Josh Reviews Shrinking Season Three

Shrinking was great right out of the gate, and it’s only gotten better. This third season was a magnificent season of television, hilarious and sweet and moving, bringing the stories of all of these characters to a deeply satisfying conclusion.

(The series has been renewed for a fourth season, and creator Bill Lawrence has given some confusing – to me, at least – comments about how the fourth season will start an entirely new story with this same cast. I don’t know exactly what that means. The season three finale was a wonderful conclusion to the show as it’s been to this point, so it works completely as a series finale.  At the same time, I din’t want these stories to be over, and I’d be thrilled to continue following these characters through their life adventures for many more seasons!)

Shrinking has captured, since the start, the best qualities of so many of the best shows created by Bill Lawrence.  (Shrinking was created by Mr. Lawrence, Jason Segel, and Brett Goldstein.)  It’s extremely funny, but also upbeat and life-affirming. The characters feel real, with real emotional stakes to their stories.  This show might make you cry, and it can also be very silly at times.  There’s plenty of plot, but at this point in the show I love all of these characters so much that I don’t crave drama or complications in their stories; I’m delighted to just watch these people hang out and bounce off of one another.  (Ted Lasso, created by Mr. Lawrence along with Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, and Joel Kelly, also struck exactly this same wonderful balance.)

I’ve seen some online chatter that Shrinking has become too much of a hangout show, that they’ve rounded the edges off of these characters too much.  I agree that it iis somewhat hard to believe that at the start of the show, Jimmy was hanging out with sex workers and doing drugs in the house where his teenage daughter was sleeping.  And Sean is such a sweet teddy bear now in season three that it can be hard to remember that he was constantly on the edge of a violent physical outburst when we first met him in season one.  But I don’t mind that these characters have changed; that’s actually the whole point of this show!  It’s about people’s abilities to grow and change if they are willing to do the emotional work.  Every character on this show has been on a journey and has grown and developed since season one. I love that.

Also, this cast is so spectacular, and the writing so sharp, that I am completely happy just watching these characters hang out and banter.  The show really sings in those moments!  Is it a bit of a fantasy that this diverse group of people would all be hanging out together so often, including sitting on the stands to watch Alice’s soccer match?  Perhaps, but I don’t care!!

I have sung the praises of this tremendous cast in my earlier reviews, but it’s worth doing again.  This is an extraordinary ensemble of performers, led by Jason Segel and Harrison Ford.  I have been a fan of Jason Segel’s ever since Freaks and Geeks, and I have followed him through so many great movies (Forgetting Sarah Marshall; I Love You, Man; The Five-Year Engagement; Jeff, Who Lives at Home; The End of the Tour) and TV shows over the years.  His work is always interesting (often with unexpected twists and turns), balancing drama and tremendous humor.  Then there is Harrison Ford, who of course was one of if not my absolute favorite actors of my youth, and who is better in this show than I have seen him be for about two decades.  It is an absolute joy to watch Mr. Ford cut loose here, showing his superb dramatic chops and also his incredible comedic talents.  What an amazing performance!!  Mr. Ford kills in every moment he’s on screen here.  It’s also a pleasure to see him seem to be at peace with his legacy.  The moment when Mr. Ford, as Paul, jauntily walks into his office while singing the Indiana Jones theme might be the greatest moment I’ve seen on TV in years. (It makes me even happier to learn that this was apparently an improv that Mr. Ford came up with himself!!)

I thought Jessica Williams was great ever since I first saw her on The Daily Show, but she’s delivered next level work here as Gabby.  Gabby might have the most dramatic storyline this season, and Ms. Williams is magnificent playing the drama of that journey.  She’s also so funny and charismatic and energetic.  (And I will never get tired of hearing her say Lord of the Raangs!)  I was also familiar with Christa Miller’s work before, mostly from her role as Jordan Sullivan on Scrubs, but she’s operating at a new level here as Liz.  Ms. Miller is able to perfectly modulate her deadpan, often sarcastic line deliveries to make her character so, so funny.  Liz also gets some hefty dramatic material this season, and Ms. Miller kills it.

