This year has had plenty of great FX shows with some big names like Jessica Alba in Candy, or Jesse Eisenberg and Claire Danes in Fleishman is in Trouble, as well as series with emerging talent like Reservation Dogs and The Bear. The channel has one more show up its sleeve for UK viewers this year: The Patient, a psychological thriller series that already released in the US a few months ago, and stars Steve Carrell and Domhnall Gleeson.

Carrell stars as Alan Strauss, a therapist who gets a new patient seeking help: Sam Fortner (Gleeson), a serial killer attempting to put a stop to his murderous urges. But when Alan first meets his patient, he’s unaware of who he really is, instead, he just feels frustrated by his patient’s lack of progress. Anyone who’s seen The Sopranos knows that dramas about criminals talking to therapists aren’t anything new, but The Patient takes things one step further: Alan is suddenly knocked out one night and wakes up in a basement, where Sam reveals himself and his dark secrets.

This is a show about the performances, and both leads are great: Gleeson is sinister and yet captivating, and Carrell continues his transformation into more dramatic roles seen in films like Foxcatcher and The Morning Show. There’s a lot of tension stretched across the 10 parts, with Alan looking for a way out and Sam being so detached that he’s unpredictable in what he might decide to do next. Alan may have been kidnapped, and in the knowledge that his life is on the line, but can’t help but try and plumb the depths of Sam’s psyche. And he’s not entirely happy in his own life, having recently gone through the death of his wife. Both are struggling with internal strife that threatens to come to a head- and that’s part of what will keep you watching.

The show debuted earlier this year on FX in the US, and received good reviews, with particular praise going to Carrell and Gleeson’s acting chops. Like most FX content, it was picked up by Disney+ for UK audiences, and premiered on 30th November- the show will continue to release episodes each Wednesday.





The Patient is now available to stream on Disney+









Culture

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