commentary
Like Apple TV’s other hit “Ted Lasso,” this show’s community of mending hearts gives us something to believe in
Published
February 7, 2026 1:30PM (EST)
Harrison Ford and Lukita Maxwell in “Shrinking” (Apple TV)
Recently, I spent too much time trying to figure out if it ever rains on “Shrinking.” The answer is yes, but infrequently. Two episodes into its third season, Jimmy Laird (played by co-creator Jason Segel) and his crew have yet to experience a day of inclement weather in their version of Pasadena. That doesn’t mean they aren’t weathering any storms.
As psychologists, Jimmy and his co-workers Gaby (Jessica Williams) and Paul (Harrison Ford) dedicate themselves to helping their clients manage the weight of the world. As friends, each is a vital component of the other’s emotional scaffolding, a mechanism that wouldn’t exist if not for a tragedy. Jimmy and his daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell) still grapple with the recent loss of his wife and her mother, Tia. Gaby has embraced the Lairds’ next-door neighbors, Liz (Christa Miller) and Derek (Ted McGinley), as members of her extended family, which never would have happened if Tia hadn’t died.
Inviting us to sit down with a show about mental health professionals mending their spirits is group therapy on a massive scale in a time of diagnosable disorder.
But mourning her best friend’s death, and the end of her marriage, is stalling out Gaby’s new relationship with, yes, another Derrick (Damon Wayans Jr.).
Then we have Paul, a late-career therapist who loves his work and his new wife and former neurologist Julie (Wendie Malick). Paul also has Parkinson’s disease, and his symptoms are worsening. A chance meeting with a fellow Parkinson’s patient, Gerry (Michael J. Fox), and a bout of hallucinations are pushing him toward a series of solemn realizations. Life as he currently knows it cannot go on.
Over the last decade and a half, the critic’s role has evolved from that of an arbiter to a kind of prescriber. This is a consequence of personalized entertainment streams; people care less about whether a professional deems a show to be good than whether they might enjoy it. My peers would say we’ve always served that purpose, but sorting wheat from chaff isn’t the same as steering someone toward shows that are not simply satisfying but palliative. “Breaking Bad” and “The Wire” are among the best of the best TV shows, but I can only imagine sadists watching either for a mood boost.
To this day, I know people who pop “Ted Lasso” episodes like uppers, especially to cope with the assortment of traumas this administration is inflicting on us. (If you count yourself in that number, good news: An updated formula — or in layman’s terms, a fourth season — will be released sometime this summer.) “Shrinking” executive producers and co-creators Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein also work together on that surprise curative,