The Shrink Next Door is likely a true-crime tale that you’ve never heard of before, but the scripted, star-studded Apple TV+ series that.

Shadow and Act recently spoke with series stars Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Kathryn Hahn and Casey Wilson about the series, the wild real-life story it is based on and donning fashions from multiple decades.

Inspired by true events and an original podcast of the same name, the series “follows the decades-long manipulation and exploitation by psychiatrist Dr. Isaac “Ike” Herschkopf (Rudd) and his longtime patient Martin “Marty” Markowitz (Ferrell). Though Marty may be defenseless against Dr. Ike’s enticing offerings, his hard-headed sister Phyllis (Hahn) is not, and his unsuspecting wife Bonnie (Wilson) is also drawn into her husband’s unusual relationship with Marty.”

“The story was and is so fascinating and it just feels unbelievable,” said Ferrell. “And as you start to dig in a little deeper, I really responded to how unique it was. But also to the fact, I see how Marty or anyone at the right time and right place in their life could be vulnerable to a situation like this. Because if you begin to trust someone and they’re giving you sound advice, you continue to go down that road. And it filled a void in his life at that point.”

In preparation for the series, both Rudd and Ferrell visited the real-life Marty.

“In terms of getting to visit with Marty, we were so lucky that he was open to that and he entertained us for an entire day at the Hamptons house, which is a big featured part of the series and the story,” he added.

“We really did want to focus on the genuine affection that these guys have for one another and how they both really do help each other out,” said Rudd of the toxic, unbelievable but real relationship that the show depicts. “I think they’re both getting something from this relationship, even though it is a therapist and a patient relationship, they are, I think, friends. And it obviously takes a really big turn. But we wanted to think, ‘How could this show how this could happen and how do you, if at all possible, empathize with both characters in a way, even though what one character does might be considered much more manipulative and destructive?’ And that was the challenge.”

Watch the full interviews below:

The first episodes of The Shrink Next Door are on Apple TV+ now.

Casey Wilson

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