9 TV shows about therapy sessions, ranked by IMDb scores

TV shows about therapy sessions | Images via Hulu and Prime Video
TV shows about therapy sessions | Images via Hulu and Prime Video

Therapy sessions are frequently sought after as powerful story materials, and television has long attempted to deconstruct the complicated ideas of humanity. Whether drama, comedy, or animation, these shows offer unique perspectives on human potential for transformation, emotional discomfort, and mental health. From troubled families to teens that can’t escape puberty, and crime bosses struggling with inner demons, therapy has suddenly become the device through which personal growth, pain, and healing are shown.

These nine television shows provide therapy in nine distinct and intriguing ways (sometimes humorous, sometimes serious), illuminating the relevance, difficulty, and occasionally humor of the journey towards emotional well-being and self-realization.

**Disclaimer: This article is purely based on the writer's opinion. Readers' discretion is advised.**


9 TV shows about therapy sessions are ranked below:

9. Web Therapy (IMDb 6.7)

Web Therapy | Image via Prime Video
Web Therapy | Image via Prime Video

Web Therapy is a television sitcom about a greedy and eccentric therapist named Fiona Wallice, played by Lisa Kudrow. Fiona believes that online short video sessions are superior to traditional therapy. Fiona starts her own web treatment business to promote this concept. She desires wealth and recognition without genuinely helping her clients. The show uses awkward events and weird discussions to make viewers chuckle.

In season 1 episode 1, Fiona talks to her first client, Jerome. Instead of listening, she interrupts him, telling him her own problems. The therapy is clearly unhelpful. Fiona cares little and understands nothing. From this episode, we see how she uses therapy for her advantage. The scene itself is funny and uncomfortable at the same time.


8. Big Mouth (IMDb 7.8)

Big Mouth | Image via Netflix
Big Mouth | Image via Netflix

Big Mouth is a cartoon comedy about teens losing it over puberty. The show follows Nick, Andrew, Jessi, and their friends as they experience physical and emotional changes. The Hormone Monsters, for example, are strange, amusing beings who lead theminto and through these changes. Such figures represent emotions such as love, shame, and fury. Anxiety, sexuality, and self-discovery are all discussed funnily on the show.

Season 3 episode 2, for example, features Jessi's first visit to a therapist. She feels angry and confused. The therapist hears and makes her feel secure. This therapy session is relaxed and real. It explains how simply talking about it can alleviate stress when life is too difficult.

The moment stands out in a boisterous performance. It says that it’s okay to ask for help. Jessi’s story is a real peek at teenagers’ struggles. The episode teaches us that healing and therapy can be kind. It enhances the humor and helps young viewers comprehend their sentiments.


7. The United States of Tara (IMDb 8.0)

The United States of Tara | Image via Paramount+
The United States of Tara | Image via Paramount+

The United States of Tara is the story of a woman, Tara, who has dissociative identity disorder. She is a wife and mother, but she becomes other people or “alters” compulsively. Steven Spielberg, the executive producer, created the concept for the show through his DreamWorks Television firm. Tara’s family does its best to make her live a normal life. Her children love her, but the changes make life quite difficult.

In the episode "Transition", Tara goes to therapy, where her alter Buck shows up. The therapist addresses his words to Buck, not to Tara. This moment is crucial because it shows how one can see that each personality is a part of her story. It helps the therapist to see Tara’s past hurt. Tara begins to see that therapy could repair her.

The show teaches that therapy is not an easy ride but still, simply a walk through the door of healing. Tara's path has been difficult, but she is determined to improve herself and her family's situation.


6. Frasier (IMDb 8.2)

Frasier | Image via Hulu
Frasier | Image via Hulu

Frasier is a comedy about a radio psychologist, Dr. Frasier Crane, who gives people advice on air. He is bright but pretentious and so full of dramatics. He resides in Seattle with his dad, Martin, a hard, pragmatic man, and their Housekeeper Daphne. Frasier's brother, Niles, is also a therapist, yet he is as introverted and picky as his mother.

In Season 5 episode 11, Frasier and Niles discuss their father’s new girlfriend. They are angry and anxious, and their talk feels like therapy. They probe into difficult questions and openly discuss their feelings. They want to take care of their father, yet they will end up controlling his decisions. The episode depicts how therapists can be emotional. This episode’s therapy while ot at a clinic and just among family members, still shows the power of therapy.


5. In Treatment (IMDb 8.3)

In Treatment | Image via Hulu
In Treatment | Image via Hulu

In Treatment is a drama of a therapist, Dr. Paul Weston. Every week, he meets with his patients to hear their tales. All episodes consist of one session, so audience members see profound and personal moments. In the first episode, Paul speaks with a young lady called Laura. She says she loves him. This makes things tricky, but Paul keeps it cool and careful.

