The Patient Showrunners Don't Envision A Season 2
It's a little hard to believe, but Season 1 of FX's searing Hulu original series "The Patient" is already at an end. The harrowing, endlessly grim serial killer drama, of course, hit the streaming platform with considerable fanfare back in August. That's largely because it fronts the formidable talents of Steve Carell and Domhnall Gleeson, who play grieving psychologist Alan Strauss, and Sam Fortner — a tormented killer seeking help to stem his murderous urges — respectively. As fans of "The Patient" know, the latter seeks that help by holding the former captive in his basement and forcing treatment. What ensues is a dangerous game of cat and killer that could make even genre enthusiasts squirm.
Created by Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg ("The Americans"), "The Patient" did just that throughout, earning solid notes from critics and viewers alike over the course of its 10-episode run (per Rotten Tomatoes). Fans of the series were no doubt holding their collective breath in both fear and anticipation ahead of the show's just-released first-season finale. That finale is currently streaming on Hulu. It's as brutal a half-hour of television as anyone might've anticipated. Though certain narratives are not entirely finished by the episode's end, according to co-showrunners Fields and Weisberg, fans of "The Patient" probably shouldn't hold their breath for a second season.
The Patient was always meant to be a one-season story according to the showrunners
Without spoiling the insanity, we'll say the Season 1 finale of "The Patient" is indeed quite emphatic. But it's also slightly open-ended, leaving some to ponder whether Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg were eyeing another season of psycho-therapeutic carnage. That does not appear to be the case, as the duo told Deadline a second season of "The Patient" is not on their agenda.
Weisberg was the first to tease as much, doing so when asked about certain finalities that arise in the season closer. In answering, Weisberg admitted he and Fields (who also co-wrote every episode) had more-or-less always envisioned that aspect of "The Patient," though the path there often changed. "Then there were many iterations of the ending that we talked about, that we wrote, that we experimented with, that we acted out for each other," Weisberg said, adding, "This was the one that just felt the most true, the most authentic and meaningful to us."
Though the finale may prove divisive among some, it's hard to argue things playing out any other way realistically. Despite the major loose thread Weisberg and Fields leave dangling, Fields soon confirmed they were never actually looking to continue the story past Season 1. "I don't think we had any desire for it to go on," Fields offered. He continued, "It was a really great experience, but it was always intended as a one-season story. We were ready to say goodbye." And so it is that fans of "The Patient" will have to goodbye as well.