The Shrink Next Door Apple TV - What We Know So Far
Yet another popular podcast is getting a limited series television adaptation. In 2019, a podcast titled "The Shrink Next Door," hosted by Joe Nocera, released its ten episode saga about the real life story of a celebrity therapist who became increasingly — and creepily — involved in one of his patients' lives.
About a year after the release of the podcast, Deadline reported that Apple TV+ successfully landed the rights to the podcast and planned to adapt the story into an eight-episode limited series, with Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd set to star. The series is directed by Michael Showalter, who previously directed films such as 2015's "Hello, My Name is Doris" and 2017's "The Big Sick," and written by Georgia Pritchett, who has penned episodes for shows such as "Veep" and "Succession." With the show's teaser trailer just recently released, the upcoming dark comedy is gaining more and more attention by potential future viewers. For those curious, here's everything we know so far about "The Shrink Next Door," from the release date to the cast to the plot.
When will The Shrink Next Door be released?
With the release of the teaser trailer, Apple also announced the show's release date. "The Shrink Next Door" will begin streaming on Friday November 12, 2021 (via Paste Magazine). Seeing as it's only been a couple years since the podcast came out, the story has had a quick journey from audio to visual format. As fascinating as the podcast is, it's no wonder that Hollywood jumped on the chance to bring this story to life. Recently, the show's stars, Ferrell and Rudd spoke to Entertainment Weekly about what compelled them to their respective roles.
Ferrell told the outlet, "The thing that intrigued me the most was the fact that you hear the premise of what the podcast is about and what has happened in broad strokes to a guy like Marty, and your initial reaction is, 'Oh, that would never happen to me.' ... And then you start digging in and you see the death by a thousand cuts of, 'Oh, no, I now see how that could happen to me.'" Discussing how he was drawn to the role, Rudd added, "The idea that these characters were real people – it was a real story – but they were also interesting people and an interesting story and [it was] a different kind of character for me to play."
Who will be in The Shrink Next Door?
The two leads, Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd, have been attached to the project since it was first announced for Apple. Rudd will play the titular shrink, Isaac "Ike" Herschkopf, and Ferrell will portray his therapy client, Martin "Marty" Markowitz.
Ferrell and Rudd told Entertainment Weekly that, when they became involved in the project (they both also executive produce) that it was a natural decision as to who would play which part. Ferrell said, "I don't think we ever had really much of a discussion other than that seemed like, for whatever reasons, the natural choices. I just totally pictured Paul as Ike — and vice versa."
In addition to Ferrell and Rudd, it was announced in November of 2020 that Kathryn Hahn (most recently seen in "WandaVision" and "Mrs. Fletcher") had signed on to co-star (via Deadline). Hahn plays Phyllis, Marty's younger sister, who becomes suspicious of Ike's role in her brother's life. Rounding out the cast is Casey Wilson ("Happy Endings," "Mrs. Fletcher") and Sarayu Blue ("To All the Boys: Always and Forever," "I Feel Bad"). Wilson will play Bonnie Herschkopt, Ike's wife, and Blue will portray another of Ike's patients named Miriam.
What will The Shrink Next Door be about?
"The Shrink Next Door" explores the true story of how a seemingly innocent therapist-patient relationship evolves into a toxic and, at times, dangerous codependency. Set in the early '80s, the series centers on Marty Markowitz, the boss of a textile company, who, seeking out therapy, settles on Ike Herschkopf. Ike is known as the go-to therapist for many celebrities and other elites — but after Marty begins seeing Ike, their relationship changes as Ike inserts himself into every aspect of Marty's life. Eventually, Ike goes so far as to take over Marty's home and work life and come between Marty and his family.
We can likely expect the series to depict this real life story quite accurately. Not only is it based on a heavily researched podcast by journalist Joe Nocera, but Ferrell and Rudd reached out to the real Marty — as well as Norcera — to hear the story from the source and talk to Marty in-depth about his experiences.
Ferrell told Entertainment Weekly, "When we sat down with him, he was just literally an open book and allowed us to have access to him whenever we needed to call him up again or send him an email. But there was never any, 'Make sure you portray me in a certain way,' or 'Do this, or do that.' He was just very open to answering any and every question that we had for him." We can't wait to see how "The Shrink Next Door" plays out when it premieres in November. Catch it on AppleTV+ on November 12.