On television, people talk a lot. Often too much. The contrast between the hyper-articulate, funny, witty or revealingly dumb things that script-written characters utter and the grim reality of actual “conversation” can be distressing.
I’m still convinced that the early success of so-called “reality TV” was its ability to capture or reflect the cadences of “real” speech in a way that made sitcoms and dramas seem formulaic and even phony.
Speaking, and listening, is a major part of the therapeutic process. For decades, the notion of characters “on the couch” was treated as a punch line. “The Sopranos” and the exchanges between Tony and Dr. Melfi changed all that.
After an 11-year hiatus, HBO has revived the great and much-missed series “In Treatment” (9 p.m. Sunday, TV-MA), where “sessions” last a half-hour. Dr. Brooke Taylor (Uzo Aduba, “Orange Is the New Black”), takes over from Gabriel Byrne’s Dr. Weston. The format remains the same. Airing back-to-back episodes on Sundays and Mondays, it will explore Taylor’s relationships with three patients as well as her sessions with her own therapist.
Few series allow viewers to sit down with two characters for a solid half-hour conversation where they reveal and hide so much about themselves. While they do indulge in some professional jargon, the “sessions” are both intense and refreshingly brief, wonderful character studies and, in their own way, breathtaking acting showcases.
This fourth season of “In Treatment” takes place against the backdrop of COVID. Some sessions are held remotely and some in person. Taylor is still a bit skittish about returning to her office, so she works from home, a gorgeous mid-century estate designed by her father, an architect. Her location and lavish home never fail to get a reaction out of her patients. They’re too polite to wonder aloud how a single Black woman can afford this space, but they’re thinking it. The fact that Taylor surrounds herself with not only her father’s possessions, but his creation, points to some issues as well.
Like all HBO series, this will stream on HBO Max, where you can also catch up with the first three seasons. Having never been “in treatment” (TMI?), I can’t point to how accurately this depicts the process. But some years back I recommended the show to an acquaintance, a therapist, and she said she couldn’t watch it. It was too much like “work.” I’ll take that as a favorable review.
— Based on a web series created by its stars, “Flatbush Misdemeanors” (10:25 p.m. Sunday, Showtime, TV-MA) follows two friends (Kevin Iso and Dan Perlman) navigating a changing neighborhood, gentrified enough to have fancy food delivery service, yet dangerous enough to have the delivery guy scammed, threatened and beaten. A tale of a frightened teacher and a depressed yet promising painter, “Flatbush” ambles along like a knucklehead buddy comedy that is occasionally mugged by grim reality. The contrast is jarring enough to let tragedy seep through.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— A man posing as a marine biologist becomes obsessed with a teen in the 2021 shocker “A Predator Returns” (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).
— Major League Baseball (7 p.m., Fox). Check local listings for regional coverage.
— The Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild clash in NHL hockey (8 p.m., NBC).
— “China: Nature’s Ancient Kingdom” (8 p.m., BBC America, TV-PG) explores the rare species found in China’s national park system.
— The Brooklyn Nets host the Boston Celtics in first-round NBA playoff action (8:15 p.m., ABC).
— A jilted woman returns to her family’s country inn in the 2017 romance “Moonlight in Vermont” (9 p.m., Hallmark, TV-PG).
— “Redd Foxx: Life, Death and Money” (9 p.m., Reelz, TV-14) profiles the “Sanford and Son” star and “blue” comedian who died on the set of his comeback sitcom in 1991. Ironically, pretending to be dying of a massive heart attack (“the big one”) and rejoining his late wife Elizabeth was a recurring gag on “Sanford and Son.”
SUNDAY’S SEASON FINALES
— A winner emerges on “American Idol” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
— A witness faces danger on “The Equalizer” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— Moe breaks a bartending taboo on “The Simpsons” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
— A militarized dolphin flips the script on Flipper on “NCIS: Los Angeles” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— As FDR’s health worsens, Olav and Martha hit a bad patch on “Atlantic Crossing” on “Masterpiece” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings).
— Daddy-daughter day goes awry on “Bob’s Burgers” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).
— Wedding plans on “NCIS: New Orleans” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): questions about artificial intelligence, surveillance and arrests; what the government knows about UFOs (and isn’t saying); a repeat profile of Rafael Nadal.
— The Cardinals host the Cubs in Major League Baseball (7 p.m., ESPN).
— The 2021 Billboard Music Awards (8 p.m., NBC) glances back at a year in pop music.
— Kiesha worries about her unborn child on the fourth season premiere of “The Chi” (9 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
— Set in the 1980s world of yuppie Wall Street, “Black Monday” (9:55 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA), starring Don Cheadle, could have neatly fit into one season. Tonight, it enters its third.
— The murder investigation takes a backseat to personal setbacks on “Mare of Easttown” (10 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
— The gang sets out to make Angel and Papi’s wedding one to remember on “Pose” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA).
— In sharp contrast to the gloomy and pretentious melodrama “Riverdale,” the scabrous and irreverent “Bleepin’ Robot Chicken Archie Comics Special” (midnight, Cartoon Network TV-14) gives the gang of 90-year-old teenagers the mistreatment they deserve.
CULT CHOICE
— A mild-mannered advertising executive (Tony Randall) becomes an international sensation when tabloids link him to a sex symbol (Jayne Mansfield) in the 1957 comedy “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?” (8 p.m. Saturday, TCM, TV-PG).
SATURDAY SERIES
Kensi confronts her freaky stalker on “NCIS: Los Angeles” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … Petty Officers keep dying on “NCIS: New Orleans” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) …
“48 Hours” (10 p.m., CBS) … A vintage helping of “Saturday Night Live” (11:30 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
SUNDAY SERIES
Rory takes charge on “D.C.’s Legends of Tomorrow” (8 p.m., CW, TV-PG) … On two helpings of “Duncanville” (8:30 p.m., Fox, TV-PG): free for the summer (8:30 p.m.); words with Dad (9:30 p.m.) … Magicians act up on two episodes of the TruTV import “Big Trick Energy” (9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. CW, TV-PG).
