A day after the premiere of Shrinking Season 2, Apple TV+ has officially announced that the series has been renewed for a third season. Debuting in 2023, the therapy-based dramedy starring Jason Segel, Jessica Williams, and Harrison Ford was an instant hit with critics and fans, holding a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and earning two Primetime Emmy nominations.
Per The Wrap, Apple TV+’s decision to renew Shrinking for a third season was an easy one for Matt Cherniss, the streamer’s Head of Programming, who is excited about what the series has become, and where it’s going. In a statement released today, he touted the incredible characters created by Bill Lawrence, co-creator of another Apple TV+ hit, Ted Lasso, mentioning that it’s been quite an experience seeing audiences take to them so quickly.
“It has been wonderful to watch audiences around the world fall in the love with the memorable characters and rich world that Bill, Brett and Jason have created in Shrinking. We are incredibly excited for viewers to see where life takes Jimmy, Paul, Liz, Gabby, Alice, Sean, Brian and Derek, next as they continue on their moving, heartwarming and very funny journey in season three.”
Lawrence echoed those sentiments in his own statement, adding that he’s extremely grateful to continue working with all involved in the series, and to Apple and Warner Bros. for having the faith to move forward with another season.
“I’m so lucky to work on ‘Shrinking’ with actors, writers and a crew so talented that they all elevate the material. I’m even luckier that they are people I’d want to spend time with anyway. Huge thanks to Apple TV+ and Warner Bros. for the amazing partnership and support. So grateful we get to keep making this show. Onward!”
Why Has Shrinking Resonated So Well With Audiences?
On the surface, Shrinking seems pretty straight-forward in its approach, featuring a therapist dealing with his own grief over the death of his wife, and how it affects both his personal and professional life. That’s what makes it so appealing, though. As a society which puts mental health professionals up on some sort of pedestal that we look to when we have problems, it’s easy to forget that they’re three-dimensional people, too. People that, outside the office, have their own lives and issues that they deal with on a regular basis. Shrinking brings them down to our level, and makes them relatable by asking: Who helps the helpers?
Segel’s character of Jimmy Laird is all of us, really, and it’s his vulnerability and unorthodox methods that made us fall in love with him in the first place, because he says all the things we wish we could say. Coupled with the fact that he’s now a single father (another trait many can relate to), when paired with Ford’s Dr. Paul Rhoades – who is struggling with his own mortality and prefers a more pragmatic approach to life – the duo manage to create magic as polar opposites of one another.
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The addition of Williams’ Gaby and all the colorful patients that Jimmy has to deal with only serves to add more heart to the series, which makes it a fantastic exploration of the human condition. Needless to say, it’s easy to see why Apple TV+ decided to keep it in its arsenal for at least once more season.