‘Shrinking’ Season 2 All but Abandons Its Premise for a Shapeless Hangout: TV Review

As a long-time fan of Jason Segel and his quirky comedic style, I was initially drawn to “Shrinking” due to its unique premise. However, after binge-watching both seasons, I must admit that my initial enthusiasm has waned significantly.

The Apple TV+ series “Shrinking,” previously, revolved around the character Jimmy Laird (played by Jason Segel), a therapist, who disregarded professional ethics following his wife’s demise. Though opinions on how therapy was presented varied, and some found the importance of doctor-patient boundaries questionable, Season 1 effectively explored grief through an engaging premise. In contrast, Season 2, debuting this week after a break due to strikes, strays from this core concept, resulting in a narrative that remains as tonally confused but less defined.

In the show’s defense, it hasn’t explicitly supported or opposed Jimmy’s recent behavior, which came after a year of lethargy, excess, and giving his teenage daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell) to their neighbor Liz (Christa Miller) to raise. When the Season 2 premiere shows Jimmy’s boss and mentor Paul (played by Harrison Ford, who seems grumpy) telling Jimmy to stop exploiting Sean (Luke Tennie), a troubled veteran living with him, it’s puzzling why he’s speaking up now instead of earlier. However, on “Shrinking” — a collaboration between Segel and “Ted Lasso” creators Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein — Jimmy’s actions aren’t portrayed as a significant step in the widower’s decline or an enlightening strategy for his peers to emulate, despite their potential issues. Instead, they serve as a catalyst for several comedic scenarios, such as Jimmy interrupting a patient’s date. Since the show has had little investment in therapy from the start, “Shrinking” seems to be losing focus.

In Season 2, Jimmy coins a term for his method (“Jimmy-ing”), but seems to use it less than before, perhaps due to Sean no longer being a client. A new potential client emerges in Grace (played by Heidi Gardner from “SNL”), a woman who, in the Season 1 finale, pushed her abusive husband off a cliff following Jimmy’s blunt advice. This event serves as a catalyst for Jimmy to examine himself more deeply, but this introspection never happens, leaving poor Grace in a precarious situation with fluctuating stakes. Other patients don’t appear until later in the season; Jimmy doesn’t take on any new ones. Sean remains, but his interactions with Jimmy and Paul bear little resemblance to therapy, becoming more like shared hangouts with an increasing number of chatty friends.

Jimmy’s peers share similar detachment. Paul propels his long-time associate Raymond (Neil Flynn) towards independence, allowing him to concentrate on his Parkinson’s treatment and blossoming relationship with neurologist Julie (Wendie Malick). Jimmy’s coworker Gaby (Jessica Williams), who is also a friend and occasional confidante, has primarily shifted her focus towards teaching college classes and dealing with sudden family issues. Alongside Williams, Miller provides one of the rare performances that acknowledges “Shrinking” as a sitcom, yet she finds herself stranded on a more engaging series.

This pivot begs the question: If “Shrinking” isn’t about therapy, what is it about? The long tail of mourning continues to loom large, with Goldstein casting himself as a character with an important part to play in Jimmy and Alice processing their trauma. The specific role is considered a spoiler, though the performance contains ample opportunities for Goldstein to look pained while on the verge of tears. Perhaps the writer and performer wanted to show off his dramatic range. The arc is nonetheless an overcorrection from the comic ire of “Ted Lasso’s” Roy Kent.

Primarily speaking, “Shrinking” without the term “shrink-ing” appears to be a vague and lethargic amalgamation. The series is set in what seems like a miniature Pasadena, an affluent Los Angeles suburb, adorned with palm trees instead of New England’s typical foliage like Stars Hollow. Characters often intersect haphazardly, as exemplified when Sean’s semi-estranged father accidentally encounters the food truck he runs with Liz. The bond between Sean and Liz is one of several seemingly chance relationships within the ensemble, a homogeneous group where everyone appears equally, unconvincingly close to every other character.

As a passionate film enthusiast, I find myself grappling with the fragmented narrative structure of this series. The storylines seem to veer off in different directions, with Jimmy’s friend Brian pondering parenthood, Gaby guiding her students, and Liz searching for a new purpose now that her children have flown the nest. The performances, unfortunately, often feel dissonant, especially those by Segel and Urie, who sometimes deliver their lines with such intensity that they overshadow more subtle performances, like Ford’s or Maxwell’s. Despite the strong platonic chemistry, these disparate storylines struggle to coalesce, making “Shrinking” feel more fractured in Season 2 than when it first started its journey towards healing.

You can now watch the initial two installments of “Shrinking” on Apple TV+. The rest of the series will be released weekly every Friday.

2024-10-16 17:16

‘Shrinking’ Season 2 All but Abandons Its Premise for a Shapeless Hangout: TV Review

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