‘Shrinking’ Is The Best Show On Apple Plus, Probably One Of The Best Shows Of 2023

Going to veer wildly out of my lane here to spotlight a series that I wouldn’t imagine would be on my radar, but it turns out it’s one of the best shows of the year, and a surefire Emmy contender in at least one category. That show is Shrinking, an Apple Plus comedy starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford.

My wife and I were watching this show weekly, and even on a streaming service I would consider having a higher batting average than most others, this might be my favorite thing I’ve ever watched on Apple Plus. And at least early in 2023 here, this might be one of the best shows of the year. Short of The Last of Us, I’m not sure I’ve seen really anything at this level (though of course in a hugely different genre).

Shrinking tells the story of a man, Jimmy (Segel) attempting to get past the sudden death of his wife and pull himself out of a destructive drug and hooker-filled spiral that has him failing to parent his also-grieving daughter. Harrison Ford plays his mentor who is consistently disappointed in his antics.

If I had to pinpoint a single reason that Shrinking works so well, it’s that the casting is probably the best I’ve seen for a series I can remember in an extremely long time. Every role is filled by a talented actor working with excellent scripts and delivering hilarious, heartfelt performances. Not just Segel and Ford, but all the roles, the daughter (Lukita Maxwel), the other psychiatrist (Jessica Williams), the veteran patient (Luke Tennie), the best friend (Michael Urie), the neighbor (Christa Miller). Usually when we talk about casting, it’s that X actor fills Y existing role well in some superhero/book adaptation/remake. But all of these are original parts, and when you realize this series is from Segel, Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence and Ted Lasso’s Brett Goldstein, it all starts to make sense as to why this is so good.

So, about that Emmy? While I think this should certainly have a shot at Best Comedy, the obvious one would be Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for none other than Harrison Ford, who gives a career-best comedic performance as Dr. Paul Rhoades, not just struggling to deal with Jimmy’s issues, but dealing with an estranged daughter and the progression of his Parkinson’s. Ford is just absolutely phenomenal in this role, and I cannot praise his performance here highly enough. I don’t care how many Ted Lasso or Abbot Elementary actors get nominated this year, this should be Ford’s category.

I can easily recommend Shrinking to literally everyone. It’s a fantastic series and I hope to see it back for a second season. Given that it’s been the #1 series on Apple every time I look at the app, I have a good feeling we’ll see more from it.

Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to my free weekly content round-up newsletter, God Rolls.

Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.