Shrinking series is about therapists. These good therapists need empathic healing in their lives too. As they deal with their personal and professional issues in a hilarious way.
The name of this series is taken from the word Shrink; as the word Shrink means the Psychiatrist. As you all know, a psychotherapist is a doctor who is trained to treat people with mental illness. So in this show, Paul (Harrison Ford) leads a team of three psychiatrists, which includes Jimmy (Jason Segel) and Gaby (Jessica Williams) in this comedy-drama.
Synopsis (summary) of the Shrinking (S1/2023) Series
A grieving therapist Jimmy (Jason Segel) starts to break the rules by telling his clients exactly what he thinks.
Please Note:- We have mentioned in our recent article, that it is one of the top ten shows of the year 2023, so far.
Spoilers Free review of the Shrinking (S1/2023) Series
All of us have faced problems and adversities in our lives. These bad situations can arise either in our personal and/or professional lives. And there is no escape. So, we all have to deal with these challenges. Moreover, all of us take our own sweet time to recover from such setbacks. After all, we all are humans. And to err is human.
Complicated lives of the three therapists
These three therapists (Paul, Jimmy and Gaby) in this show are no different; they too are facing complications in their lives. The pain and grief have no easy quick fixes.
Jimmy (Jason Segel) is grieving the untimely death of his wife for an extended period. Then, one fine day, Jimmy decides to break free and junk all the theoretical learnings and professional ethics to treat the mental issues that his patients are dealing with. In a sudden change, Jimmy starts offering his honest and unfiltered opinions to his patients.
So, his blunt advice (s) started having a profound change in his patients’ lives.
Both Paul (Harrison Ford) and Gaby (Jessica Williams) are facing troubles in their lives too. But unlike Jimmy, both of them continue to maintain highly qualified Shrinks’ behaviour with their patients. In this series, the stories of family members, friends, patients, clients, and other characters are interesting, to say the least.
The conclusion
After taking Jimmy’s suggestions seriously in the therapy sessions, some of the patients thrive while others fail and falter. Therefore, in this therapeutic light-hearted story about life, we loved the comedic flair of Harrison Ford along with that of his team members Jason Segal and Jessica Williams. All three of them have done a very good acting job in it. It is a good light-hearted comedy show.
Ratings of this 2023 comedy show about the three therapists
| FM’s rating | 4.05/5 |
| Rotten Tomatoes ratings as of the date | 91% Tomatometer & 87% Audience Score |
| Critics Consensus / Rotten Tomatoes | It 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. |
Spoilers Alert – bonus info. about the 3 therapists
Focus on therapist Paul Rhodes’ story in this show
About Paul (Harrison Ford) – the 1st therapist
Although Paul (Harrison Ford) enjoys a close and honest rapport with Alice, Jimmy’s daughter; he has a distant and complicated bond with his daughter, Meg (Lily Rabe) in the show. After his divorce, apparently, Paul was an absentee father to his daughter. So he finds it really difficult to reconnect with Meg.
Then there is a medical condition, Paul has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. And he finds it really difficult to share his medical problems with Meg. In the end, he manages to find a way to get closer to Meg as well as get romantically involved with his attractive Doctor. It is interesting to note that the character of Paul (Harrison Ford) was based on a real-life Psychotherapist Phil Stutz.
And Netflix along with Jonah Hill made a documentary titled – Stutz (2022) about him.
Focus on therapist Jimmy’s story in this show
About Jimmy (Jason Segel) – the 2nd therapist
Jimmy (Jason Segel) is a therapist who finds it difficult to mourn the loss of his wife. As a single dad, he distances himself from his only daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell) and that further complicates his relationship with her. Although he belatedly tries to reconnect with his daughter, the distance and awkwardness between the two have widened considerably.
Later, we come to know that his boss Paul and neighbour Liz have stepped in to take care of his daughter Alice. Taking a new approach, Jimmy starts getting involved in the lives of his patients with his unfiltered and uncensored suggestions. And as expected, all of his advice leads to comical situations – both light-hearted ones as well as dark comedic ones.
Focus on therapist Gaby’s story in this show
About Gaby (Jessica Williams) – the 3rd therapist
The second therapist Gaby (Jessica Williams) decided to divorce his husband and it complicates her life further. In this time of personal crisis, she gets close to Jimmy. She even forgets that Jimmy’s late wife was her best friend. No doubt, lots of drama and comedy follow, as both of them try very very hard to keep their newfound relationship, a secret from everyone.
In case, there is a second season of this show, then we shall find out more about the direction of their affairs – the heady cocktail of personal and professional relationships.
Poster of Shrinking (S1/2023) Series
Key details about this 2023 comedy show about the three therapists
| Genre | Comedy, Drama |
| Age-restrictions | A (18+) |
| Released | January 2023 |
| Season | One (1) |
| Episodes | Ten (10) |
| Writers / Creators | Jason Segel, Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein |
| Cast | Harrison Ford, Jason Segel, Jessica Williams, Lukita Maxwell, Luke Tennie, Christa Miller, Michael Urie, etc. |
| Awards / Nominations | Primetime Emmy Awards – 2023 Nominee Primetime Emmy Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series – Jason Segel Primetime Emmy Awards – 2023 Nominee Primetime Emmy Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – Jessica Williams |
| Network | Apple TV+ |
Trailer of Shrinking (S1/2023) Series
Featured & Other Images: Shrinking (2023) Series scene | Apple TV+.