Lisa Kudrow stars in “Web Therapy”

Opening up and expressing your deepest and darkest insecurities to anyone, let alone a stranger, can be an excruciating challenge that some refuse to take. Those who do seek professional help generally end up sitting down with a psychologist for hours on end, expressing how they feel and why.

While some people may feel the one-on-one interaction is relieving and liberating, others become frustrated and short-tempered at the lengthy and costly process. It appears that the creators of "Web Therapy," which premieres its fourth season Wednesday, Oct. 22, on Showtime, have found a positive -- and often comedic -- fictional happy medium that can benefit everyone.

Lisa Kudrow ("Friends") stars as Fiona Wallice, a therapist who veers away from traditional counseling options and focuses on a different, short-and-sweet approach: advice over the Internet. Fiona believes that standard sessions are too long and stretched out, leading to patients discussing irrelevant topics. By shortening the time she spends dispensing advice, she hopes to increase her productivity and her profits, and to promote her alternative techniques to potential business investors worldwide, she records all of her sessions via webcam.

Many will recognize Kudrow from arguably her most famous role as Phoebe Buffay in the '90s sitcom "Friends." For people hoping to see the free-spirited Phoebe in a modern setting, it won't be here. Fiona is a self-interested, short-tempered individual who struggles to connect with her patients, but as the seasons progress, she learns to open up and rely on others, causing her to progressively become paranoid and engulfed in the drama her clients approach her with.

For a show that's no stranger to celebrity guests, season 4 continues to gush with Hollywood's best talents. This season will see stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow ("Iron Man 3," 2013), Jon Hamm ("Mad Men"), Calista Flockhart ("Ally McBeal"), Allison Janney ("The West Wing"), Christina Applegate ("Samantha Who?") and many, many more check in for a session and try to work through their oftentimes hilarious problems.

There's one more celebrity guest who will be briefly joining the cast in season 4, and he conveniently has years of on-set experience with Kudrow. Matthew Perry ("The Whole Nine Yards," 2000) will be reuniting with Kudrow on the small screen as a character who informs Fiona -- rather monotonously -- that he doesn't have dreams or feelings. Fiona's straightforward attitude lends well to his deadpan and indifferent personality, and she tells him that he's found the perfect therapist, as she does not have time to waste regarding emotions and feelings.

Fans of "Web Therapy" may have noticed that Perry's guest appearance isn't the first time a former "Friends" castmate has appeared on the show. In fact, he's the fourth.

Dan Bucatinsky as seen in “Web Therapy”

Season 1 featured Courteney Cox ("Cougar Town") as Serena Duvall, an Internet psychic who seeks Fiona's help after she loses her powers. In season 2, David Schwimmer's ("Madagascar," 2005) character Newell Miller, a friend of Fiona's from college, enlisted her services after suffering several disastrous relationships. Lastly, in season 3, Matt LeBlanc ("Episodes") played the role of Nick Jericho, an obsessive-compulsive online gambler who seeks Fiona's advice in order to help control his addiction.

All "Friends" connections aside, other familiar faces will be cropping up this season in continuing recurring roles. Dan Bucatinsky ("Scandal"), Billy Crystal ("Monsters, Inc.," 2001), Lily Tomlin ("Eastbound & Down"), Rashida Jones ("Parks and Recreation") and Victor Garber ("Argo," 2012) will be helping further her new-age therapy approach.

Bucatinsky is back as Jerome Sokoloff, Fiona's hilarious personal assistant with a penchant for tinkering in projects without the therapist's consent. Tomlin plays Fiona's mother, Putsy Hodge, who started a competing business called Net Therapy to go up against her daughter. Garber recurs as Kip Wallace, Fiona's attorney and long-suffering soon-to-be-ex-husband who likes to engage in extracurricular activities.

It can be tough to sit down and spill your guts to a stranger, even if they're trained and paid to listen. Even if you do find it liberating, sometimes it seems like sessions can just drag on for hours. The creators of "Web Therapy" have found a happy medium that can benefit everyone -- short-and-sweet Internet webcam therapy. Lisa Kudrow stars as Fiona Wallice in season 4 of "Web Therapy," which premieres Wednesday, Oct. 22, on Showtime.