Starring: Jason Segel, Jessica Williams, Harrison Ford, Christa Miller, Ted McGinley, Lukita Maxwell, Jeff Daniels, Michael Urie, Luke Tennie, Brett Goldstein, Damon Wayans, Jr., Michael J. Fox, Wendie Malick, Lily Rabe
Three seasons into Shrinking, you can forgive it its trespasses because it creates a sense of family within its characters. Sure, they can simply walk into each other's houses without knocking at the door, but we care about them warts and all. They grow on you.
At the start, we meet psychiatrist Dr. Jimmy Laird (Segel) who numbs the pain of losing his wife in a car wreck with drugs and prostitutes. His daughter Alice (Maxwell) barely speaks to him because Jimmy essentially left her to fend for herself with her own grieving. Jimmy works for Dr. Paul Rhoades (Ford), a gruff, sometimes irascible straight-shooter who suffers from Parkinson's Disease. Jimmy's other colleague is Gaby (Williams), herself going through a divorce and a strained relationship with her mother. One day, Jimmy decides to deal with his patients in most unorthodox manners, such as a former solider with PTSD named Sean (Tennie), who punches first and asks questions later.
Jimmy's concerned and well-meaning neighbors are Liz (Miller) and Derek (McGinley), with Liz being more outspoken and Derek coming off as a truly kind man. All of these characters interact regularly, with Louis Winston, the drunk driver who killed Jimmy's wife in the accident, attempting to shoehorn his way into Jimmy's life by apologizing. Is he able to succeed? The answer may surprise you in touching ways.
Over three seasons, there are too many characters and subplots to encapsulate without driving yourself mad. So, the review is meant to capture the overall feel of the show. It's breezy and doesn't bog itself with heaviness even in the midst of tragic developments. The more dramatic moments are still light without treading lightly. Even when the characters behave badly, they aren't mean and they maintain their likability. Some of the repeated joke themes can be tiresome, but by then everyone is on to the next joke or situation. I'm no therapist, and Shrinking is probably as accurate about psychiatry as Rocky is about boxing, but it sure makes you feel good to watch.
