Shrinking (TV series)

Shrinking is an American comedy drama television series created by Bill Lawrence, Jason Segel, and Brett Goldstein. The series stars Segel as a grieving therapist who decides to become drastically more involved in his patients' lives. Harrison Ford, Jessica Williams, Christa Miller, Michael Urie, Luke Tennie, Lukita Maxwell, and Ted McGinley also star.
The series premiered on January 27, 2023, on Apple TV+. It has received positive reviews, with praise for its performances, writing, humor, and examination of grief. It was renewed for a second season in March 2023. The second season premiered on October 16, 2024; the series was renewed for a third season.
The first season received two nominations at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Segel and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Williams. Ford received nominations at the Critics' Choice Awards and the TCA Awards for his performance, along with nominations for the series itself. For its second season, the series was recognized as one of the top ten television programs of the year by the American Film Institute.
A therapist, Jimmy Laird, dealing with severe grief after his wife's death, begins to breach ethical barriers by telling his patients what he really thinks, resulting in massive changes to his and their lives.
It was announced in October 2021 that Apple TV+ had ordered a ten-episode season for the series, which would star Jason Segel, who co-created alongside Brett Goldstein and Bill Lawrence. In April 2022, Harrison Ford, Jessica Williams, Christa Miller, Michael Urie, Luke Tennie, and Lukita Maxwell joined the cast, with James Ponsoldt joining the production as a director and executive producer. Production began in April 2022. The first season has a total of ten episodes. The series theme song "Frightening Fishes" was written by Ben Gibbard and Tom Howe.
During a 2023 interview with Harrison Ford for The Hollywood Reporter, author James Hibberd reminded Ford that he had said in 2002 that he was content to work only once per year and asked him why he had accepted the offer to play Dr. Paul Rhoades. Ford replied that he wanted to try new things after a period of not doing as much work as he wished due to the COVID-19 pandemic and his commitments to the titular role of the long-delayed Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. As with his role in 1923, Ford accepted the Shrinking role despite there not being a script at the time, trusting that Segel, Goldstein, Lawrence and Brian Gallivan would deliver him a good script.
In March 2023, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a second season. In June 2024, Ashley Nicole Black joined the second season as a writer and a cast member in an undisclosed capacity. The season filmed from January to June 2024. Ted McGinley, who had a recurring role in the first season, was promoted to series regular for the second season. The show was pitched to Apple as a three-season-show, but the creators are open to continue if a fitting story emerges. On October 17, 2024, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a third season, which started filming in mid-February 2025.
Shrinking was released on January 27, 2023, with the first two episodes premiering together and the rest releasing on a weekly basis on Apple TV+. The second season premiered on October 16, 2024.
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 91% approval rating with an average rating of 7.65/10, based on 94 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Shrinking has darker ideas on its mind than its earnest approach can often translate, but Jason Segel and Harrison Ford's sparkling turns make these characters worth close analysis." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 68 out of 100 based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly gave the series a B+ and described the series as "a funny, brainy grief-com about the power—and dangers—of radical honesty." Chicago Sun-Times's Richard Roeper gave a rating of 3.5 out of 4 stars and said, "You never know what goes on behind the scenes, but one gets the feeling Ford is having a great time on this show. We're sure having a great time watching it." Writing for The Wall Street Journal, John Anderson stated, "The overall sense is a little like laughing at a funeral; the human impulses are familiar, a little perverse and somehow comforting."
The second season has received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a 97% approval rating with an average rating of 8.35/10, based on 48 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus states, "Settling into a hangout comedy that's content to luxuriate in these lovable characters' company, Shrinking's appeal only continues to grow in this big-hearted second season." On Metacritic, the season has a score of 75 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".