Apple TV+ Original Series Presents Shrinking Season 1 Review By Ryan Balkwill

Genre: Drama, Comedy

Created by Bill Lawrence &; Jason Segel &; Brett Goldstein

Starring: Jason Segel, Jessica Williams, Luke Tennie, Michael Urie, Lukita Maxwell, Christa Miller & Harrison Ford.

Composer: Tom Howe

Executive producers: Bill Lawrence, Jason Segel, Brett Goldstein, Neil Goldman, Jeff Ingold, Liza Katzer, James Ponsoldt, Randall Keenan Winston

Producer: Kip Kroeger

Production companies: 3 Chance Productions; Corporate Mandate; Doozer Productions; Warner Bros. Television

Distributor: Apple TV+

Plot: A grieving therapist starts to break the rules by telling his clients exactly what he thinks. Jimmy has lost his wife and wants to try a new approach to his loss, but it is unclear how this will help others.

Season 1 of Shrinking was Great.

Pros: The dry humour was the first thing that I really liked about this show. Jason Segel did so well to portray a man who’s struggling to move on with his life.  As well as working with Harrison Ford because they bounce off each other so well. And I like the message the show is giving “times are rough, but you can over come them with your loved ones”.      

Cons: The antics from Luke Tennie’s character failed to make me laugh. and at certain times some of the jokes fall flat.

Casts & Characters:

Main:

  • Jason Segel as Jimmy Laird, a therapist grieving the death of his wife
  • Jessica Williams as Gaby, a fellow therapist working with Jimmy at the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center
  • Luke Tennie as Sean, a patient suffering from anger management issues who has sessions with Jimmy
  • Michael Urie as Brian, Jimmy’s best friend who is a lawyer
  • Lukita Maxwell as Alice, Jimmy’s teenage daughter with whom he shares a strained relationship
  • Christa Miller as Liz, Jimmy’s next-door neighbor who also helps with looking after Alice
  • Harrison Ford as Dr. Paul Rhoades, a senior therapist and colleague of Jimmy’s at the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center who has Parkinson’s disease.

Recurring:

  • Ted McGinley as Derek, Liz’s husband
  • Heidi Gardner as Grace, one of Jimmy’s patients
  • Lilan Bowden as Tia, Jimmy’s wife and Alice’s mother who died in a car accident
  • Kimberly Condict as Wally, one of Jimmy’s patients who has obsessive–compulsive disorder
  • Devin Kawaoka as Charlie, Brian’s fiancé
  • Rachel Stubington as Summer, Alice’s best friend at school
  • Lily Rabe as Meg, Paul’s daughter
  • Wendie Malick as Dr. Julie Baram, a neurologist treating Paul’s Parkinson’s disease
  • Tilky Jones as Donny, Grace’s abusive boyfriend

Guest:

  • Asif Ali as Alan, one of Jimmy’s patients
  • Miriam Flynn as Pam, Jimmy and Liz’s heavily disliked neighbor
  • Gavin Lewis as Connor, the son of neighbors Liz and Derek, and friend of Alice
  • Neil Flynn as Raymond, one of Paul’s patients

I highly recommend watching this series on Apple TV+.

Rating: 9 out of 10 Stars

Ryan Balkwill:

Resident TV reviewer,

Level Best Art Café

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