The Patient

The Patient is an American psychological thriller television limited series created and written by Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg, who also serve as showrunners and are executive producers along with Chris Long, Caroline Moore, Victor Hsu, and Steve Carell. It premiered on August 30, 2022, on FX on Hulu and concluded on October 25 of that same year, consisting of ten episodes. The series stars Carell, Domhnall Gleeson, and Linda Emond.

Synopsis
A therapist (Steve Carell) is held captive by a serial killer (Domhnall Gleeson) who seeks help to curb his homicidal urges.

Main

 * Steve Carell as Alan Strauss, a therapist mourning the recent death of his wife
 * Jackson Dollinger as young Alan Strauss
 * Domhnall Gleeson as Sam Fortner, a serial killer, new patient of Alan's, and fan of Kenny Chesney. He also works as a restaurant inspector.
 * Linda Emond as Candace Fortner, Sam's mother who is aware of the situation

Recurring

 * Andrew Leeds as Ezra Strauss, the son of Alan and Beth, estranged after he became an Orthodox Jew
 * Laura Niemi as Beth Strauss, the recently deceased wife of Alan who died of cancer and was a beloved cantor at her community's Reform synagogue
 * Alan Blumenfeld as Chaim Benjamin
 * Alex Rich as Elias, a man held captive by Sam and the trigger for why Sam sought out Dr. Strauss
 * David Alan Grier as Charlie Addison, Alan's former therapist

Development
In October 2021, the series was announced and given a ten-episode order. Steve Carell was set to star and executive produce the limited series. Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg created the show and serve as showrunners, as well as co-write each episode. Caroline Moore, Victor Hsu, and Chris Long are the other executive producers, with Long also directing for the series.

Casting
Alongside the series announcement, Steve Carell was cast. Domhnall Gleeson, Linda Emond, Laura Niemi, and Andrew Leeds were cast in January 2022. In February 2022, Alex Rich and David Alan Grier were cast in recurring roles.

Filming
Filming began in mid-January 2022 in Los Angeles.

Audience viewership
According to Whip Media, The Patient was the ninth most streamed original series in the United States across all platforms, during the week of September 4, 2022, the sixth during the week of October 9, 2022, the fifth during the week of October 23, 2022, and the third during the week of October 30, 2022. According to the streaming aggregator Reelgood, The Patient was the fourth most watched program across all platforms during the week of September 9, 2022.

Critical response
On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 89% with an average rating of 7.1/10, based on 61 reviews. The website's critics consensus is, "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." On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the series has received a score of 74 out of 100 based on 30 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".