This weekend I have… half an hour, and I crave realism.
‘Coupling therapy’
When to watch: Friday at 8 p.m., on Showtime.
Oh, hallelujah, “Couples Therapy” is back for its third season, with nine episodes following four couples in crisis, each enlisting the help of Dr. Orna Guralnik, queen of the sonorous “mmhm.” This season features even more Guralnik counseling processes, including group discussions with other therapists who offer different perspectives and suggestions. A lot of unscripted shows, even high-end, cast for the same types over and over, so I was surprised at how different this season’s patients are, with their own twists on confidence, authentic self-expression, and gendered conflict. Two episodes air each week on Showtime, but all nine episodes will be available on demand and on the Showtime website starting Friday.
… an hour, and we need new solutions.
‘prison release’
When to watch: Now on Discovery+.
This four-part documentary series follows the staff and inmates of a Chesterfield, Virginia prison, who are part of HARP, a heroin supplement recovery program. The show is poignant and the frankness of the subjects at times breathtaking. “Jailhouse Redemption” presents a powerful critique of carceral responses to medical and psychological problems; perhaps it is not just those dealing with addiction who need “redemption”, but a society that is at best careless in affirming human dignity.
… an hour, and fog is my love language.
‘The Essex Serpent’
When to watch: Arrives Friday, on Apple TV+.
Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston star in this gorgeous, moody six-part adaptation of Sarah Perry’s 2017 novel. The year is 1893 and some Londoners are feeling suffocated by industrialisation, while some Essex residents think there is a sea monster in their midst. You can’t win! Like most shows of the moment, ‘Essex’ is on the slower side, but the performances have a vibrancy often absent from pieces of the era – silly grimaces, looks more open than covert, a sense of humor. If your soul craves the knitwear of “All Creatures Great and Small”, if you like the old-fashioned medical yuck factor of “The Knick”, or especially if you want something freaky-deaky, check this out.