TV Review: HBO's "In Treatment"

Season two of “In Treatment” on HBO starring Gabrielle Bryne premieres Sunday at 9p.m. The following are excerpts from early reviews, compiled by B&C.

“Nimble, powerful acting and well-wrought dialogue outweigh the weaknesses.”
-Alessandra Stanley, New York Times

“It is slow, and it requires work and careful observation, but when it achieves its breakthroughs, the effects can be as extraordinary and dynamic as any other drama on television.”
-Alan Sepinwall, The Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.)

“The emotional drama was stunningly complex, sometimes even shocking. The developing character arcs were nicely written, the castng was first-rate.”
-Joanne Ostrow, The Denver Post

“Season 2 is vastly better, for reasons that make a lot of sense. First, the new patients are less annoying, and the actors are very good,…There are still hints of a stagy, forced banter, but it works overall.”
-Tim Goodman, San Francisco Chornicle

“Its vivid, cliché-free writing has always been In Treatment’s singular strength. That’s even truer in its riveting new season — no small accomplishment.”
-Dorothy Rabinowitz, The Wall Street Journal

“But like a successful patient, the show has learned and grown, becoming more reliably compelling.”
-James Poniewozik, Time Magazine

“Because the first season of In Treatment was so consistently good, I was prepared to be disappointed this time around. And I prepared in vain.”
-Matthew Gilbert, The Boston Globe

“In Treatment fans will fall into this new season like a chocoholic falling into a vat of sundae sauce. You will love every word, every arched brow, every patient, every problem, and every utterance.”
-Verne Gay, Newsday

“The second season of HBO’s In Treatment is by every measure more satisfying than the first.”
-Brian Lowry, Variety