Innumerable contributing factors make AppleTV+’s Ted Lasso paramount to fans and critics alike. Whether it’s the series’ wholesome approach to life’s wrenches, the witty banter, or the emotional depth, people can find tremendous joy in it no matter what lens they’re watching with. Since its premiere during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, it’s been a cleansing balm on television, with people asking for more shows like it left and right. And because we now know that the series will likely score its final goal in its upcoming third season, viewers will need something with as much heart to hold them over with.
Developed by Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence and writer/actor Brett Goldstein along with lead Jason Segel, Apple TV’s newest comedy, Shrinking, is the answer to the outcries. It’s the show that fans of Ted Lasso should watch, knowing what the writers are capable of, as well as its innovative, emotionally overflowing premise. As a series that centers around therapy, with plenty of heart and humor at every turn, its character journeys and astounding cast make it essential viewing. Shrinking is set to air with a double episode premiere on January 27, with new episodes coming weekly.
Therapy is a Key Plot Point
The last few years have shown an increase in media attempting to break stigmas around mental health, and like Ted Lasso, Shrinking is no exception. In fact, the series embraces therapy from the jump as its key narrative plot point. Shrinking follows Segel’s Jimmy, a therapist whose own grief and inability to process his pain change his ways despite the reservations of people around him. By placing such a substantial topic centerfold, it’s imperative that everyone on and off-screen handles the theme with the grace and meticulous care necessary.
And in its debut season, this is undoubtedly the case, which fans could also rely on for future seasons considering the reputation Lawrence and Goldstein have fortified as writers on Ted Lasso. Shrinking flips the switch on therapy with unconventional turns, but it does so with grief as its overarching universal theme to ensure that viewers will also find means of connecting to the struggles. Whether it's the patients the therapists each see or their own moments of vulnerability in break rooms or outside of the office, the conversations on the show deal with various wrangles.
It's Heartwarming
Apple TV+
The best part about Shrinking is the show's undeniably heartwarming essence despite its crude humor and dark narratives at times. The show makes a clear statement about the importance of connecting human beings through laughter while reiterating that a person's inner battles are seldom on full display. It's a tale as old as time to acknowledge that those who appear to be the happiest are often the ones struggling the most. And Shrinking confirms that though the series orbits around grief, it's a story about healing at the end of the day. The series also accomplishes the steady, attentive task of establishing that all classifications of relationships matter. It substantiates that talking things through can be tremendously patching even when instantaneous fruition doesn't occur.
The show takes an iconic star like Harrison Ford, whose sardonic approach on and off-screen is the perfect paradigm to exhibit how much heart dwells beyond the gruffest exteriors. Ford's Paul is battling his demons with Parkinson's disease while concurrently trying to make sure that Jimmy and the people around him stay afloat. The series allows the star to dip his feet deep into the pools of comedy with some incredibly meme-worthy moments while simultaneously entitling him with the platform to bring appropriately timed and thoroughly poignant bouts of vulnerability.
Character Journeys Feel Earned
As the series progresses, viewers will get to peel away at nearly every character's layers to find them in places that feel incredibly relatable. Tia's loss, played expertly in flashbacks by Lilian Bowden, doesn't merely affect Jimmy and their daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell), but it plays a prodigious role in Gabby's (Jessica Williams) life as well as Liz's (Christa Miller). As Tia's best friend and their next-door neighbor, Gabby and Liz navigate through the loss of their friend while simultaneously trying to be a source of comfort for both Jimmy and Alice. The estranged relationships on the show, like with Jimmy's best friend Michael Urie's Brian, all contribute to giving the characters a means to connect with each other after a loss that none of them will stop feeling the effects of.
At the same time, newer people into the lives of these characters, like Luke Tennie's Sean and the regular clients the therapists have, each showcase that growth is seldom a linear path. The series brings healing to the surface through both failed attempts and small breakthroughs, revealing that every character's journey is significant to showcase that everyone's a little messed up from something in life. The inclusion of therapy as its driving narrative force with complex characters front and center allows Shrinking to shine a light on the detail that despite the pain, help is not only available, but it's neither a weakness nor something to be ashamed about — it's merely a part of life. And amidst its laugh-out-loud sharp humor, Shrinking throws the kind of emotionally drenched bones that are consequential for proper growth.