The story
Still reeling from his wife's death, therapist Jimmy Laird stops playing by the rules and starts telling his patients exactly what he thinks – and getting far more involved in their lives than any therapist should. His blunt experiment ripples through his practice, his strained relationship with his teenage daughter, his colleagues, including the wry veteran Paul, and his nosy neighbours.
Why it matters
Co-created by Ted Lasso's Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein with its star Jason Segel, Shrinking gave Apple TV a warm, funny series about grief, with Harrison Ford as Jimmy's gruff mentor. Pitched as a three-season story, it has been extended with a fourth season that begins a new story with the same cast.
Notable facts
- Its first season earned Emmy nominations for Jason Segel (lead actor) and Jessica Williams (supporting actress). (source)
- The show was pitched to Apple as a three-season series; the fourth season starts 'a new story with the same cast'. (source)
- Michael J. Fox joined the third season as Gerry, a Parkinson's patient Paul meets at the doctor's office. (source)
- The American Film Institute named its second season one of the top ten television programmes of the year. (source)