Share this
This review was made possible by advance screeners of Shrinking Season 2. Shrinking Season 2 premieres on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, October 16th with two episodes. New episodes will air every Wednesday.
Season 1 of Shrinking left us feeling hopeful as Jimmy had re-found himself and awoken from the fog of losing his wife Tia. Season 2 picks up where we left off, continuing down the road of self-discovery as Jimmy (Jason Segel), Paul (Harrison Ford), Gabby (Jessica Williams), Sean (Luke Tennie), and Alice (Lukita Maxwell) continue on their journey through navigating an often confusing existence.
LIFE IS ALL ABOUT MAKING MISTAKES
While Season 1 was about recovering from grief, the theme of Season 2 is all about imperfections, making mistakes and facing your biggest fears. Segel continues to be an absolute gem portraying Jimmy as he continues to cross the line when it comes to how he handles his patients which often leads to hilarious interactions with not only the patients but, the other cast as well. Ford is back as the love-able Grumpy Grandpa who everyone cannot help but turn toward for advice. This season explores a new side of Paul as he is giving one of his most emotional and often funny performances we have seen in years.
Gabby, Alice and Liz (Christa Miller) all get their moments to shine this season as we spend more time going deeper into their characters and exploring their insecurities and unresolved traumas. The trio are an absolute scene stealer every time they appear on screen. While they’re usually seen as the comedic relief (more so Gabby and Liz), the depths these characters bring us some of the most emotional moments of the season reducing us to tears and thinking about our own relationships.
I GUESS THIS IS GROWING UP
The one character above all who stood out for me this season is Derek (Ted McGinley). He not only returns as the goofy dad who makes quips in the background, but as a character we get to see a new side of. Spending more time with Derek shows us that even those who seem happy and full of jokes may often be dealing with more underneath the surface.
Shrinking Season 2 builds on the characters and relationships and delivers what may be my favorite season of television I have ever watched. It will have you crying, laughing while crying, and reconsidering your fallacies and aspects of life. It hits deep and hard, and the entire cast is pouring their heart and soul into this.
The season brings us a few surprises and familiar faces, which raises the bar even further. Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein and Brian Gallivan shine as the writers for this hit comedy. Don’t be surprised to see their names taking home some hardware during award season.
This has been a review by Matt Roth of the podcast HopsGeekNews. For links to the weekly show about comics, movies, and TV shows as well as other reviews, check out http://linktr.ee/hopsgeeknews
