logo
Paramount Plus renews 'Couples Therapy' for season 5 after 30% jump in viewership

Paramount Plus renews 'Couples Therapy' for season 5 after 30% jump in viewership

Tom's Guide06-06-2025
The Paramount Plus docuseries "Couples Therapy" saw an explosive Season 4B premiere earlier this month, enough to convince Paramount to order up another season of relationship drama for couples guru Dr Orna Guralnik to unpack.
"Couples Therapy" has been renewed for season 5, Paramount Plus announced on Friday. According to Showtime's internal streaming data, the premiere for the second half of Season 4 drew in 30% more viewers than the premiere for the prior season. You can catch all four seasons of "Couples Therapy" on Paramount Plus with Showtime, and new episodes premiere on Fridays.
The show features renowned psychologist and psychoanalyst Dr. Orna Guralnik as she skillfully navigates therapy sessions with real-world couples, uncovering raw emotions, painful truths and transformative breakthroughs along the way.
So far, season 4B has included a deaf man and his hearing partner struggling to balance sexual freedom with commitment, as well as a therapist-writer couple stuck in a cycle of sacrifice and mounting resentment.
"Couples Therapy" first premiered in 2019 and has long been a critical darling. It earned the Television Critics Association (TCA) Award for Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming in 2021 and the American Cinema Editors (ACE) Award for Best Edited Non-Scripted Series in 2024. It's also received award nominations from the International Documentary Association, 2023 TCA Awards, 2025 ACE Awards, Cinema Eye Honor Awards and Critics Choice Real TV Awards.
With season 5 locked in, that makes "Couples Therapy" the second-longest running series Showtime has on the air. It's beaten only by "The Chi," which debuted in 2018 and was recently renewed for its eighth season.
Other Showtime series like its popular survival drama series "Yellowjackets" and spy thriller "The Agency" have also been picked up for additional seasons in recent months. So if you have Paramount Plus right now, there are plenty of quality shows in the pipeline to convince you to keep your subscription.
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Paramount, Skydance expected to close deal on Aug. 7
Paramount, Skydance expected to close deal on Aug. 7

The Hill

timean hour ago

  • The Hill

Paramount, Skydance expected to close deal on Aug. 7

Paramount and Skydance announced Friday that, with the Trump administration's approval, the highly anticipated merger between the entertainment giants is expected to take place next month. The Aug. 7 date, unveiled in a press release, comes after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday allowed Skydance's acquisition of Paramount to move forward after the merger was first proposed last year. FCC Chair Brendan Carr in announcing the decision said he welcomed Skydance's commitment to remaining 'unbiased' in its journalism and willingness to promote 'a diversity of viewpoints across the political and ideological spectrum.' 'Americans no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly,' Carr added. 'It is time for a change.' The move caps off months of turmoil between Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, and President Trump. Trump sued CBS's '60 Minutes' last year after he argued an interview it aired with former Vice President Harris was altered in her favor during the 2024 presidential election cycle. While the company fought the claims, including releasing a full transcript from the episode, it ultimately settled with the administration for $16 million. Those funds are set to go to Trump's eventual presidential library. The news outlet has also faced criticism in recent days after CBS made the decision to sunset 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' next May, after more than 30 years on air. Paramount said the move was based on finances, but critics have argued the settlement and Skydance deal were likely involved — and bribery allegations have been floated. Comedian Stephen Colbert, who has hosted the show since 2015, has been openly critical of the merger. Colbert blasted the network earlier this week for choosing to axe the show and thanked those who have reached out in support, including Democrats, press freedom advocates and many of his late-night counterparts. He added that 'one key mistake' the network made when moving forward with the plan is that 'they left me alive.' Colbert also lashed out at Trump after the president said in a post online that he 'absolutely' loved that the comedian was getting 'fired.' 'How dare you, sir,' the host responded. 'Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism: 'Go f‑‑‑ yourself.'' Under the terms of the $8 billion merger, the company will become 'New Paramount' and will be led by Trump-ally and billionaire David Ellison, the son of tech tycoon and Oracle founder Larry Ellison.

