Web Therapy

Yes you can watch this online, but since it's got such an odd separation between the original skits, and the seasons on Showtime, they just need to release the entire series in one compilation.

This show was wonderful! I didn't get into until recently because I REALLY needed a Phoebe Buffet fix, and this was like a fresh chocolate soufflé. The setup is Lisa interviewing a client (typically a well known A-list actor or B-list supporting actor) and within seconds the "therapy" derailing into personal agendas, tirades, cathartic resolves, the works.

If you're looking for loose, flaky, free spirited Phoebe, go back to Friends. If you're looking for Kudrow in complete control of her mannerisms, expertly timed dialogue and wit mixed with exceptional improvisation, bam. As Fiona Wallace, Lisa completely encompasses what it means to be typical professional person (READ, not just woman or man, person) in today's self-destructive and overwhelming Web 2.0 society. A waning marriage, sibling rivalry, suitors, judgmental peers, generation gaps, tech disability, all while trying to stay afloat. Those who enjoy satire like Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld, Arrested, you'll love it. This part of the series is smaller segments, typically 3-8 minutes in length. The Showtime continuation sticks the skits into clumps that average 24 minutes. You don't have to go in order, most things can be gleaned from just the few seconds of each set.

My favorites have got to be the Steve Carell guest skits, and the ones with her ex husband. Julie Claire's cameos also show huge range for both actresses and are a mix of awkward and straight awesome. My only beef is the lack of support on physical media; there needs to be a Blu-ray release or the rest of the series on DVD besides seasons 1 & 2.

I can't believe that (a) I had never heard of Web Therapy until today, and (b) there is only one user comment about it on IMDb! Do we need any more proof that Lisa Kudrow is a genius? And is there anyone in Hollywood more willing to embrace the ugly side of celebrity (okay, Ricky Gervais -- another genius)? Her Fiona Wallace in Web Therapy is just as brilliant and original as Valerie Cherish in The Comeback. No valiant, selfless characters for Lisa. Only those that are devastatingly funny and self-absorbed, and wholly original.

Lisa, if you're out there: keep up the good work! We are starving for your kind of comedy and social commentary.

Lisa Kudrow is perfectly cast! The scripts are fresh and timeless. And at the time (pre-pandemic) the idea of going online to speak to a professional was considered absurd.

Supporting cast, especially her husband and Mother (Lily Tomlin) are unforgettable.

It's the kind of show that's worth revisiting, as it's impossible to remember all the lines of the script that hit true!!!

Highly recommend. And if you disagree with this review, you need therapy!!!

Not long ago I was wondering why I couldn't see this series streaming anywhere, especially what with the pandemic and everything occurring online like work, school, and telemedicine. Then lo and behold today it appears on IMDB via my Amazon prime account! YAY! It's just as much fun now as it was years ago on Showtime. Now if I could only get my hands on the series "Head Case" with Ali Wentworth all would be great in the entertainment world. Lisa Kudrow always manages to make shows I love, whether it be this, or The Comeback or even "Who Do You Think You Are". Keep bringing it, girl!!!!!

Lisa Kudrow is the Lucille Ball of our time. Unusual, distinctive, unafraid.

This show, which I only heard of last October (2011), is remarkable comedy.

Comedy is the art of making the unexpected hilarious. That's what this show does. In each episode, the premise is usually straightforward. Each time Fiona begins a session, we have immediate clarity on what the problem is. Hilarity then ensues, taking unexpected turn after unexpected turn - some cued by Kudrow's priceless brand of facial exasperation, others cued by some astonishing new fact that visibly upsets or enrages her.

I remember reading a take on I Love Lucy. Desi Arnaz explained that every episode opened with a perfectly common home-life dilemma. As fans know, nothing past that premise was ever common. Each week, Lucy made us believe that she's the housewife with X problem which, if solved, will change her life. All the better if the dilemma was posed by a possible show-biz break.

Cue Lisa K and the Lucy Ricardo'ish character Fiona. She is ambitious. The Internet is her show-biz - she always wants to break into it in a big way. She has an appalling lack of common sense. Kip has problems we could imagine Ricky having if he was a lead singer and star today.

In the end, both Lucy R. and Fiona W. are screwball characters whose humanity is immediately on display but who are tempted into vanity, errant ambition, and ill-fated schemes.

Web Therapy is comedy art. Hilarity at its zenith. I tell everyone I know to Watch This Show!