Couples Therapy (2019 TV series)

Couples Therapy shows parts of the therapy sessions of three to four couples per season. The producers and therapist of the series wanted to show what a therapeutic process actually looks like. They didn't want to show drama to the audiences, but the deep work that real therapy entails. Dr. Orna Guralnik, the couples' therapist, meets her patients for the first time when they enter her practice. Her practice features many cameras hidden behind a one-way mirror that surrounds the room. The couples participate in a 20-week therapy program. The one-hour-sessions are recorded, cut for television and edited into nine episodes. The television series is filmed in New York. Guralnik has a counselor, Virginia Goldner, with whom she discusses the therapy process. In the Covid Special she has another counselor, Kirkland Vaughans. == Idea and realization ==

Director Josh Kriegman came up with the idea for the series. His parents are both psychotherapists. From an early age he had heard a lot about this work. He was fascinated by the therapy processes and what can be achieved by it. He hoped that he would be able to show the therapy process on television. He thought a long time about how this would work in an authentic way. Along with the directors Eli B. Despres and Elyse Steinberg, Kriegman planned a reality TV series for Showtime. At first they wanted to find the right therapist. So the production team interviewed a few therapists in New York. They contacted Guralnik through her Psychoanalytic Institute. At first Guralnik only wanted to be the counselor for the therapist, but after a few discussions with the directors, she decided to be the therapist and not the counselor. It was important to her that the TV series is very close to real therapy instead of relying on dramatization. The couples of the series were chosen from thousands in a selection process. When selecting the couples, it was important to the producers that they had emotional intelligence. They also wanted to find couples who didn't just want to be on TV, but had real problems. The viewers should also be able to identify themselves with the couples. Not all couples were shown in the series. For example, they filmed six couples for the first season and only four couples were shown on television. The set of the therapy room was designed very similar to Guralnik's own office. The books, the distance between the therapy chair and the couch for the couples were all taken from Guralnik's own office. Production crew are not directly present in the therapy room during filming. Cameras are concealed behind one-way mirrors set at 45º to reflect carefully-placed printed mirrored image, making it look to the viewer as if there are no cameras in the room. == Cast ==

; Therapist • Dr. Orna Guralnik is a psychologist, psychoanalyst, and the couples therapist of the television series. She describes herself as a systemically oriented couples therapist. As such, she does not view a couple as an individual but as a system. • Kirkland Vaughans is the counselor of Guralnik in the Covid Special. Guralnik contacted him after the murder of George Floyd. Guralnik's patients were dealing with their own experiences of racism after hearing of the murder. ; Peer Advisory Group • Nuar Alsadir, PhD, LP • Cynthia Chalker, MSS, LCSW • Ken Cormbett, PhD • Kali Cyrus, MD, MPH • Stephen Hartman, PhD • Tom Inck, PhD • Eyal Rozmarin, PhD ;The Couples • Season 1 • Annie & Mau • Lauren & Sarah • Evelyn & Alan • Elaine & DeSean • Covid Special • Lauren & Sarah – from Season 1 • Elaine & DeSean – from Season 1 • Lara & Trey • Michelle & James • Season 2 • Michael & Michal • Tashira & Dru • Matthew & Gianni • Season 3A • Ping & Wil • Molly & Josh • India & Dale • Cyn & Yaya • Season 3B • Brock & Kristi • Josh & Natasha • Nadine & Christine • Sean & Erica • Season 4A • Josh & Aryn & Lorena • Joey & Rex • Elíana & Mitch • Casimar & Alexes • Season 4B • Nick & Katherine • Kyle & Mondo • Alison & Rod • Jessica & Boris == Production and release==

The series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on April 18, 2021. In June 2021, it was announced that there would be a third season of Couples Therapy. It began airing on May 13, 2022. The show filmed new couples for the second half of season three which finished filming towards the end of 2022 and premiered on April 28, 2023. The entire back half of the season was put up for streaming and on-demand viewing through Showtime on this date; linear airings were two episodes per week. The fourth season premiered on May 31, 2024 in full on the Paramount+ streaming service's Paramount+ with Showtime tier as well as on Video On Demand on cable, satellite, and streaming services for subscribers to the Paramount+ with Showtime linear channel. Additionally, the show aired on the linear channel from June 2 to June 30 with 2 episodes per week. The second part of season 4 was released in full on Paramount+ on May 23, 2025 with air dates on the linear channel beginning on the same date. A fifth season was ordered in June 2025, with Paramount Television Studios taking over production for the fifth season when Showtime Studios' parent Paramount Global merged with Skydance Media to form Paramount Skydance. ==Series overview==

Season 1 (2019) The COVID Special (2020) Season 2 (2021) Season 3 (2022–23) Season 4 (2024–25) == Awards and nominations ==

TCA Awards • 2021: TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming == International versions ==

On July 26, 2022, the Australian streaming portal Paramount+ began airing a series of the same name. The psychotherapist is Marryam Chehelnabi. Her therapeutic work is based on the therapy methods of Julie Schwartz Gottman and John Gottman. Chehelnabi's supervisor is Lea Crisante. The second season of the series is scheduled to air in November 2022. A New Zealand edition of the show premiered in 2023. The US version has been shown on the BBC in the UK. ==See also==