Life Imitates Art, and Art Imitates Life in Apple TV Plus's 'Shrinking'

Feb. 3 2023, Published 12:22 p.m. ET

Now the second Apple TV Plus series about a therapist and his patient, Shrinking tells the story of a therapist, Jimmy (Jason Segel), and his patients. It also follows therapist Paul (Harrison Ford), who was once recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s illness and therapist Gabby (Jessica Williams). Co-created by way of Ted Lasso author Bill Lawrence and celebrity/creator Brett Goldstein, Shrinking has quickly become considered one of Apple’s hottest comedies.

The unique instances of Shrinking — a therapist who not too long ago lost his spouse — has brought about audience to wonder whether Shrinking is based on a true story. Is it imaginable to make this up, or is Shrinking based on a true story, like its therapy-based Apple TV Plus predecessor, The Shrink Next Door?

‘Shrinking’ is not based on a true story, but it is based in some fact.

All art is impressed by different art, or by life typically. Shrinking isn’t based on a true story the similar method that The Shrink Next Door used to be, the latter of which is a bit extra true crime-adjacent. Shrinking, then again, pulls inspiration from real-life characters both Bill and Brett knew in their everyday lives.

Bill told RadioTimes, “There's a specific real person [Jimmy] used to be based on that I know who lost a spouse and a kid, and then one kid was nonetheless alive. He checked out. He used to be just too sad and debilitated for roughly a yr and a half. He’s great now, he’s remarried, he in truth has some other kid along with his wife.” Perhaps we’ll see Jimmy pass on a an identical arc all over the series.

"So it was a personal story that we were tracking with that journey,” he continued. “Because I find it so impressive that this person, when you see them now, has recaptured the joy and spirit that I first-hand witnessed before it happened." It really does sound like a cinematic arc that’s nearly improbable, however right here we're with the reality in our palms.

Not handiest is Jimmy’s story based partly on a genuine particular person, but so is Paul’s. “[Brett] was going via some s—t in his genuine life,” Bill defined. “His dad strains up with the display, his dad has Parkinson's, and he was once taking a look to write down a display that comedically dealt with grief, that we snicker at this s—t as a result of it's a nice approach to get thru it. We kind of combined forces and we had been casual about it, we did not know if it might happen.”

Brett and Bill have recognized each and every other for years, lengthy sooner than they worked on Ted Lasso together, so Shrinking is a collaboration of their comedic forces, along side powerhouse Jason Segel. Is Shrinking about to develop into the brand new Ted Lasso? We’ll have to attend and see.

New episodes of Shrinking drop each Friday on Apple TV Plus.

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