Freedom of the Press Foundation Calls BS on Paramount-Trump Settlement After Merger Approval: ‘Shakedown Money'
Freedom of the Press Foundation Calls BS on Paramount-Trump Settlement After Merger Approval: ‘Shakedown Money'

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Freedom of the Press Foundation Calls BS on Paramount-Trump Settlement After Merger Approval: ‘Shakedown Money'

"[Brendan] Carr can't justify his actions ... because the FCC meddling in broadcasters' content is illegal too," the foundation's director of advocacy says The Freedom of the Press Foundation expressed discontent following the approval of the Paramount-Skydance merger, calling out Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr for 'meddling in broadcasters' content.' The FPF has been vocal about the risk that Paramount's $16 million settlement over the '60 Minutes' interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris poses to press freedom, criticizing the media titan for cowering to President Donald Trump. In a statement to TheWrap Friday, a spokesperson for the foundation stated that they could hardly fathom that anyone could believe Paramount's seemingly selfless claims over its reasons for the settlement. More from TheWrap Astronomer Enlists Gwyneth Paltrow to Explain What the Company Does After Ex-Husband Chris Martin Sparked CEO Scandal | Video 'Tron: Ares' Brings New Nine Inch Nails Video and Light Cycle Chases to Comic Con Larry Ellison to Hold 35.5% of Family's Voting Rights in New Paramount, National Amusements After Skydance Merger Closes David Letterman Roasts CBS, David Ellison Over Colbert Cancellation: 'Go Buy Dairy Queen or Something' | Video 'I'm not aware of a single person who believed Paramount's claim that this settlement was about lawyer fees and liability risk,' Seth Stern, director of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation, said in a statement. 'And if such people exist, Donald Trump has a real estate degree to sell them.' The foundation previously called Paramount's settlement a 'spineless decision.' After 251 days, the FCC approved Paramount and Skydance Media's $8 billion merger by a vote of 2-1 along party lines Thursday. The approval came after Skydance agreed to bring on an ombudsman at CBS to review complaints of bias and to eliminate all DEI initiatives for Paramount at large. 'If there was ever any doubt, Brendan Carr just extinguished it by approving the merger just days after Trump announce he'd received Paramount's shakedown money,' the statement continued. 'What's worse, Carr can't justify his actions by pointing to Skydance's promise to appoint a bias ombudsman, because the FCC meddling in broadcasters' content is illegal too.' The FCC does not have permission to censor or bar broadcasters from platforming content from any point of view. Engaging in censorship would infringe the media' First Amendment right to freedom of the press. The press freedom advocacy group filed a shareholder information demand back in May and said in early July that it intended to explore further legal action to hold Paramount's board accountable for what it sees as a 'capitulation' to Trump that violates shareholders' interests and the First Amendment. 'Each time a company cowers and surrenders to Trump's demands it only emboldens him to do it again. It will be remembered as one of the most shameful capitulations by the press to a president in history,' Stern said in a statement to TheWrap July 2. The Paramount-Skydance merger approval comes just one week after CBS canceled 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' after he called his network's $16 million settlement a 'big fat bribe.' Under the new merger, Skydance is set to acquire controlling shareholder Shari Redstone's holding company National Amusements, which controls 77.4% of the Paramount Class A common stock outstanding and approximately 9.5% of the overall equity of the company, before merging with the Hollywood studio. The Redstone family will finally relinquish control of the media giant that they have owned since 1994 to the Ellison family and Gerry Cardinale's RedBird Capital Partners. The post Freedom of the Press Foundation Calls BS on Paramount-Trump Settlement After Merger Approval: 'Shakedown Money' appeared first on TheWrap.

‘South Park' vs. Trump: And the little children shall lead them
‘South Park' vs. Trump: And the little children shall lead them

