Israel Drives America Into Therapy

January 25, 2007 - 8:14 AM by Allison

Who would have thought that the first Israeli television series successfully sold to a major American network would be so …. neurotic?

But here it is, coming soon on HBO — starring Dianne Wiest and Gabriel Byrne, no less. Here’s the full cast list.

And here’s the story:

HBO has ordered 40 episodes of “In Treatment,” a half-hour drama starring Gabriel Byrne.

Based on the popular and critically acclaimed Israeli series of the same name (“BeTipul” in Hebrew), “Treatment” centers on a therapist (Byrne) who is calm, smooth, insightful and non-confrontational with his patients but turns into a testy, self-doubting individual full of barely concealed anger when he is a patient seeing his own shrink.

In the pilot stage, HBO ordered five episodes of “Treatment.” The series pickup brings the total to 45 half-hours, the same as the original Israeli series.

It is not clear how HBO will schedule “Treatment.” In Israel, the show aired five nights a week for nine weeks, with every episode focusing on one of several families and their weekly therapy session.

Meanwhile, the second season is gearing up in Israel, with a new shrink and a bunch of new patients – according to the creators, only two patients are returning — they sought therapy as a couple in a bad marriage, and their new therapy sessions will be post-divorce. The first-season shrink, played by Israeli film enfant terrible Assi Dayan, will move up the food chain and become the senior shrink, who gives the regular therapist therapy.

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