If you’re a Harrison Ford fan, and if you’ll be checking out Apple TV+‘s catalog during the service’s free weekend from January 4-5, consider checking out Shrinking, a tragicomedy about a group of therapists and their friends who support each other through the grief of the sudden death of Jimmy’s (Jason Segel) wife, Tia (Lilan Bowden).
Ford has always been funny, but he’s stuck to dramas and action-adventure movies throughout most of his career. 1923 and Shrinking brought him to TV for the first time, and the latter was his first-ever TV comedy. He plays a grumpy but lovable, successful therapist named Paul Rhodes in the series opposite Segel’s Jimmy and Jessica Williams‘ Gaby, Paul’s colleagues and friends. Paul slowly opens up about how his Parkinson’s disease is changing his life over the course of the show’s two seasons (Season 3 is on the way).
In Season 2, which ended on Christmas Eve on the streaming platform, Paul fell in love with his former neurologist, Julie (Wendie Malick), and tried to get Jimmy to get back into therapy after the man responsible for his wife’s death (series co-creator/executive producer Brett Goldstein as Louis) shows up trying to apologize for causing the fatal drunk driving accident. It’s heavy material to be sure, but Shrinking is all about balancing hard times with levity, so there’s plenty of moments that let Ford’s comedic abilities shine (he and Segel are both nominated for 2025 Golden Globes for their performances). In the Season 2 finale, for example, there’s a moment when Julie tricks Paul into attending Gaby’s Thanksgiving dinner and he pokes his head out of a car window and yells that he’s being kidnapped. And the comedically judgmental faces Ford is known for making in public appearances are put to frequent use throughout the series as Paul interacts with people he loves to hate.
Executive producer Neil Goldman tells TV Insider what’s it like to write comedy for an onscreen legend like Ford.
“Look, he’s amazingly, incredibly game and open to I want to say almost everything, but I think as it turns out, literally everything we throw at him comedically,” Goldman shares. “Unless it’s something he just doesn’t understand or grasp, which usually when that’s the case, turns out there’s a flaw in the writing or the setup. But I don’t even remember a case where he wasn’t willing to at least try something. And that’s been what’s one of the amazing things about it.”
Harrison Ford and Wendie Malick in Shrinking Season 2 finale (Apple TV+)
Goldman says that the Shrinking writer’s room often cracks up while writing Ford’s material because they’re imagining how he’ll deliver the lines.
Related‘Shrinking’ Cast Talks Harrison Ford’s Interview Habits, Making Each Other Laugh & More (VIDEO)
“We always knew he was funny and always knew he had the potential to be even funnier if he had writers leaning into that side of him, not just the curmudgeonly side, but the vulnerable side and the kind of saucy side,” Goldman says. “He’s just the gift that keeps on giving comedically. Oftentimes it’s hard to make a room of writers laugh even as we’re pitching through things. But almost always when someone comes up with a great Paul line, the room laughs. We just imagine Harrison saying it, and almost always he says it exactly how you pictured it. He’s got such a strong voice to write towards.”
“He’s been killing it comedically,” Goldman adds of the Star Wars legend. “He’s also really been killing it with his more emotional pathos-y scenes. So we couldn’t be happier and luckier to work with him.”
Shrinking will return for a third, potentially final season. Goldman teases what’s ahead for Paul and the rest of the crew in Season 3 here.
Shrinking, Seasons 1-2 Available Now, Apple TV+
More Headlines:
Why ‘Shrinking’ Boss Says Harrison Ford Is ‘The Gift That Keeps on Giving Comedically’‘Vienna Blood’: Matthew Beard & Juergen Maurer Address Season 4 Twists & What’s NextJeff Baena, Director & Husband of Aubrey Plaza, Dies at 47‘Fixer to Fabulous’ HGTV Couple Dave & Jenny Marrs Get Candid About Family Life‘English Teacher’: Will the Comedy Return for Season 2?