The Hill

time2 hours ago

  • The Hill

‘South Park' vs. Trump: And the little children shall lead them

What does it say about America that the only people taking on President Trump on his own terms — which is to say, in the gutter — are two bad-boy cartoonists? In its 27th season opener this week, titled 'The Sermon on the Mount,' the Paramount Plus animated show 'South Park' provided by far the most comprehensive and trenchant critique of Trump's first six months back in office. The episode, which includes both Jesus and Satan as characters, brutally and hilariously takes on Trump's laundry list of fixations: NPR, bathrooms, electric cars, returning Christianity to public schools, tariffs, 'wokeness,' '60 Minutes' and Stephen Colbert. Characters also denounce Trump for looting the country for personal benefit ('putting money in his own pockets') and ruling through fear and lawsuits. In its first return volley after viewing advanced episode clips, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers dismissed 'South Park' as a 'fourth-rate show' that 'hasn't been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread.' Series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone replied to the criticism with typical puckishness. On Thursday, appearing on an animation panel at Comic-Con in San Diego, Parker was asked his reaction to the controversy. 'We're terribly sorry,' he deadpanned. If past experience holds, we may hear more about this from the nation's number one amateur TV critic (and slashing Queens street-fighter), and it won't likely be pretty. On Thursday, after 250 days of suspicious foot-dragging, the Federal Communications Commission voted 2 to 1 to approve the $8 billion merger of Skydance Media and Paramount Global, corporate parent of CBS. Many believed the approval was delayed to force the network into settling Trump's lawsuit against '60 Minutes' for $16 million, litigation which many legal and media figures considered to be without merit. But Parker and Stone have a benefit not afforded to other Trump media critics. Unlike Colbert and 'The Late Show,' their show makes money for Paramount. Just days before the 'South Park' season opener, the pair signed a five-year contract with the studio for $1.5 billion — yes, you read that right, with a 'b' — for 10 episodes per season. The deal may make Parker and Stone bulletproof to any Trump lawsuits. If not, their pockets are at least deep. In fact, factoring in their 'The Book of Mormon' financial behemoth, they may be worth more than Trump himself. As in seasons past, this episode of 'South Park' weaves scatology with eschatology, placing the Christian cosmos at its center, as I have written pr e viously. This episode begins at South Park Elementary School, where the principal had previously embraced diversity, equity and inclusion — which he describes more simply as 'kindness.' Since the November election, he, like so many, has cravenly flipped. At a student assembly, the principal now embraces compelling students to accept Jesus as their personal lord and savior —to the point where Jesus himself comes down from Heaven to make his pitch, even in the lunchroom. At first one parent objects. 'What's Jesus doing in your school?' Randy Marsh asks the principal. Another character asks, 'What the hell is this president doing? He doesn't even act like a Christian.' Without what Trump calls 'wokeness,' student Eric Cartman, a reformed bigot and antisemite, says, 'Everyone hates the Jews. Everyone is fine with using gay slurs. It's terrible. Because,' he says, near tears, 'I don't know what I'm supposed to do.' Jesus cautions Trump's 'South Park' opponents that, as an unhinged, omnipotent megalomaniac, the president 'can do anything he wants to anyone.' 'You really want to end up like Colbert?' Jesus asks at one point. Jesus says he only returned to South Park to warn the townspeople. 'I didn't want to come back to the school, but I had no choice because it was part of a lawsuit and the agreement with Paramount. … The guy can do whatever he wants now that someone backed down. … If someone has the power of the presidency, and also the power to sue and take bribes, then he can do anything to anyone.' Rather than unalloyed outrage at what some would call (and have called) the blasphemous portrayal of Jesus in this and previous 'South Park' episodes, some Christians take a more nuanced view. Veteran speaker and writer Rusty Wright told me, 'As a longtime Jesus-follower, I can appreciate faith-skeptics' criticisms, because I once was one. 'South Park' gets it right in that too many Christians can be pushy, controlling and intolerant. 'South Park's' Jesus portrayal might be more credible if he befriended more of his critics, was less PR-anxious, and expressed confidence in divine ability to bring good from difficult situations.' The cartoon Trump, meanwhile, is literally in bed with Satan, his longtime boyfriend. The devil is so upset with him that he refuses the president sex, saying Trump is beginning to remind him of his previous boyfriend, Saddam Hussein. Satan is also disturbed to learn that Trump has appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein files. When the town of South Park is sued by Trump for $5 billion for opposing the president, they settle for $3.5 million, but with the added requirement of producing 50 public service announcements extolling the president's virtues. The first one … well, let's just say it doesn't help his cause. There may be an actual political dimension to the episode. The show's key demographic is young males, precisely the cohort that has been drifting toward Trump. If they are persuaded by the episode that Trump is a tyrannical buffoon and a fair target for ridicule, that may affect their next trip to the polls. Mark I. Pinsky is the author of 'The Gospel According to The Simpsons' and has written extensively about the intersection of religion, popular culture and politics.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store