Sopranos' Jennifer Melfi to the cranial craft of Frasier's Niles Crane, we sort the small screen shrinks from the couch potatoes
As Sky Atlantic subscribers will perhaps have already spotted, the brilliant In Treatment was back in session over the weekend. Now in its third series, it follows the working week of Dr Paul Weston ? played superbly by Gabriel Byrne ? as he welcomes a regular roster of patients whilst also taking to the therapist's couch himself.
But In Treatment isn't alone. In fact the schedules are filled with shrinks ? perhaps no surprise when you consider the average TV character has to contend with everything from extra marital affairs and murders to alien invasion and inheriting super powers.
But who are tellyland's most memorable mental health practitioners? Join us on the couch as we pluck the six best shrinks from the small screen's troubled psyche. Have we missed your favourite therapist? Let us know in the comments section below.
Dr Jennifer Melfi ? The Sopranos (1999 ? 2007)
On a very basic level, psychiatrist to the Don Dr Jennifer Melfi began merely a plot device But she was also at the centre of everything that made HBO's mob masterpiece so memorable. Her struggle to come to terms with Tony Soprano was our struggle. Like us she was disgusted by what she knew of his day job, and yet still fascinated by it. She helped unravel Tony's mind for the viewerand humanised a monster, ushering in an age of complicated, morally ambiguous protagonists.
Dr Tobias Funke ? Arrested Development
He may have lost his licence after trying to give CPR to a man who wasn't having a heart attack. But noggin noodler Funke was the first person to qualify as both an analyst and therapist with hilarious job title consequences.
Dr Niles Crane ? Frasier (1993?2004)
The soothing voice of Seattle's airwaves may, to paraphrase Niles, have already been eminent when Frasier's younger brother was merely imminent. But the radio star exists on the fast-food end of the therapy scale, providing drive-thru fixes for listeners' airtime ailments, while Niles runs a highly successful practice and serves on the board of the American Psychiatric Association. Like his brother and so many other small screen therapists, Niles has more hang-ups than a bad telemarketer, which only goes to stoke the comedic fires of one of Frasier's funniest characters.
Dr Sidney Freedman ? M*A*S*H (1972?1983)
The field surgeons of the 4,077th sutured the wounds of the soldiers ripped apart by shrapnel, shells and bullets while military psychologist Freedman tended to the mental scars suffered by those serving on the frontline. Freedman was something of a bit part character, but he was a crucial component in some of starkest scenes where he helped peel back the layers of our favourite characters and shine a spotlight on the psychological horrors of war.
Dr Paul Weston ? In Treatment (2008?2010)
Based on the equally compelling Israeli series BeTipul, In Treatment is one of the smartest US shows of recent years. A great deal of weight is put on the shoulders of Gabriel Byrne who revels in his demanding role. He's the most human of characters, flawed, fascinating and forever trying to do right by those who visit his couch.
Warren's therapist ? This Life (1996?1997)
This Life's often heard but never seen shrink was one of the first times a therapist had been used as a plot device on UK screens, and another way in which Amy Jenkins's twentysomething drama broke new ground for British broadcasting.
Honourable mentions
Deanna Troi ? Star Trek The Next Generation
Perhaps the biggest drip amid a particularly leaky cabal of characters; psionic ship's counsellor Troi could often be found wandering around the bridge of the Enterprise wearing nothing but a confused expression and a skin-tight cat suit.
Dr Marvin Monroe ? The Simpsons
Rumours of his demise may have been greatly exaggerated, but the man who tried, and failed to fix TV's most dysfunctional of families doesn't quite make the cut on our countdown of couch surfers.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2011/nov/22/six-to-watch-tv-therapists
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