Steve Carell to star in new psychological thriller from the creator of The Americans

Steve Carell and Steve Carell’s Very Serious Beard are set to team up again in the very near future, as FX announced today that the former Office star and his undeniably dignified facial hair have signed on for a new thriller at the network. Specifically, Carell is set to star in new limited series The Patient, which reunites The Americans creator Joe Weisberg with his long-time producer on the spy drama, Joel Fields.

The Patient has an undeniably hook-y premise: Carell plays Alexander Strauss, a psychiatrist whose grief over the recent death of his wife suddenly becomes only the second most troubling thing about his life, after a serial killer kidnaps him in order to demand that Strauss cure him of his murderous tendencies. That obviously sounds like one hell of a two-hander, and while the role of the killer has yet to be cast, we can already imagine how hard Carell’s facial hair is going to be working to convey an aura of professional calm during this harrowing ordeal.

Carell has continued to work regularly on both sides of the comedy-drama TV divide in recent years, having recently lent his talents to both Netflix’s farcical Space Force, and a far more serious role on Apple’s The Morning Show. Fields and Weisberg, meanwhile, have continued to work together since The Americans ended, having both served as producers on 2019's Breckman Rodeo. But it sounds like The Patient will have them also taking back up their writing duties in addition to their production credits, which they share with Carell, Caroline Moore, and Victor Hsu.

FX Entertainment president Eric Schrier praised the collective team, writing in a statement today that, “We are excited that Joe and Joel are back with their next series for FX after the great experience of working with them on six amazing seasons of The Americans. Their creative instincts and mastery of plot and character are on display again with The Patient, which will showcase Steve Carell’s remarkable talents as an actor, producer and creative collaborator.”