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On the couch,
in search of its next hit

Might HBO find it in the new drama 'In Treatment?'

By Diego Vasquez
Jan 29, 2008

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If it’s Tuesday, it must be Blair Underwood’s turn on the couch. The new HBO drama “In Treatment,” which premiered yesterday, features a unique format in which each evening is devoted to a different patient of psychotherapist Paul Weston. A new half-hour episode airs each weeknight at 9:30 p.m.

Tuesday it’s Alex (Underwood), a Navy pilot who recently returned from an intense and almost deadly mission in Iraq. Weston (Gabriel Byrne) also counsels four others, including a couple with fertility issues, and on Fridays the conflicted doctor has a sitdown with his own counselor, Gina (Dianne Weist).

The format isn’t the only thing that’s different about this show, which has shot 43 episodes and will air through March. It also became one of the first HBO shows available online for subscribers before its television premiere, following a trend that other cable and broadcast networks have embraced over the last 18 months.

HBO hopes the moves will give the show a boost as the network continues to search for its next big thing following last summer’s series finale of “The Sopranos.” Since then, the network has canceled two shows, the critically touted but expensive “Rome” and the bizarre surfer drama “John from Cincinnati,” and renewed another first-year drama, “Tell Me You Love Me,” despite low viewership.

Buzz is everything to HBO, which has seen subscriptions remain steady even after “Sopranos” ended. At the least, “Treatment’s” unique format and strong performances, especially by Byrne, should draw attention the network has lacked since last summer’s controversial fade to black.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
TUESDAY, JANUARY 29
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	NBC	“Today” (N)	Author John Grisham guests.
8 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol” (R)	Still more auditions, these from Omaha, Neb.
8 p.m.	NBC	“The Biggest Loser” (R)	The teams are tempted by access to soda.
9 p.m.	Fox	“House” (D)	House thinks a paralyzed woman isn’t giving up all the facts.
9 p.m.	Bravo	“Real Housewives Confess: A Watch What Happens Special” (R)	Reunion show and recap of season three of “The Real Housewives of Orange County.”
10 p.m.	FX	“Nip/Tuck” (D)	Christian does all he can to deal with Gina’s death.
10 p.m.	TLC	“LA Ink” (R)	Pixie gets one tattoo removed to make room for another.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	“Good Morning America” (N)	Tips on how to make healthy Super Bowl snacks.
8 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol” (R)	The auditions continue, this time in Miami.
8 p.m.	CW	“Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants” (R)	Season finale. Jack Wagner hosts the final pageant among the four remaining duos.
8 p.m.	CNN	“Republican Super Tuesday Debate” (N)	The GOP candidates talk it out before next week’s big primary day.
9 p.m.	Fox	“Moment of Truth” (G)	The season’s top-rated new show, but how will ratings hold up in week two?
10 p.m.	NBC	“Law & Order” (D)	The team looks into a triple homicide among three roommates.
10 p.m.	We	“Party Mamas” (R)	A mom goes over the top in throwing a beach-themed party for her more low-key daughter.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 31
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	CBS	“The Early Show” (N)	Actor and comedian Jeffrey Tambor guests.
8 p.m.	ABC	“Lost: Past, Present and Future” (D)	Need to catch up? This will recap the first three seasons.
8 p.m.	Fox	“Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” (G)	Game show has rated decently while up against mainly reruns.
9 p.m.	NBC	“Celebrity Apprentice” (R)	The teams try to push a company’s shoe-donation campaign.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Lost” (D)	Season premiere. Finally, after all the recaps, the new season begins.
10 p.m.	VH1	“Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” (R)	It’s starting to get deep as group therapy brings up the celebs’ sometimes dark pasts.
10 p.m.	ABC	“Eli Stone” (D)	Series premiere. A hallucinating lawyer thinks he may be a prophet.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	“Good Morning America” (N)	First Lady Laura Bush guests.
8 p.m.	Discovery Health	“Diagnosis X” (R)	A doctor deals with a man with OCD, who thinks he has West Nile Virus.
8 p.m.	Nickelodeon	“Roxy Hunter and the Mystery of the Moody Ghost” (M, K)	A 9-year-old girl and her friend try to find out what’s haunting her new house.
9 p.m.	USA	“Monk” (D)	Monk takes up painting, and some of his work is a hit with the locals.
10 p.m.	NBC	“Las Vegas” (D)	Piper does all she can to win a magazine’s Concierge of the Year award.
10:30 p.m.	IFC	“Dinner for Five” (R)	Actor Jon Favreau eats and talks with Vince Vaughn, Peter Billingsley, Justin Long and Keir O’Donnell.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2
Time	Network	Program	Description
1 p.m.	CBS	“College Basketball” (S)	Nice SEC game between Kentucky and Georgia.
3:30 p.m.	ABC	“College Basketball” (S)	Either Miami-Duke or Kansas-Colorado.
4 p.m.	NBC	“Figure Skating” (S)	An exhibition gala from last weekend’s U.S. Championships.
8 p.m.	Fox	“Cops” (R)	A compilation special with some of the craziest chases caught on tape.
9 p.m.	ESPN	“College Basketball” (S)	Usual Pac-10 powers Arizona and UCLA meet in Los Angeles.
10 p.m.	Spike TV	“Pros vs. Joes” (R, G)	Wannabes see if they can tackle NFL running back Ricky Williams.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3
Time	Network	Program	Description
2 p.m.	Fox	“Super Bowl Sunday Pregame Show” (S)	The Fox crew dissects the big game over the course of four hours.
2:30 p.m.	ABC	“NBA Basketball” (S)	Dirk and the Mavs take on the Pistons in Detroit.
3 p.m.	CBS	“PGA Golf” (S)	Final round of the FBR Open, won last year by Aaron Baddeley.
6 p.m.	Fox	“Super Bowl” (S)	The New England Patriots try to become the first team to finish a season 19-0 as they face the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.
7 p.m.	ESPN	“Figure Skating” (S)	This week it’s the European Figure Skating Championships, from Croatia.
10:15 p.m.	Fox	“House” (D)	Considering ratings for the show are already up season to date, “House” could hit a series-high rating.
10:30 p.m.	HBO	“The Wire” (D)	Herc tries to make up for past mistakes by helping Carver.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.