16 THENEWYORKER,NOVEMBER29, 2021
ILLUSTRATION BY BIANCA BAGNARELLI
Going to therapy always involves some level of transference between
the analyst and the analyzed, but it does not often become as toxic,
let alone as criminal, as it does in “The Shrink Next Door,” a new
AppleTV+ black comedy that covers thirty years of a disastrous rela-
tionship between a slick con-man therapist and his gullible schlump
of a client. Paul Rudd—going against his squeaky-clean type as a
bad guy for once—plays Dr. Isaac (Ike) Herschkopf, a weaselly and
wholly unprofessional psychologist who sees an easy mark in Marty
Markowitz, a basket-case nebbish played by Will Ferrell. Across three
decades, beginning in the eighties (among the show’s pleasures are its
throwback big glasses, chunky knitwear, and cozy beards), Ike slowly
takes over every aspect of Marty’s world, from joining his business
to commandeering his home and torpedoing his relationships—and
leeches gobs of Marty’s money in the process. Ike crosses every medical
boundary and then some, and Marty is too much of a pushover to do
much about it. The real-life story—which is the basis for both the
series and a popular Wondery podcast—is a bit thin to merit eight
episodes. Still, it’s fun to watch Rudd and Ferrell bouncing around,
playing head games.—Rachel SymeONTELEVISION
1
TELEVISION
Tha God’s Honest Truth with
Charlamagne tha God
The ignorance of the population has com-
pelled Charlamagne, a radio personality
turned member of the commentariat, to
dispense his wisdom on this new weekly
late-night series, which he hosts on Com-
edy Central. He is the latest pop-cultural
figure to convince Americans that he is
a race whisperer, purporting to offer an
“unapologetically Black” perspective on
such crises as the backlash against critical
race theory and the discourse surrounding
mental health. Charlamagne, born Lenard
McKelvey, has long been a provocative co-
host of “The Breakfast Club,” Power 105.1’s
four-hour morning show; he’s older now,
this show seems to say, and he wants to use
his talents to bring about social change.
But, when presenting mini histories on,
say, the F.B.I. or German de-Nazification
processes, he is weirdly uncharismatic. The
intended audience may be the white viewers
who will earnestly come to Charlamagne for
a laugh and a lesson. For every doubter, like
myself, there are hundreds of diehards. A
lot of people believe that he speaks truth
to power. But he is the power. And he is too
big to fail.—Doreen St. Félix (Reviewed in
our issue of 10/25/21.)Succession
This brilliant tragedy-satire of the corpo-
rate élite, created by Jesse Armstrong, is
centered on the question of who will suc-
ceed Logan Roy (Brian Cox), the fearsome1
DANCE
Big Dance Theatre
“The Mood Room,” the latest work by An-
nie-B Parson (“American Utopia”), performed
by her company, Big Dance Theatre, focusses
on five sisters in their childhood home, in Los
Angeles. The time is 1980, and Reaganism is
on the rise. Much of the concept is derived
from “Five Sisters,” a 1982 play by the French-
born, Los Angeles-based Conceptualist Guy
de Cointet, which itself drew on the soap-op-
era genre to poke fun at sun-addled California
self-indulgence. To this, Parson adds a little
of Chekhov’s “Three Sisters,” an electronic
score by Holly Herndon, and her own me-
ticulous choreographic spin.—Brian Seibert
(BAM Fisher; Nov. 30-Dec. 5.)Parsons Dance
As we head into another pandemic winter, Par-
sons Dance returns with its sunny, easygoing
attitude and undemanding displays of smooth
skill. For the company’s program at the Joyce
Theatre, Nov. 30-Dec. 12, David Parsons has
made a new work, “The Road,” set to mellow,
vintage Cat Stevens tracks. “Balance of Power,”
a new solo for the adept dancer Zoey Ander-
son, features live music (at the evening perfor-
mances), as does “On the Other Side,” a recent
piece by Chanel DaSilva. Also on the bill: “Past
Tense,” an ensemble première by Matthew
Neenan, and, as always, the troupe’s strobe-
lit signature work, “Caught.”—B.S. (joyce.org)head of the right-wing media conglomerate
Waystar Royco. Although his son Kendall
(Jeremy Strong) is initially presented as the
heir apparent, it becomes clear that he is not
cut out for the job, and that neither are his
equally power-hungry siblings: Shiv (Sarah
Snook), a shrewd political operator; Roman
(Kieran Culkin), a squirrelly nihilist; and
Connor (Alan Ruck), a nincompoop liber-
tarian. There are other candidates, including
Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen),
Shiv’s sycophantic, tortured husband; Gerri
Kellman (J. Smith-Cameron), a general coun-
sel with a naughty side; and Cousin Greg
(Nicholas Braun), an ingenuous arriviste
who provides much of the show’s comic re-
lief. Season 3 begins after Kendall’s Judas
moment, in which he effectively declares war
against his father following Logan’s attempt
to sacrifice him as a fall guy in a congressio-
nal investigation into a coverup of sexual
assaults at Waystar. In the new season, it
feels as if “Succession” is becoming more
pleasurably itself with every episode, drilling
down into its core as a study of the human
thirst for domination. There are times when
the series feels almost Seinfeldian in its cy-
clical efforts to capture a group of eccentric,
petty characters as they try, again and again,
to one-up one another.—Naomi Fry (11/8/21)1
MOVIES
Drive My Car
Patience is richly rewarded in the three-hour
span of Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s theatre-centered