In Season 1, Episode 1, Paul is face to face with Laura, who is smart and emotional. She says she loves him. Despite being stunned, Paul tries to act professionally. He listens and softly asks her questions. The session gets loaded, but pivotal. It demonstrates how tough therapy can be if feelings run high. Paul is at battle with his feelings post the session. Later, he visits his therapist, Dr Gina, to discuss it.


4. My Mad Fat Diary (IMDb 8.4)

My Mad Fat Diary | Image via Prime Video
My Mad Fat Diary | Image via Prime Video

The narrative of My Mad Fat Diary centers on 16-year-old Rae Earl, who was admitted to a hospital for mental health therapy. Rae has body image issues, depression, and feels lonely. She wants to be happy and have normal friends, but she masks plenty of pain. She puts her thoughts in a diary, which eases her expression of true feelings. Rae becomes a therapy client of Dr. Kester. Initially, she jokes, and she doesn’t want to talk. She’s afraid of being judged.

In Season 1, Episode 1, Rae attends her first therapy session with Dr. Kester. At first, she doesn’t trust him. She avoids talking about difficult subjects and saves herself by making jokes. But Dr. Kester is nice and does not judge her. He leaves her alone to be comfortable. Soon, Rae begins to open up.

This small step is crucial. It proves how time is needed to establish trust in therapy. The show teaches the viewers that mental health issues are difficult and genuine. Rae's path is challenging, yet courageous. One day at a time, therapy enables her to regain control over her life.


3. Couples Therapy (IMDb 8.4)

Couples Therapy | Image via Hulu
Couples Therapy | Image via Hulu

The American television show Couples Therapy airs on the Showtime network. On April 18, 2021, the show's second season was renewed and debuted. The show depicts a seemingly normal American family dealing with the day-to-day challenges of dissociative identity disorder (DID). DID has been identified in Tara Gregson, a woman and mother of two living in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, Kansas.

In Episode 1, the couple discusses trust, anger, and communication issues. Audiences witness Sarah and Lauren quarrel about parenting. In a transformative therapy session, Dr. Orna fosters a calm environment that encourages participants to truly listen to one another.

She creates meaningful discourse by asking insightful but gentle questions, enabling visitors to observe the therapeutic process. The transparency and passion of this episode show how therapy may promote personal development and renew relationships between people.


2. BoJack Horseman (IMDb 8.8)

BoJack Horseman | Image via Just Watch
BoJack Horseman | Image via Just Watch

Raphael Bob-Waksal produced the American adult animated tragicomedy TV series BoJack Horseman. Aaron Paul, Paul F. Tompkins, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, and Will Arnett gave the main characters' voices. The show is set in an alternate reality, primarily in Hollywood, where anthropomorphic animals and humans coexist. BoJack Horseman is the former star of the fictional comedy Horsin' Around, which aired in the 1990s and followed a young bachelor horse as he attempted to raise three orphaned human children.

In the episode “The New Client”, BoJack enters and begins to visit a therapist. He plays around and ducks hard questions. However, with time, he begins to be honest. He confesses that he feels guilty and empty. The therapist listens with care. She doesn’t judge him.

There is silence and seriousness in the session. BoJack starts to realize that he is truly in pain. He wants to change. This episode discusses how treatment may be both harrowing and helpful in overcoming extreme sadness.


1. The Sopranos (IMDb 9.2)

The Sopranos | Image via Prime Video
The Sopranos | Image via Prime Video

David Chase produced The Sopranos, an American crime drama television show. The show centers on Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano, who is situated in North Jersey and attempts to manage his family life while serving as the head of the Soprano family.

The Sopranos is about mafia life, but while internal struggles over trauma, identity, and power take place, Tony Soprano's therapy sessions with Dr. Melfi give the show a psychological dimension. In these open conversations, the show examines vulnerability in a ruthless world for which therapy is the key to a plot. Meetings with them challenge Tony's self-perception, offering chances for introversion, conflict, and even unsettling disclosures that reshape his character path.


These shows demonstrated how treatment shaped characters' lives and prompted introspection, debate, or emotional breakthroughs. Whether it was Rae's hesitant trust, BoJack's silent reckoning, or Tony Soprano's internal struggles, therapy served as more than just a narrative device—it was a mirror, bringing each patient to face their problems.

These stories depicted human mental health truthfully, in many ways, to allow the audience to realize that weakness is a universal human condition. The shows borrowed humor, heartbreak, and truth in telling the audience how healing had the potential to alter lives one session at a time.

Edited by Ayesha Mendonca