The revival season of HBO's "In Treatment," headlined by Uzo Aduba, will not be returning for another season according to Variety. The new show premiered in May 2021 and aired four episodes weekly, with a schedule that mimicked a therapist's weekly sessions.
HBO chief content officer Casey Bloys told Variety that the series' fourth season was its last, explaining that the revival was largely inspired by the format restrictions of pandemic-era shooting. "That was really a response to when we were talking about the pandemic and how do you shoot, what kinds of shows lend themselves to production," Bloys said. The executive noted that working with Aduba "was great," but that the network doesn't have any plans to continue "In Treatment" further.
Though this news isn't surprising — the show seemed to debut and then quickly disappear — it is disappointing for anyone who caught the show. The new season of "In Treatment" was one of the series' best, and included phenomenal work for Aduba as wealthy, alcoholic therapist Dr. Brooke Taylor. Her roster of patients included a home health nurse played by Anthony Ramos, a queer teenager played by Quintessa Swindell, and an unpredictable businessman-turned-criminal played by John Benjamin Hickey. That last patient dynamic, in particular, resulted in some of the most explosive scenes on TV last year.
The series' return may have come too late for it to connect with modern HBO audiences; "In Treatment" was off the air for a full 12 years between its third season and its fourth. The show also switched protagonists for the new season, with Dr. Taylor stepping in to replace Gabriel Byrne's Paul Weston. The new season incorporated the coronavirus pandemic into its plot, with Ramos' Eladio doing his sessions over video chat while other patients saw Dr. Taylor in a one-on-one setting.
Although it's a bummer to see "In Treatment" go, the future looks bright for the stars of the series. Aduba will appear in the Pixar film "Lightyear," while Swindell will take on the role of Cyclone in the DC film "Black Adam." Hickey has a prominent role in the new adaptation of Stephen King's vampire story "Salem's Lot," while Ramos' full schedule includes Marvel's "Ironheart" series, a DreamWorks animated film, and the next "Transformers" movie. "In Treatment" may be over, but these actors' impressive work in the two-hander will live on as a remarkable, if undervalued, point in each of their careers.
