Shrinking tells the story of a grieving therapist named Jimmy who is struggling to maintain his composure at home, work and with his friends and family.
Starring Jason Segel, Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams and created by Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein, Shrinking was an instant hit for Apple TV. Segel and Williams were both nominated for an Emmy Award and the second season was named one of the top 10 shows of the year by the American Film Institute.
Blending humor and heart as it explores the difficult topic of grief, Shrinking returns for Season 3 on Apple TV January 28, 2026. Here’s a look at the cast and characters of the series to get you prepped for Season 3.
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‘Shrinking’ Season 3 Cast & Characters
Shrinking features a host of comedic talent in Jason Segel and Jessica Williams and displays a whole new side to Harrison Ford in his most prominent television role. Here are where all the characters stand heading into Season 3.
Spoilers from Seasons 1 and 2 ahead!
Jason Segel as Jimmy Laird
Image Source: Apple TV
Jason Segal (How I Met Your Mother, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) stars as Jimmy, a therapist at the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center who is grieving the loss of his wife while raising his teenage daughter Alice alone.
His grief causes him to lose the spark he once had and detach from his friends, his patients and his daughter. Eventually it leads him to break from the boundaries of his profession and his practice. He begins to take an active role in his patients’ lives, challenging them to confront their problems head on — often involving himself directly in the process.
The approach raises eyebrows and gleans warnings from his colleague Gaby and his boss, Paul. But it begins to get results.
That said, his new approach isn’t perfect and begins to lead to whole new set of problems with his patients that he must unravel.
Over the course of the first season, Jimmy attempts to rebuild his relationship with his daughter Alice, while rediscovering purpose in both his work and personal life.
He rebuilds his relationship with his friend Brian who he ghosted after his wife’s death which culminates in Jimmy officiating Brian’s wedding. His trust in Gaby through the grieving process also turns their platonic friendship and working relationship romantic.
Throughout Season 2 he is forced to reckon with the outcomes of pushing his patients fears. When his patient Grace attacks her abusive ex-husband and ends up in jail, Jimmy is pummeled by guilt.
As for his situationship with Gaby, she realizes that Jimmy isn’t ready and steps away to protect them both.
His compassion and ability to forgive is tested when the drunk driver who killed his wife shows back up in his life.
Jessica Williams as Gaby
Image Source: Apple TV
Gaby is Jimmy’s colleague and close friend at the therapy center. Confident, outspoken and empathetic, she brings levity and optimism to the office.
Beneath her lively personality, however, she wrestles with her own emotional challenges, including a recent divorce and the complexities of caring for others at the expense of taking care of yourself.
Throughout Season 1 she develops a strong friendship with Liz after they started as borderline adversaries. Toward the end of the season, her and Jimmy’s grief somehow land them in a “friends with benefits” situation.
In Season 2, Gaby begins to realize that the situationship with Jimmy is not healthy for either of them and ends it to protect them both. In the wake of that, she begins seeing Derrick (Damon Wayans, Jr.) and even with everything going well, she can’t help but feel her fear of commitment will ruin it.
She carries her own guilt after her mother asks to move in with her as her health fades. Gaby declines to maintain her own sense of boundaries but continues to provide care.
By the end of the season, she is caring for everyone but herself and looking for just one win to fall her way.
Harrison Ford as Dr. Paul Rhoades
Image Source: Apple TV
Harrison Ford (Star Wars, Indiana Jones) plays Paul, a senior therapist at the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center and Jimmy’s boss and mentor.
Paul is a fiercely independent, old‑school therapist whose gruff exterior slowly fades throughout the first season. When he learns that he has Parkinson’s disease, he’s forced to contend with the vulnerability he’s avoided and relationships he’s neglected.
He reconnects with his daughter and grandchildren. After chastising Jimmy for crossing ethical boundaries with his patients, Paul begins a relationship with his doctor.
In Season 2, Paul begins to cede more control as his illness progresses. His day-to-day is getting harder so he leans on Jimmy and Gaby more. He also begins to hand the baton to them as they’ll be the next generation of leadership at the practice.
Lukita Maxwell as Alice Laird
Image Source: Apple TV
Alice is Jimmy’s teenage daughter, still mourning the loss of her mother while feeling abandoned by her father’s detachment.
Intelligent and independent, she initially resents Jimmy’s attempts to reconnect but is able to get support from the circle around her.
Her relationships with Liz and Sean give her people to talk to about what she’s going through and eventually that leads to a meaningful re-connection with Jimmy.
With a sense of stability at home, Alice gets to be more of a teenager in Season 2. She extends her social circle and starts hanging out with friends Summer and Connor. But she’s still in pain.
She continues to meet with Paul where she talks about how grief can make her lash out and her concerns that the way Jimmy is behaving is unsustainable.
Alice has always shown an impressive level of empathy for her age, and it hit its peak when she chose to forgive the driver involved in her mother’s death.
