HBO enters 'Treatment'

HBO has ordered 40 episodes of "In Treatment," a half-hour drama starring Gabriel Byrne.

Based on the popular and critically acclaimed Israeli series of the same name ("BeTipul" in Hebrew), "Treatment" centers on a therapist (Byrne) who is calm, smooth, insightful and non-confrontational with his patients but turns into a testy, self-doubting individual full of barely concealed anger when he is a patient seeing his own shrink.

In the pilot stage, HBO ordered five episodes of "Treatment." The series pickup brings the total to 45 half-hours, the same as the original Israeli series.

It is not clear how HBO will schedule "Treatment." In Israel, the show aired five nights a week for nine weeks, with every episode focusing on one of several families and their weekly therapy session.

"Treatment" is executive produced by writer-director Rodrigo Garcia (HBO's "Carnivale," "Big Love"), who wrote and directed the pilot and will serve as showrunner. Mark Wahlberg (HBO's "Entourage") will also serve as an executive producer.