The Shrink Next Door Review

Putting Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Kathryn Hahn, and Casey Wilson into a limited dark comedy series sounds like the perfect recipe for a hit. And I will admit to being incredibly excited to dig into The Shrink Next Door, the eight-episode AppleTV+ series that has all four sensational actors bouncing off each other. But boy, what sounded like a great idea on paper turned out to be a mess in execution largely thanks to the show’s poor narrative arc, confusing time jumps, and an inability to provide any real character development over the long, 27 year timeline of the piece.

The Shrink Next Door tells the true story of the deeply intertwined relationship between Martin “Marty” Markowitz (Ferrell, putting on a decent, thick New York accent and giving this more dramatic turn his all), the heir of a textile fortune, and Dr. Isaac “Ike” Herschkopf (Rudd, also putting on a thick accent, but missing the mark with a number of acting choices), a therapist who manipulates not only Marty but a host of vulnerable (and rich) clients over his career). Marty is a deeply shy and indecisive man, who was coddled by his parents and who cannot seem to make a decision to save his life. When Ike enters his world like a whirlwind, it’s all too easy for the fast-talking, charismatic shrink to manipulate his patient into letting him into all facets of his life – from work to his Hamptons mansion. Ike slowly freezes Marty out from the rest of his limited support system, creating a vice-like control over his every move under the guise of “helping” him to become more assertive. Once Marty’s younger, smarter, and genuinely assertive sister Phyllis (a vastly under-used Hahn, who is great in the rare moments she gets onscreen) is neutralized, Marty is a sitting duck to be pulled entirely under Ike’s control.

Now, this is certainly a compelling story – it was a successful podcast of the same name prior to being optioned by Ferrell’s production company to be adapted. But boy, something was lost in translation because The Shrink Next Door does not work as a limited series on nearly every level. For starters, the seven episode length feels entirely too long for the story that is being told. Once the ground work has been laid (as in we see that Ike is planning to manipulate Marty into giving up his autonomy – and many other material things), we spend the next several episodes watching the same cycle complete again and again. Ike is a narcissistic egotistical jerk who bullies when he can’t get a foothold, who is all too willing to threaten when he feels cornered, and who can charm the pants off literally anyone. And Marty is a patsy who keeps getting taken for a ride. Lather, rinse, repeat. As the audience, we want to see Marty win. We want to see Ike get taken to task. But seeing the same cycle of abuse play out over and over throughout the years of this relationship eventually becomes too much to take.

This might be easier to stomach if the series was able to dig deeper into these two characters and explore what makes them tick outside of this relationship, but the show is uninterested in exploring any facet of either character that doesn’t relate directly to the parasitic relationship at the heart of the series. Which is a shame, as Rudd can only rant, rave, and quietly charm so many times before it starts to become monotonous, and Ferrell can only stammer, smile, and acquiesce so much before you start to wonder if you really care enough about Marty to keep rooting for him. Considering how utterly destructive this relationship ultimately becomes for both men, spending time with each apart – or seeing what made Ike become this manipulative monster or what caused Marty to become so passive – would have gone a long way to deepening not only our understanding of each character but also our desire to see the story to its conclusion.*

*The series briefly, the series posits at what might have turned Ike into a therapist with a particular bent at isolating his patients, but never digs deep enough into why Ike became obsessed with gaining fame and fortune off the back of patients like Marty, a key element of the story between the two men. While I understand the desire to keep a “villain” mysterious, I cannot understand the desire not to allow Rudd and Ferrell the chance to really dig deep into these intriguing characters by fleshing them out beyond the push and pull relationship at the series’ center. Similarly, I wish the series spent more time grounding the Phyllis-Marty relationship, allowing us to better understand how close the siblings were and how Ike’s machinations managed to drive a wedge between the pair. And don’t even get me started on Casey Wilson’s work as Ike’s wife. While Wilson tries her best to create a character where only the thinnest outline exists, the scripts can’t decide if she’s meant to be working with Ike to concoct his schemes, if she’s fully aware of what’s happening and is willing to go along with it for the benefits it presents, or if she’s in the dark on the true nature of Marty and Ike’s relationship. Any of those choices would work, but choosing to avoid any choice at all is a damning mistake.

I imagine people will be drawn to the series due to the flashy names in the starring roles, but as we’ve seen from other AppleTV+ shows with big name stars (looking at you, The Morning Show), famous faces don’t necessarily make great television. And The Shrink Next Door is one such case. The shortened length might make it more manageable of a binge than a week to week watch (Apple will be dropping the first three episodes at once, then releasing subsequent episodes weekly), but it’s still a solid three episodes too long. But if you’re looking for a show to watch with your AppleTV+ subscription now that Ted Lasso is off the air until next year (and you’ve already binged your way through Mythic Quest and For All Mankind), you could do worse than The Shrink Next Door.

The Shrink Next Door premieres on Friday, November 12 with its first three episodes. All eight episodes of the series were provided for review.