The Shrink Next Door? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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New episodes of The Shrink Next Door stream Fridays on AppleTV+.
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Erin Allen
Erin is a former script supervisor for film and television. She's an avid fan of middle aged actresses, dark dramas, and irreverent comedies. She loves to read actual books and X-Files fan fiction. Her other passions include pointing out feminist issues, shipping Mulder and Scully, and collecting pop culture mugs.