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The Shrink Next Door

Wondery | Bloomberg

Veteran journalist Joe Nocera’s neighbor in the Hamptons was a therapist named Ike. Ike counted celebrities and Manhattan elites as his patients. He’d host star-studded parties at his eccentric vacation house. But one summer, Joe discovered that Ike was gone and everything he’d thought he’d known about his neighbor -- and the house next door -- was wrong. From Wondery, the company behind Dirty John and Dr. Death, and Bloomberg, “The Shrink Next Door” is a story about power, control and turning to the wrong person for help for three decades. Written and hosted by Joe Nocera, a columnist for Bloomberg.

All episodes are available now. You can binge the series exclusively, and ad-free, on Wondery+ or on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription. Join Wondery+ here: https://wondery.app.link/shrink

The Shrink Next Door is now an Apple Original series, starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd. Watch now only on Apple TV+ http://apple.co/-TheShrinkNextDoor

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Our Editor's Take

Martin "Marty" Markowitz is depressed. His sister, Phyllis, encourages him to speak to a therapist; Dr. Isaac "Ike" Herschkopf. It’s a recommendation that would change the course of Marty’s life forever.

The Shrink Next Door is a true story presented by journalist Joe Nocera. He himself met Dr. Ike in 2010 when he and his wife moved to the Hamptons. Nocera would come to learn that Ike’s house actually belonged to Marty—who the Nocera’s thought to be the caretaker. In fact, Nocera would come to learn a lot of strange things about the duo. And the more he learned about them, the more bizarre he realized this relationship was.

Featuring detailed interviews and dramatic reenactments, The Shrink Next Door spins a dark tale of a therapeutic relationship that turned controlling and manipulative. Marty told Nocera how Ike came to control his life and finances over the course of thirty years and how he eventually regained his footing and took back the reins. Listeners will wonder: how did Ike manage to wield such power over Marty, and was he the only one?

The story was so intriguing that Georgia Pritchett transformed it into a series starring Will Ferrell, Kathryn Hahn, and Paul Rudd for AppleTV+. And in special bonus episodes, Nocera interviews the stars and show creators about the process of adapting the tale for television. This stranger than fiction tale from Bloomberg and Wondery is a must-listen podcast and an incredible accompaniment to the TV series. Listen to The Shrink Next Door on Amazon Music.

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