Luke Tennie as Sean
Image Source: Apple TV
Sean is introduced as a young veteran who just got into a bar fight and gets court mandated anger management as Jimmy’s patient.
Jimmy quickly develops a connection with Sean and begins to cross the line between professional and personal. Sean is taking steps on the right track before he gets into a fight with a patient’s angry ex-boyfriend who attacks Jimmy at Alice’s soccer game.
Jimmy brings Sean more into his personal life to give him more positive relationships. Sean develops a friendship with Alice as they both help one another deal with their trauma.
Sean also gets help from Liz who provides a supportive ear and invests in his food truck idea. They have a push and pull over the ownership of the truck as Liz can tend to overstep.
Through Season 2, Sean is looking good on paper. The food truck is humming; he’s in a groove living with Jimmy and he’s working on his PTSD and anger.
Sean starts meeting with Paul after he begins living with Jimmy. It’s a bittersweet change, but one better for Sean’s growth.
Sean begins to work on his strained relationship with his father, Tim. But a tense conversation sends Sean spiraling toward more confrontation.
Christa Miller as Liz
Image Source: Apple TV
Liz is Jimmy and Alice’s next-door neighbor, a sharp-witted empty nester who takes on a maternal role toward Alice at the start of the show as Jimmy disconnects in his grief.
Alice holds the house down and frequently pushes Jimmy to be there for his daughter. Though Jimmy finds her meddlesome at times, Liz’s compassion and pragmatism help stabilize both him and his daughter.
Throughout the season, Liz struggles to find the balance of control. She gets overly involved in people’s lives now that she has newfound free time and consistently learns lessons on checking herself and her privilege.
At first prickly with Gaby, their budding friendship demonstrates that deep down Liz just cares.
In Season 2, Liz feels unappreciated and exhausted. Getting snapped at by Sean, Jimmy and her son push her to start to focus on herself. She starts volunteering at an animal shelter. And even meets up with an old boyfriend who showers her in compliments.
Ted McGinley as Derek
Image Source: Apple TV
Derek is Liz’s good-natured husband who often brings levity to domestic scenes. He is doing just fine with the empty nest and now has nothing to hold him back from loafing around and enjoying his hobbies.
Derek is the perfect grounding counterpart to Liz’s intense energy. Throughout Season 1, he’s drawn more into the dynamics of the blossoming neighborhood friend group.
In Season 2, Derek tires to set Gaby up with his friend Derrick and becomes more of a friend to her and not just the husband of her friend.
Typically unflappable, Derek has his world shaken up when he learns Liz kissed her ex. He uses the moment to confront how he can be better in the relationship.
Michael Urie as Brian
Image Source: Apple TV
Brian is Jimmy’s best friend, a cheerful and successful lawyer whose upbeat personality contrasts sharply with Jimmy’s grief.
That contrast is what led to Jimmy ghosting Brian after Tia’s death. When Jimmy needs legal help for Sean, he uses it as an opportunity to bring Brian back into his life.
Throughout Season 1, Brian wrestles with the idea of proposing to his longtime boyfriend, Charlie despite them being so rock solid. When they survive their chaotic engagement party, it’s unquestionably meant to be. Season 1 wraps with a full-circle moment, Jimmy officiating Brian and Charlie’s wedding.
In Season 2, Brian is far more introspective. In a new phase in life, he’s beginning to scrutinize his work and test the limits of his optimism by becoming more aware of himself.
New Cast Members for ‘Shrinking’ Season 3
Michael J. Fox as Gerry
Image Source: Apple TV
There has been a ton of secrecy around this guest appearance. For Fox, it is his first major acting role since stepping away in 2020. It appears that Fox will play Gerry, a man Paul meets at the doctor’s office as they both cope with living with Parkinson’s disease.
Cobie Smulders as Sofi
Image Source: Apple TV
Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother) is slated to return in a recurring role after making her first appearance in Season 2. Segel’s former co-star in How I Met Your Mother promises to be a love interest for Jimmy in Season 3.
Jeff Daniels as Jimmy’s Dad
Jeff Daniels (Dumb & Dumber, The Newsroom) will be a recurring guest star in Shrinking Season 3 as Jimmy’s father.
Brett Goldstein, Damon Wayans Jr., Lily Rabe, Jeff Bridges, Candice Bergen, Sherry Cola and Isabella Gomez are also expected to make guest appearances in the third season of Shrinking.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I watch Shrinking?
Shrinking is available to stream on Apple TV. Seasons 1 and 2 are already out and Season 3 debuts January 28.
Is Michael J. Fox in Shrinking Season 3?
In his first role since stepping away from acting in 2020, Michael J. Fox will be a guest star in Season 3 of Shrinking as Gerry, a man Paul meets at the doctor's office as they both cope with living with Parkinson's disease.
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