An easy watch—and not only because of easy-on-the-eyes 82-year-old Harrison Ford—“Shrinking” is back with a second season.
Season two came out Oct. 16. With it came more of the loveable Jimmy, portrayed by Jason Segel, and his unconventional therapeutic hijinks.
The first season follows Jimmy and his daughter Alice, played by Lukita Maxwell, in their struggle through the grief of losing his wife and her mother to a drunk driver.
Supported by a hodgepodge community of unique characters, the sitcom balances humor and sweetness with the dark premise of the plot.
The first season follows Jimmy as he resorts to drastic therapy tactics after seeing little change in his parents. He works in an office along with Paul, played by Harrison Ford, and Gaby, portrayed by Jessica Williams.
In the second season, Jimmy grapples with the fallout of his guerilla therapy. Paul’s criticisms of his technique do little to slow Jimmy down—he might superficially consider mending his ways but the plot feeds off of Jimmy’s entertaining antics.
The two are continuously pushing-and-pulling between Paul’s emotional frigidity and Jimmy’s sentimentality. They have a predictable father-son dynamic, which in turn causes predictable plot points.
Ford and Segel’s skills thankfully rescue the writing from falling flat, reviving the storyline with the sweetness of their relationship rather than highlighting the repetition of their interactions.
Due to its format as a sitcom, the show can be somewhat formulaic and predictable, but its main group of characters is a refreshing change. The community that forms within the show between people of different backgrounds, ages, races and sexualities brings a needed variety to the sitcom format.
The quirks of each character is the stroke of genius that contributes most to the hilarity of the show. The unexpected friendship between young former veteran Sean, portrayed by Luke Tennie, and Liz, played by Christa Miller, possesses both charm and humor.
Liz is a particular, prickly person who, though fairly unlikeable in the first season, worms her way into the viewer’s heart in the second season. The decision to transform her prickliness into stark loyalty for those she loves softens and rounds her as a character.
Her marriage with Derrick, played by Ted McGinley, stands out as especially endearing. Besides being an adorable couple, Derrick is written as a loving, supportive and nurturing man—a trope not often represented in male characters.
“Everyone needs a Derrick” becomes season two, episode four’s mantra. He acts as a needed comic relief in the denser moments of the show, and his constant positivity can’t help but rub off onto the viewer.
What really makes the show is the stellar acting.
Jessica Williams, who plays Gaby, is a shining light of talent, carrying on her back the humor of this show. Gaby’s sexual candor and vibrant personality support the continuation of the community surrounding Jimmy and Alice.
The unexpected, candid friendship between a young Black woman and a middle-aged white man and his wife is just one of the many connections that cause one to fall in love with the show.
Derrick’s cheeky nickname “G-spot” for Williams’ character shows the sexual humor constant in the show that functions to lighten the underlying dead mother plot.
The lovability of each character is the winning aspect of the show. Jimmy might be flawed, but his big heart makes it impossible not to root for him.
If you need to feel compassion, love and togetherness along with an intriguing plot line, watch “Shrinking.” The charm of this unexpected group of friends draws me in every time, and you’ll be begging for a third season by the end.
