Shrinking Review: A Thorny But Charming Dramedy With Depth
Perhaps because of a few of the names involved, it's hard not to watch the first season of the new Apple TV+ dramedy "Shrinking" and not think of "Ted Lasso." Like "Ted Lasso, "Shrinking" is co-created by Bill Lawrence (of "Scrubs" and "Cougar Town"), and one of its other co-creators and co-writers is Roy f**king Kent himself, Brett Goldstein. And like "Ted Lasso," the lead character of "Shrinking" is trying hard to keep a positive mindset about him even as his personal life is spiraling. But "Shrinking" steps pretty far away from the delightfully and mercilessly positive "Ted Lasso" early on. Despite a somewhat rough pilot episode, "Shrinking" soon becomes one of the strongest, most charming, and winning shows Apple TV+ has offered to date.
Though an American football coach hired to coach an English football (AKA soccer) team has his own emotional problems, they don't compare to those of Jimmy Laird, who we meet in the middle of the night, playing air piano to Billy Joel while coked out and carousing with a pair of sex workers; as is made evident by his frustrated neighbor's reaction, this is far from unusual behavior from Jimmy, either. Jimmy is played by the show's third creator, Jason Segel, who has a face made for playing down-in-the-dumps sad sacks. (There's a good self-aware joke about this in one episode, where Jimmy acknowledges that he can't help but look sad even when he's happy for someone.) Jimmy is roughly a year removed from the death of his wife, which has sent him to rock bottom. For that year, he's been largely getting high and drunk, leaving the parenting of his teenage daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell) to that aforementioned and overly friendly neighbor Liz (Christa Miller), pushing away his best friend Brian (Michael Urie), and going through the dazed motions as a therapist to the dismay of his colleagues Gaby and Paul (Jessica Williams and Harrison Ford). But his newest patient, ex-soldier Sean (Luke Tennie), inadvertently inspires Jimmy to be a "psychological vigilante" and be more direct with his patients.
That, at least, is the general setup of "Shrinking" in its pilot episode, which very quickly and smoothly transforms itself into a series not too dissimilar from the aforementioned "Cougar Town": a hangout show. Even the notion of Jimmy as a psychological vigilante — first with him point-blank telling one of his patients to leave her emotionally abusive husband or she can't be his patient anymore — diminishes throughout the season, as if the writing staff is as disinterested in that concept as anyone watching would be. It would be wrong to say there aren't emotional stakes in this show, but they're far less pronounced as the first season of "Shrinking" progresses. (The first nine episodes have been made available to critics for advance review.) In spite of early tensions, such as those between Gaby and Liz, or secret friendships (like the faux-paternal one between Alice and Paul), "Shrinking" finds its strengths in letting a very charismatic ensemble bounce off each other in unexpected pairings and groupings, allowing the humor to naturally flourish.
A winning role for Harrison Ford
Of course, a large part of the selling point of "Shrinking" is Harrison Ford, now appearing in his second TV series in just the last few months, alongside the "Yellowstone" prequel "1923." Here, Ford is low-key and deadpan, in a role that is a more laid-back riff on a character dynamic from another Lawrence show, Scrubs. There, lead character J.D. was mentored by the grouchy but lovable Dr. Cox. Here, Jimmy already treats Paul as his mentor, even though the latter would sometimes rather be left alone in his so-called "fortress of solitude." His colleagues know he's been diagnosed with Parkinson's, but don't even know if he lives in an apartment or a house; unsurprisingly, personal details become more gradually revealed throughout the season as Paul becomes more emotionally available to his friends and family. Ford ends up fitting in very nicely with the rest of the ensemble, his innately dry delivery fitting in very well in situations that go against the image of him as an ultimate hero, whether it's trying Fun Dip for the first time, learning about the romantic concept of "safe d***", or (perhaps inevitably) getting high.
"Shrinking," like the other shows mentioned here, is largely so enjoyable in part because it ends up eschewing its initial setup. "Ted Lasso" starts by seeming like it will primarily be a wacky fish-out-of-water comedy about how lost the title character is overseas because of how little knowledge he has of European football, before revealing itself as a defter character study. "Cougar Town" (goofy title aside) ends up being less about age-gap relationships and more about burgeoning friendships. The pilot episode of "Shrinking" — written by the three creators and directed by James Ponsoldt — is shakiest because it waits a little bit of time to fully explain some of the gaps. The image of Segel air-piano-playing to the opening prelude of Billy Joel's "Angry Young Man" is how the show begins, waiting until near the final moments to reveal that Jimmy is a widower; we start with Jimmy at a low point but also seeming like a genuinely terrible person. It's to Segel's credit as much as the writers' credit that Jimmy becomes vastly more likable very quickly. Part of that is through his relationship with his new patient Sean; the initial connection that Jimmy makes with him is tenuous at best. But by the time the younger man's defenses are lowered, the show gets stronger.
It helps that "Shrinking" is bursting to the seams with an immensely talented ensemble cast. It's no surprise that Miller and Williams are so funny (and delightful when paired together, which is thankfully often). Some of the supporting players know how and when to get big laughs from not much dialogue, too. And the younger cast (Tennie and Maxwell particularly) are also a lot of fun while showcasing important dramatic depth. The best thing you can say about a hangout show is that you genuinely want to spend more time with the characters. And that's exceedingly true of "Shrinking." It's a lot like "Cougar Town," especially in a couple of ways — there's a fair amount of drinking, it's laugh-out-loud funny, its pilot is a bit shaky, and its title is a bit goofy. But the end result is worth it.
"Shrinking" premieres on Apple TV+ on January 27.