Though it dives into heavy subjects like grief and depression, 'Shrinking' remains a sitcom at heart -- there are a lot of hugs and a lot of learning. But in Season 2 its characters and growing world offer plenty to get invested in.
Amidst the Streaming deluge of Peak TV, it's easy to miss a show like Shrinking. Even Apple admits that they went overboard with the sheer number of original programs they've pumped out on their streaming service over the past five years, allowing even an attraction like "a sitcom from the creator of Scrubs and starring Harrison Ford" to get lost in the shuffle. Shrinking, from Bill Lawrence, Jason Segel, Brett Goldstein, is no less treacly than Lawrence's previous works, but as it enters its second season, it's developing into his most grown-up. It's a laugh-out-loud series about how self-awareness and emotional intelligence -- traits often lacking in sitcom characters -- may not be enough to save you from your worst impulses.
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This season finds cognitive behavioral therapist and recent widower Jimmy Laird (Jason Segel) reevaluating some of his unconventional treatment methods. Since the start of the series, Jimmy has been ignoring the accepted standards of professional detachment from his patients and getting involved in their lives outside of talk therapy. Sean (Luke Tennie), a traumatized veteran with rage issues, is on the upswing since moving into Jimmy's pool house and opening a food truck. On the other hand, Grace (Heidi Gardner), who Jimmy encouraged to end her marriage, is now in police custody after pushing her abusive husband off a cliff. Now forced to play things a bit more by the book, the emotionally needy therapist must consider whether his deeper therapeutic investment is more helpful for his patients or for himself.
Both textually and subtextually, Shrinking interrogates the distinction between the roles of therapist and friend. Where many comedies are driven by characters' unwillingness to acknowledge or confront their own flaws, these characters are all actively working on themselves and on each other. The key word here is "working." Their conflicts are complex enough that simply articulating their feelings does not, by itself, lead to resolution as they might in a farce or standard romcom. Instead, Jimmy and company have to put in the necessary reps to break destructive patterns and rebuild broken trust in the face of both grounded drama and goofy hijinks.
In its 10-episode first season, Shrinking established an impressive web of unique dynamics between any two members of the regular cast. Gaby (Jessica Williams) is Jimmy's coworker and friend-with-benefits, but also the neglected mentee of their crusty boss Paul (Harrison Ford), godmother to Jimmy's teenage daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell), and semi-ironic bestie with Jimmy's busybody next door neighbor Liz (Christa Miller). The ensemble was so tight-knit, in fact, that it strained credulity and begged the question as to why all of their lives revolve around Jimmy. This season, however, allows more space for each character to develop their own lives apart from Jimmy, which is particularly apt considering how this story arc probes into his self-centeredness and the borderline predatory way he cultivates codependent relationships.
For as much as it benefits from the expectations of a streaming show, like long emotional arcs and plenty of expletives, Shrinking is a sometimes surprisingly old-school sitcom. Despite frequently delving into the heavy subjects of grief and depression, it remains pretty light and un-taxing to watch. There are a lot of hugs and a lot of learning. Characters spend unrealistic amounts of time visiting each others' homes, people talk on the actual phone apps on their phones, and there's often a "moral of the week" (though we are spared the likes of JD's summary narration from Scrubs). Above all -- even the bright, network TV lighting -- what makes Shrinking feel old is its playful musical score by Tom Howe (Ted Lasso), which is very 2000s NBC. Between musical motifs that resemble "Easy Like Sunday Morning" and on-the-nose needle drops from sentimental singer-songwriters, it's a little much.
But, as with any TV comedy, what matters most is the characters, and Shrinking's ever-expanding world has plenty to get invested in. Jimmy, for all his textually-acknowledged faults, is the latest derivation of Jason Segel's lovable grown-up Muppet, always walking a delicate line between world-weary adult and innocent man-child. Jessica Williams' Gaby is the most outright funny character as well as the most emotionally healthy, making her an ideal imaginary dinner guest in classic "appointment TV" fashion. Even two seasons in, there's still novelty left in seeing Harrison Ford play someone so life-sized, and he's a perfect fit for this quiet old man who's only ever pretending to be less silly than those around him.
Luke Tennie, cast in the straight man role opposite Segel last season, gets a few opportunities to shine as the goofball this time around, while Michael Urie -- who plays Jimmy's usually cranked-to-11 best friend -- does a bit of dramatic acting. Ted McGinley, who plays Liz's laid-back retired husband Derek, is promoted from recurring to regular, and while still best enjoyed in small doses, he's also one of the cast's strongest assets, someone who can be tossed into practically any permutation of characters and contribute something funny.
Shrinking was conceived as a three-season show, and over the course of year two, you can definitely project ahead to how the series might wrap up. Whether Apple's current belt-tightening has put this conclusion in jeopardy is yet to be seen, but it would be a shame for this -- surely one of Apple's less expensive programs -- to be cut short. Although, given that this is a show about therapy, it would be oddly appropriate if we were told "That's our time" just as we started getting somewhere.
The first two episodes of Season 2 of 'Shrinking' premiere on Apple TV+ on October 16th.