Showtime's Couples Therapy is like a spiritual sequel to Netflix's Dating Around

The Ringer

The Showtime "docuseries" -- not reality show -- "reads like a spiritual sequel of sorts to Dating Around, even if the two shows aren’t formally connected," says Alison Herman. "Where one chronicles the potential beginning of a relationship, the other depicts its rocky middle and even potential end. Many of the techniques are the same: the cinematography, which had me checking several times to make sure the show wasn’t scripted; the casting, which values naturalism and diversity over big personalities; the editing, which carefully splices separate meetings into a whole greater than its parts. So is the effect, a startlingly intimate glimpse into the most private (legally protected, even!) of spaces. And ultimately, so are the discomforts. Even the most thoughtfully presented of reality show subjects is still being presented for our entertainment." ALSO: Watching couples in crisis shouldn’t be this soothing.