Steve Carell’s Michael Scott is one of the top 10 comedic foil characters in American television history, but even if we eliminated “The Office” from Carell’s resume and focused on his other work — what an impressive career. From comedies such as “Anchorman” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” to indie treasures such as “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” through satires such as “The Big Short” and dramas such as “Beautiful Boy” to his Oscar-nominated turn on “Foxcatcher” through TV roles way back when on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” to his nuanced and complex turn on the Apple TV+ series “The Morning Show,” Carell has displayed remarkable everyman versatility. He’s not the showiest of actors, but he’s one of our best.
In the FX on Hulu limited series “The Patient,” Carell delivers arguably the most wide-ranging and effective dramatic performance of his career in a claustrophobically intense and psychologically charged story from the creators of “The Americans.” Over the course of 10 episodes in what is essentially a two-hander that feels like it could have had its roots as a stage production, Carell disappears into the character of the renowned therapist and author Dr. Alan Strauss, who is kidnapped by a patient who turns out to be a serial killer desperate for help.
