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Limited Series – The Patient

Play trailer 2:55 Poster for Limited Series – The Patient Aug 2022 Mystery & Thriller Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
89% Tomatometer 63 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Therapist, Alan Strauss, is held prisoner by a patient, Sam Fortner, who reveals himself to be a serial killer. Sam has an unusual therapeutic demand for Alan: curb his homicidal urges. In order to survive, Alan must unwind Sam's disturbed mind and stop him from killing again but Sam refuses to address critical topics, like his mother Candace. Alone in captivity, Alan excavates his own past through memories of his old therapist, Charlie, and grapples with waves of his own repressed troubles -- the recent death of his wife, Beth, and the painful estrangement from his religious son, Ezra. Over the course of his imprisonment, Alan uncovers not only how deep Sam's compulsion runs, but also how much work he has to do to repair the rift in his own family.
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The Patient — Limited Series

The Patient — Limited Series

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Critics Consensus

While The Patient might test viewers' patience by overextending its killer conceit, the arguably career-best work by Domhnall Gleeson and Steve Carell make this therapy session worth eavesdropping on.

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Critics Reviews

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Nick Hilton Independent (UK) 12/02/2022
4/5
The show is intelligent and unusual, aided by a fine turn from Carell. Go to Full Review Lucy Mangan Guardian 11/30/2022
3/5
If you can be patient, The Patient will yield its rewards. Go to Full Review Dan Einav Financial Times 11/28/2022
4/5
... A two-hander that is both incisively written and exquisitely performed. Go to Full Review Samantha Schuster Cinéfilo Serial Jul 25
4/5
It offers a different, shocking, disturbing, and dark story that delves into human relationships and psychology. Excellent performances and a climate filled with tension and surprise are some of its best attributes. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Ally Ham The Review Geek 07/20/2024
8/10
It’s a difficult line the series walks, between humanizing and glorifying a serial killer... In all of this focus on Sam and his complexities, the show deftly avoids a message about pandering to one’s oppressor. Go to Full Review Pallavi Keswani The Hindu 01/24/2024
The Patient stands out amidst a sea of shows about serial killers, making for a deeply captivating watch that involves equal parts anticipation into its final outcome and a meditation on family dynamics. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Sylvestris D @Sylvestris Jan 14 Magnificent. As a therapist I just love this. See more mark s Dec 9 Started out great. Loved the premise. It got tiring by the third or fourth episode and started to feel a bit like a slow tinfoil chew. The final episode was disappointing all around, and it didn't help that they finished by teeing-up a season two with the DR's son as the next patient. Felt exploitative. See more pan m @Panmel Oct 14 Absolutely brilliant! Darkly humourous, an extraordinarily nuanced take on empathy, judgement, redemption, and how a battered-in lack of self-esteem from humiliation can become so terribly dangerous. Hence the importance of starting to understand that each child from birth is an original, independently-minded complete being, who does not need anything but the care and the freedom to accomplish its unique mission on this earth. See more Jonathan R. @picky Jul 20 Excellent acting by everyone. Every episode kept getting better. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea due to large dialogue scenes but to me that’s what made it worth it. Excellent all around. See more Colin 01/11/2025 Unfortunately this is not a patch on the original French series That’s 5 ***** from 2022 See more Arthur G 11/17/2024 The Patient is a thrilling series, which surprises the audience in every episode. The show is set mostly in a bedroom, and it increases the suspense and tension carried by two very good actors. A serial killer desires to fix himself at the same time he understands there is no turning back; and a therapist who is kidnapped and has to deal with problems of greater magnitude while walking on very thin ice. This is a very good plot. See more Read all reviews
The Patient — Limited Series

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Joe Weisberg

Creator

Joel Fields

Creator

Domhnall Gleeson

Sam Fortner

Steve Carell

Alan Strauss

Andrew Leeds

Ezra

David Alan Grier

Charlie

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Aug 30, 2022 Intake Dr. Alan Strauss, a therapist mourning the death of his wife, takes on an enigmatic new client; as the two men wrestle with very different, individual problems, their professional relationship is transformed by a choice that binds them together. Details Episode 2 Aired Aug 30, 2022 Alan Learns to Meditate Sam delves more deeply into the reason he entered therapy, but he encounters resistance from Dr. Strauss as he attempts to continue their sessions; a gathering sense of not being alone leads to a revelation about the house. Details Episode 3 Aired Sep 6, 2022 Issues Sam's desire to find a therapeutic solution grows as his inner struggle intensifies; Dr. Strauss brings a new variable into their sessions. Details Episode 4 Aired Sep 13, 2022 Company On the threshold of crisis, Sam honors the promise Dr. Strauss made him make as a condition for continuing their work together; the trust built between patient and doctor is tested, with a life in the balance. Details Episode 5 Aired Sep 20, 2022 Pastitsio Sam reaches out to a woman from his past; trials loom for Dr. Strauss, Sam, and Elias. Details Episode 6 Aired Sep 27, 2022 Charlie Dr. Strauss struggles with the reality he finds himself in; Sam is consumed with practical necessities, but agrees to his therapist's advice to make different choices. Details Episode 7 Aired Oct 4, 2022 Kaddish Both Dr. Strauss and Sam try to make new connections in their pursuit of an elusive peace. Details Episode 8 Aired Oct 11, 2022 Ezra Dr. Strauss is honest with himself about his failures, past and present; a revelation about his relationship with Ezra leads him back to the urgency of escape; Sam loses faith in his doctor. Details Episode 9 Aired Oct 18, 2022 Auschwitz Dr. Strauss leaves nothing unsaid; Sam gives it another shot with Mary; an idea sparks for Sam, and everything seems to click together. Details Episode 10 Aired Oct 25, 2022 The Cantor's Husband For Sam, an unexpected decision shows progress towards his goals, but Dr. Strauss demands even more. Details

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The Patient — Limited Series

The Patient: The Patient Limited Series Featurette - Inside Look How Steve Carell Went From Actor to Therapist The Patient: The Patient Limited Series Featurette - Inside Look How Steve Carell Went From Actor to Therapist 3:41 The Patient: Limited Series First Look The Patient: Limited Series First Look 2:55 The Patient: Limited Series Teaser - Therapist Or Prisoner? The Patient: Limited Series Teaser - Therapist Or Prisoner? 0:30 The Patient: Limited Series Trailer The Patient: Limited Series Trailer 1:35 View more videos
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The Patient — Limited Series

The Patient The Patient The Patient View more photos

Season Info

Director
Kevin Bray, Chris Long, Gwyneth Horder-Payton
Creator
Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields
Executive Producer
Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields, Caroline Moore, Chris Long, Steve Carell, Victor Hsu
Screenwriter
Joel Fields, Joe Weisberg
Network
Hulu
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date
Aug 30, 2022