A marriage between psychotherapy and reality television should be doomed to fail. But Showtime’s docuseries Couples Therapy seamlessly unites the discordant duo, bringing about a remarkably authentic portrayal of both the therapeutic and marital relationship. Following four real couples in treatment with Dr. Orna Guralnik, a charming, accented, and accredited therapist, the analytic premise gins up the voyeuristic pleasures promised by most reality dramas. But these couples, unlike, say, the Real Housewives, fight over who should wash the dishes and when to have a child. As Dr. Guralnik probes her patients’ pasts, she reveals that the dishes are never just the dishes. Here, psychological breakthroughs become narrative dénouements. In Season Two, the stresses of marriage under lockdown, and the difficulty of counseling across the digital divide of Zoom, adds fresh spins to the show’s original structure. —C.J.F.

New episodes air each Sunday