The simple premise of this series, about real couples going to therapy, shouldn’t feel as revolutionary as it does. And yet, Couples Therapy feels like radical reality-TV, a focused and coherent undertaking.
Couples of different histories, ages, races, and sexual orientations walk into Dr. Orna Guralnik’s New York office. Their problems are as diverse and unique as they are, but there is also a painful universality to them. Couples Therapy becomes a portrayal of human partnership period, a TV show in which to see oneself at times and to learn from the different webs couples get tangled in over time.
Never before has reality TV been the best vehicle to portray something so serious.
Far from reality-show caricatures, this is true documentary filmmaking that brings viewers into the authentic and visceral experience of weekly therapy with four couples. World-class therapist Dr. Orna Guralnik deftly guides the couples through the minefield of honest confrontation with each other and with themselves, revealing the real-life struggles — and extraordinary breakthroughs — typically hidden behind closed doors.
This is an amazing show. I watched it in a run (all other shows were off season) and I had low hopes but the production is so meticulous that neither the viewing experience or the participants/focal points of this docuseries suffer. I would love more behind the scenes as you both feel like you are in the room but that they multi-camera setup really isn’t there. I really thought that this show must have been scripted, but the writing was too normalistic and true to life. If you enjoy being a fly on the wall to deep conversations, this will be a lovely watch.