‘Shrinking’ Season 2 series review: Tears of laughter rain down on second season of Jason Segel’s Harrison Ford tragicomedy

A still from ‘Shrinking’ Season 2 | Image credit: Apple TV

Season 1 of Shrinkswhich follows the life of therapist Jimmy Laird (Jason Segel), ended with one of his patients, Grace (Heidi Gardner), pushing her toxic, abusive husband, Donny (Tilky Jones), off a cliff. She is in jail awaiting trial. Jimmy feels responsible because after the death of his wife, Tia (Lilan Bowden) in an accident, he spiraled out of control and told his patients exactly what he felt, including telling Grace to “boop” Donny.

One of the joys of Shrinks are the people around Jimmy – including his daughter, Alice (Lukita Maxwell), colleague, Gaby (Jessica Williams), mentor, Paul (Harrison Ford), neighbors, Liz (Christa Miller) and Derek, (Ted McGinley) and best friend, Brian ( Michael Urie) – are well-written and have a rich life.

Sean (Luke Tennie), Jimmy’s patient and houseguest, is doing well with his food truck, but still has unresolved issues with his father, Tim (Kenajuan Bentley). The therapists at the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center also have their problems. Paul, who has difficulty letting people into his life, must deal with the loss of control due to Parkinson’s disease. Gaby is an inveterate caregiver and always helps everyone but herself. This trait gets in the way of her relationship with Derrick #2 (Damon Wayans Jr.), who as she says “wants her but doesn’t need her”.

Liz, the incorrigible organizer, suffers from a crisis of confidence that almost drives her into the arms of an ex-boyfriend. Derek, meanwhile, who was always dismissed as a lightweight, actually comes across as having depth, proving that each person is the hero of their story. Paul admits to having feelings for his hot neurologist girlfriend, Julie (Wendie Malick) and breaks up with his first wife. Julie’s husband suffers from dementia, and in one of the many touching scenes in the show, Paul takes Julie to visit her husband.

A still from ‘Shrinking’ Season 2 | Photo credit: Apple TV

Shrinks is also about parenting – Jimmy feels like he let Alice down, Paul feels guilty about being largely absent as his daughter, Meg (Lily Rabe) grew up, and Liz, though she loves her three sons to bits, wants them would become adults. Gaby doesn’t know how to tell her mother, Phyllis (Vernee Watson), that she shouldn’t be moving in with her.

There’s Brian and his partner, Charlie (Devin Kawaoka), who are planning to have a baby, even though Brian doesn’t know if he’s ready. Alice, in addition to the usual teenage problems, also has to deal with being “the girl who lost her mother” and having everyone act differently from her. Into this powder keg of emotions comes Louis (Brett Goldstein), the drunk driver responsible for Tia’s death. Is he looking for forgiveness or is he trying to explain what happened that fateful night. And shouldn’t he be in prison? Season 3 will hopefully reveal more about the fatal car accident.

Shrinking approach to grief and forgiveness of oneself is empathetic and witty. It’s a show you can laugh and cry with. There are heavy-duty takeaways wrapped in a warm hug. The acting is extraordinary – from Segel’s goofy vulnerability to Ford’s Paul, whose bark is so much worse than his bite; Shrinks is populated by an incredible cast that brings all these sharply written characters to life. The finale with Paul’s emotional speech is the cherry on the cake. Poof.

Shrinking is currently streaming on Apple TV+