Apple TV+’s “Shrinking” is a comedy-drama series that debuted in January of 2023 (created by Bill Lawrence, Jason Segel, and Brett Goldstein) that’s main focal point is mental health awareness and help.
The show is about a grieving therapist named Jimmy Laird (played by Jason Segel) trying to overcome the loss of his wife. While at the same time trying to rebuild his relationship with his daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell) and helping his clients become better versions of themselves.
Jimmy, unlike different therapists, takes a different approach than the standard “sit down and let your feelings out” style of therapy. He has a very hands-on style of therapy that sets him apart from the rest.
Starting with the positives, the hook of the show of Jimmy’s unorthodox therapy style does a great job of telling and teaching its viewers why therapy and letting your feelings out are so important in the development of one’s character.
For example, Sean (Luke Tennie) is one of Jimmy’s clients who has struggled with violent encounters in his past, which led him to be discharged from the military. To help Sean overcome his violent tendencies, Jimmy takes him to a boxing facility so that he can let his anger out on inanimate objects, which ends up working out.
Furthermore, the show did an excellent job with every character. Everyone feels authentic, like a real person and not an actor playing a role.
For example, Jimmy gets so caught up in helping others with their problems he forgets to care about himself and his problems. Leading to Jimmy’s boss Dr. Paul Rhoades (Harrison Ford) being there to help him.
Speaking of Harrison Ford, he steals the show whenever he’s on screen. He’s a world renowned actor, and he gives such a captivating performance that one could almost forget that he’s Han Solo.
As far as the script goes, this show is written beautifully (which is no surprise as two of the writers also write for the Emmy-award-winning Ted Lasso.) From the light-hearted funny moments to the serious heartfelt ones, nothing feels out of place or cringy, and not a single character is written to be perfect, which makes it that much more relatable to the audience.
As for the soundtrack of the show, it is predominantly very soft and soothing, almost like a therapist’s office. Then in moments of happiness or improvement, more upbeat music plays to capture its audience.
Although the show has many great qualities there is one main issue that the show struggles with and it is the unrealistic pacing of how quickly someone overcomes mental health issues.
There are times throughout the season when a character is taught a lesson at the beginning of an episode, and before going through any therapy they are a changed person which makes the therapy parts of the show sometimes feel superfluous. That is something many viewers dislike because they want to see the characters be imperfect and make mistakes.
Luckily the show has been renewed for a second season, so maybe they can correct this issue.
For those who want to watch something about mental health that isn’t too depressing or intense, something that will make you laugh and cry give “Shrinking” a try.