From Gypsy to The Sopranos, what do real psychotherapists think of TV shrinks?

The Sopranos put a mobster through analysis. Now Gypsy is making a psychotherapist the star of the show. Does TV get it right – or is gross malpractice just dramatically inevitable?This is the age of the fictional psych, instantly canonised in the person of Tony Soprano ’s analyst, Jennifer Melfi, beautifully developed by Gabriel Byrne withIn Treatment, and given a shonky Netflix-over by Naomi Watts inGypsy.WhenThe Sopranos came out, the richness of the territory was astonishing; I sometimes wondered not why it hadn ’t much been done before, but why all TV series didn’t do it, why PresidentJosiah Bartlet wasn ’t also in therapy, and The Wire’sStringer Bell, and Breaking Bad ’sWalter White. It was such a stunningly obvious way to zoom in and out of character, develop metaphor – it was as if someone had invented a new kind of camera.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Drama Psychiatry Television Culture & radio The Sopranos Naomi Watts Gabriel Byrne US television Film Sam Taylor-Johnson Mental health Crime drama Psychology Source Type: news