John Benjamin Hickey and Joshua Allen talk the new season of HBO’s In Treatment as it sets to premiere May 23rd at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
The series has been revamped with a new modern twist. Starring Uzo Aduba as “Dr. Brooke Taylor” with Liza Colon-Zayas (Rita), John Benjamin Hickey (Colin), Quintessa Swindell (Laila), and Anthony Ramos (Eladio). Stephen Levinson, Mark Wahlberg, Hagai Levi, Jennifer Schuur, Joshua Allen, and Melissa Bernstein executive produce, with Joanne Toll and Noa Tishby serving as co-executive producers. The HBO Entertainment production is in association with Leverage, Closest to the Hole Productions, and Sheleg.
The series has quite the diverse cast and openly discusses topics such as gender identity, sexuality, wealth disparity, mental health, imprisonment and the justice system as well as addiction and family planning in a raw and authentic way.
Hickey, who plays Colin, a condescending yet alluring millionaire who recently got released from prison for conning people with his once successful tech company. He must face Dr. Brooke Taylor as a requirement following his leave from jail but is stuck in his ways of entitlement. He’s forced to come face to face with his inner demons and peels back years of unconscious bias. His character represents much of America that hasn’t yet come to terms with the future of our nation, diverse and ever-evolving, and could be a real eye-opener for those who aren’t up to speed with the world we live in today. He must learn acceptance and tolerance but seldom does. He has a preconceived notion of who he needs as a therapist (as a straight white male) and gets quite the opposite, which clearly brings up much conflict.
“He thinks it’s okay but it’s not. It brings up a whole bunch of stuff,” said Hickey. “It touches on all of our… what’s in our DNA? As people of color… It’s uncomfortable. It’s troubling. It’s revealing. It’s entertaining.”