Luke Tennie continues to be magnetic as Sean.  I found the angry, PTSD suffering Sean who we met in season one to be compelling, and this happy, centered version of Sean in season three is also a joy to watch!  Mr. Tennie’s charisma shines through the screen.  He has such a great smile!  So does Lukita Maxwell, who continues to turn in wonderful work as Alice.  Alice has probably been the most consistently grounded character on the show; I like the way the show has been structured to allow Alice to be the center around whom this group of nutballs circles.  Ms. Maxwell makes it all look effortless.  (Like Paul, Alice appears to be off the show and onto her next stage in life by the end of this season; I hope she’s still involved somehow in season four’s stories!)

Michael Urie wasn’t in the show at the start of season one, but he quickly became a comedic standout.  I can’t imagine this show without Brian!!!  I love that the show allows Brian to continue to be selfish and neurotic.  Mr. Urie’s joy-filled performance keeps Brian lovable and endearing, even when he’s acting badly.  What a great character.  Speaking of great characters: Ted McGinley as Derek!  Wow, I have seen Mr. McGinley in so many things over the years, but he’s never hooked me like he has here as the nearly unflappable Derek.  It was interesting to see this even-keeled character encounter some physical and emotional challenges this season.  Any scene on the show was better if Derek was in it!

I love how Rachel Stubington’s character of Summer was cemented as a part of the ensemble this season!  Summer was perfectly utilized as the comedic button of a scene.  Wendy Malick was always a delight as Julie; she has wonderful chemistry with Harrison Ford’s Paul.  (Though one of my few slivers of complaints with this season was how Wendy was sidelined in the second half of the season.  I wanted to see more of her.  Paul decides to move to Connecticut off-screen, and we never see how Wendy reacts to that.  She’s a working physician, after all!  What did she think about uprooting her practice and her life?)  Damon Wayans Jr. was always a pleasure as Derrick #2; his scenes with Jessica Williams’ Gabby always sparkled.  I liked seeing them get a happy ending together this season!

I liked that Sean’s friend and partner Jorge (Trey Santiago-Hudson) was more a part of the story this season, as was Liz & Derek’s floundering son Matthew (Markus Silbiger).  I was happy to see Brett Goldstein back at the start of the season as Louis, and also glad that they finished that character’s story early in the season and allowed him to move on.

We got to meet Cobie Smulders as Sofi briefly in season two, and it was a pleasure having her be more of a part of season three.  It was fun to see her reunited with her How I Met Your Mother co-star Jason Segel!!  I loved the slightly daffy way she played Sofi.  I was really glad they circled back to her character by the finale,

The two big new guest stars this season were Michael J. Fox as a Parkinsons patient named Gerry, and Jeff Daniels as Jimmy’s dad, Randy.  It was an absolute thrill to see Michael J. Fox back on screen.  What a brilliant idea to have him join this show, in which one of the leads is battling Parkinsons.  I loved every moment he was on the show.  I just wish we’d seen more of him!!  From all the pre-season promotion, I’d expected Mr. Fox to be a more central part of this season, but we only saw him in a few scattered scenes.  So that was a letdown.  But I loved what we got.  Then there was Jeff Daniels, who was note-perfect as Jimmy’s awful dad.  Woof, those scenes were hard to watch.  Mr. Daniels was perfect; showing exactly how Randy can be likable to those who don’t really know him, but so awful to his son.  (Jimmy’s relationship with his dad was one story thread left unresolved at the end of this season; I wonder if they’ll pick that up in season four.)

I thoroughly enjoyed every one of the eleven episodes of Shrinking we got in season three.  I am sad it’s over — the season went by so quickly!!  What a great show.  I am glad we’ll be getting a season four.  I’m not sure what that will look like… will they find a reason to bring Paul back from Connecticut??  But I trust this team, and I can’t wait to see what direction this show, and these characters, go next.