by Aaron Schweitzer, Editor
It’s no secret out there that Ted Lasso is one of the best TV shows currently on air. But Ted Lasso is only one show out of a plethora of critically acclaimed TV shows that Apple has come out with. With shows like Servant, Pachinko, Mythic Quest, Schmigadoon!, The Afterparty, and many more, there is a good argument to be made that Apple is making the best original content out there. As a Ted Lasso and Scrubs stan, when I found out about the newest Bill Lawrence show, Shrinking, it shot up to my most anticipated new show of 2023.
There’s a lot more to love than just Bill Lawrence’s name attached as a co-creator, however. Other notable people to be excited about being involved with the show are other co-creators/writers: Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent, and co-creator of Ted Lasso) and Jason Segel. Segel also takes it upon himself to be the lead in this show, alongside acting talents like Harrison Ford, Christa Miller, and Ted McGinley. Additionally, there are some cast members who I was unfamiliar with before, but I found endearing, such as Jessica Williams, Luke Tennie, Michael Urie, and Lukita Maxwell.
The show revolves around Jimmy (Segel), who lost his wife in a car accident. Jimmy is a therapist, but his work in the office does not translate to his home life. He is introduced as an alcoholic who is sleeping around with prostitutes, and has an estranged relationship with his daughter Alice (Maxwell). Paul (Ford) is Jimmy’s boss, and Gaby (Williams) their co-worker and Jimmy’s wife’s best friend. Each of our main characters is struggling with their own issues and handling them differently. Jimmy finally hits a breaking point and decides since helping others drives him, he is going to try a more experimental form of therapy and be more direct with his patients, as opposed to being patient and working on their timeline.
All shows should have great stories and characters, but Lawrence shows bring an extra level of comedy and heart. Let’s start with the stories, because Shrinking is more along the lines of Scrubs than Ted Lasso. While Ted Lasso is character-centric but also story-driven, Scrubs simply tells character arcs in a common social circle. Shrinking is more of the latter, where there isn’t really much of a plot happening, but you are seeing how each of our characters handles their own grief and overcoming. It’s certainly more story-driven than something like Friends or It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but don’t go expecting more Ted Lasso. Interestingly enough, Shrinking does feel like the second season of Ted Lasso, but if it were from Dr. Sharon’s perspective.
As far as characters go, nobody does it better than Lawrence. Add in Goldstein and TV veteran Segel, and they’ve crafted a group of people that I want to hang out with, even if not much is happening. Even though the story takes place in Pasadena, California, I think there is someone here for everyone to latch onto. Segel is great, as usual, and has great chemistry with Ford, for whom it’s refreshing to see in a role that he actually cares about again. To me, though, the quality of TV characters can be determined by its secondary and tertiary people. Miller plays the gossipy neighbor who is annoying yet somehow endearing, her husband Derek (McGinley) steals the show in every scene he is in, and Gaby quickly became my favorite character to follow. The cast all works together where you can have any two or three characters on screen at a time, and it just works. Not all shows can say that.
In terms of comedy, this show feels different, because unlike previous shows mentioned, Shrinking isn’t going for the big laughs. I’m not even sure it’s going for chuckles. I did find moments funny, and I belly laughed once or twice, but that’s a pretty low percentage given the people involved. I think it is trying to be more serious than others, and it just works. It still manages to be a comedy, but it focus on the characters rather than your reaction to them.
And while this show has a ton of heart, it never quite reaches peaks. And I am not saying that as a negative; it is quite refreshing. It is obvious the arc for this show has a larger scope than 10 episodes. Total cry counter for the season was one, and it was in the season finale. I had a conversation with Aaron Dicer recently about The Last of Us, and specifically Episode Five, “Endure and Survive.” His argument was that he hated the episode because it felt like emotional manipulation. The whole point of the two-episode arc was to get you in a place of complete pain at the end of it. I think it is easy for shows, especially with this subject matter attached, to feel like it is going for the same thing. They only want to show us characters in pain so we can cry with them and then forget that that was even a part of them. Maybe This is Us’ later seasons deserve that reputation. Instead of being like a soap opera, Shrinking feels so real and un-elevated. It works really well and never feels like a chore to watch. You can easily binge it and not in a “tub of ice cream and oversized blanket” kind of way.
Overall, I think this is a great start to the series. It ends in a way that left me satisfied but still wanting more. It also ends with a big moment that both comes out of nowhere, and was there all along. I think this has been a pretty quiet success, and I hope by the time Season Two comes along, we’ll all be anticipating it as much as we have been Ted Lasso.
Score 9/10
Shrinking is currently streaming on Apple TV+
You can read more from Aaron Schweitzer, and follow him on Twitter and Letterboxd