REVIEW: ‘Shrinking’ Season 3 Feels Like a Heartfelt Goodbye
- Emma Fisher
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
This article contains spoilers for Shrinking Season 3.
If Season 1 of Shrinking was focused on grief, and Season 2 on forgiveness, then Season 3 is about moving forward and all that this entails.
Continuing from the events of last season’s finale, Jimmy (Jason Segel) is still very much “Jimmy-ing,” code for avoiding CBT practices, conducting therapy in his own way by integrating himself into his patients’ lives, and breaking ethical guidelines along the way. He is also regularly meeting with Louis (Brett Goldstein), the man revealed to have killed his wife, Tia (Lilan Bowden), in a car accident, helping him confront his guilt and attempt to start over. Paul (Harrison Ford) can no longer avoid the harsh reality of his Parkinson’s and deteriorating health, while Gaby (Jessica Williams) begins to look towards her personal and professional future. The biggest change of all initially appears set to affect Alice (Lukita Maxwell), who is preparing to head to college, a transition Jimmy is not ready for, even as his daughter eagerly anticipates the next phase of her life after a difficult school experience following her mother’s death.
The greatest strength of Shrinking has always been its ensemble. It’s almost impossible to pick a favourite character or performance, because just as you settle on one, someone else steals the next scene. Harrison Ford, in particular, delivers some of his finest work this season. His portrayal of Paul remains sharp and funny, yet this turns increasingly devastating as Parkinson’s begins to impact every aspect of his life, from tremors spreading bilaterally, to hallucinations, to a fall that leaves him reliant on a cane. For a man who has defined himself almost entirely by his work, a struggle he faces in Season 3 comes from the possibility of losing his purpose. Some of the season’s most affecting scenes unfold through his connection to Gerry (Michael J. Fox), who inadvertently forces Paul to confront not only his mortality but also his legacy. Their conversations, often full of gallows humour, ultimately push Paul towards a decision that is felt throughout the rest of the season, reshaping his relationships, his career, and the show itself.
Ford is not the only highlight. Jason Segel continues to lead the show with a performance that can blindside you, particularly in moments when grief overtakes him unexpectedly or when he is desperately trying not to dampen Alice’s final months at home. Jimmy is stuck, clinging to the safety of what he has already survived and to memories of Tia, terrified of what moving forward might cost him. Segel’s portrayal of grief has always been earnest, so Season 3 adds a new layer to this, a growing fear that loving again means signing up for another ending he may not survive.
There are two additions to the cast whose storylines centre on Jimmy. The first is Cobie Smulders, who returns as Sofi, the divorcee who sold Jimmy the yellow Mini Cooper for Alice’s eighteenth birthday last season. The pair hit it off immediately, even if neither was quite ready to explore where that chemistry might lead. It’s rare for actors so closely associated with iconic roles, as Segel and Smulders are with Marshall and Robin from How I Met Your Mother, which rarely explored what they could do together, to reunite and be seen entirely as new characters. They manage this with ease, creating a relationship that feels natural rather than nostalgia bait. As in Season 2, their chemistry is immediate, grounded in mutual awkwardness rather than the sweeping romance one may hope for after they have been widowed or left an incompetent partner (though there is something undeniably romantic about that). It’s telling that other characters, including Paul, notice how well they fit almost instantly, often recognised after Sofi has shared a joke at exactly the wrong moment. The result is a pairing audiences will want to root for, even if the journey is far from smooth sailing.
The second is Jeff Daniels, who guest stars as Randy, Jimmy’s father. As one of only two family members Alice has left, Jimmy tries to support the relationship his daughter so desperately wants to further with her grandfather. However, it’s not an easy process. Jimmy repeatedly falls back into old habits rooted in his father’s abandonment, undermining any progress he makes and allowing those unresolved issues to bleed into his relationship with Paul, something both come to regret.
However, the heart of the season is Jessica Williams, something she is no stranger to. Even though she continues to self-sabotage, Gaby’s personal life appears to be going well as she settles into a routine with Derrick (Damon Wayans Jr.) and considers what the future may bring for her and them. It seems this happiness is not meant to last when her professional life takes a devastating turn just as she begins to grapple with what she wants her career to look like within and beyond the therapy centre. An incident involving a patient, Maya (Sherry Cola), allows Williams to capture guilt, anger, and professional doubt so severe that even Paul struggles to work around at first.
Liz (Christa Miller) and Derek (Ted McGinley), meanwhile, continue being one of television’s most underrated couples. While they still provide plenty of comedic relief, this season also offers a nuanced exploration of marriage and parenting, with a health scare drawing out unexpected vulnerability in Liz and hard-earned lessons for their family. Much-needed joy comes from Brian (Michael Urie) and Charlie (Devin Kawaoka), who expand their family with the birth of their adopted daughter, Sutton, named after their favourite Broadway star, Sutton Foster. Things also look up for Sean (Luke Tennie), who reunites with ex-girlfriend Marisol (Isabella Gomez) and looks to a future beyond the food truck and pool house, thanks to what he has learned through therapy with Paul and the safety Jimmy and Alice offered him. Despite the size of its ensemble, all storylines are beautifully wrapped up with each character moving forward in whatever way is necessary for them and their development.
While nothing has been confirmed about the show’s future, Season 3 feels like a natural conclusion to Apple TV’s most underrated comedy series. It would be sad to say goodbye, but perhaps Shrinking doesn’t need to overstay its welcome, choosing instead to bow out on a high and in its best season yet. That said, a fourth season would be more than welcome if co-creators Jason Segel, Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein have one in them.
About Shrinking
Premiere Date: January 28, 2026
Episode Count: 11
Executive Producers: Bill Lawrence, Jeff Ingold, Liza Katzer, Jason Segel, Neil Goldman, Brett Goldstein, James Ponsoldt, Randall Winston, Annie Mebane, Rachna Fruchbom, Brian Gallivan, Ashley Nicole Black, and Bill Posley
Writers: Bill Lawrence, Jason Segel, Brett Goldstein, Brian Gallivan, Rachna Fruchbom, Bill Posley, Annie Mebane, Wally Baram, Sofi Selig, and Neil Goldman
Directors: James Ponsoldt, Ry Russo-Young, Randall Winston, and Zach Braff
Cast: Harrison Ford, Jason Segel, Jessica Williams, Luke Tennie, Michael Urie, Christa Miller, Lukita Maxwell, and Ted McGinley
