The first Apple TV + comedy for this year 2023 has a name that shines above all others: Harrison Ford He co-stars in ‘Therapy without a filter’ (Shrinking) which is his second television series after Taylor Sheridan’s ‘1923’. Along with him a promising team: Jason Segel, Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldsteinthe latter writers (and executive producers) of ‘Ted Lasso’.
With those credentials, I was quite curious to see how they handled their premise: a bereaved psychologist after the death of his wife (Segel) begins to stop biting his tongue and tell your patients what you really think. Given the background, it was more likely to have a “feel good”, tender and optimistic series than a “road to destruction” comedy.
Obviously, we find the first case. However, the feeling it gives, especially in the first episodes (there are ten in total, I’ve seen seven) is that they play that with a central character who does not row in favor. Or, at least, he’s portrayed not so much as just having a bad day as just plain neglectful.
dissonant therapy
This makes, while ‘Unfiltered Therapy’ yes, it is presented as a relatively cozy series and with a pleasant and optimistic tone, it usually has a dissonance important enough to weigh down the fiction. Above all, we have a certain lack of charisma in general, both of the characters and of the series in general.
Here the blame goes more to the script than to the cast. Bill Lawrence and company insist over and over again on themes of pain and mourning… but they barely manage to delve into it. While she takes it slow when it comes to portraying Jimmy’s day-to-day life, his daughter and her colleagues (including her boss played by Ford) beyond “talking heads” don’t seem to be much around. reflection.
Fortunately, the dialogue plains are saved on more than one occasion, for a much more interesting dramatis personae than the script suggests. Of course this is where, if we manage to connect with them, ‘Therapy without a filter’ wins whole.
Beyond a Harrison Ford that works much better in its dramatic aspect that when it comes to exploiting his comic vis, I think that the relationships between characters are frankly well outlined. In fact, the duo Jimmy and Gaby (Jessica Williams) exudes very good chemistry and there is something about the father and daughter relationship (Lukita Maxwell) that is quite intriguing.
As talented as the cast is, a certain touch of magnetism is missing so that ‘Terapia sin filtro’ manages to captivate the audience to the level that ‘Ted Lasso’ has done. Even so, and despite certain dissonances, ‘Terapia’ without a filter has a charming and optimistic touch that can solve a downturned afternoon.