I thought I’d get through this season of Apple TV series Shrinking without a tear shed, but lo and behold, they did it again! The entire season, much like Season 1 and Season 2, is like a full-on therapy session littered with laughs because, well, laughter is the best medicine, isn’t it?
Season 3 keeps the momentum going with a fresh yet familiar story. Grief from loss doesn’t just disappear. Even when life goes on, and people move on, hints of it resurface, sometimes at the most unexpected times. Shrinking helps bring this into focus while also tackling other serious and emotionally charged topics like hope, faith, selfishness, enablement, and personal growth. With new episodes released weekly starting January 28, 2026 through April 8, 2026, you’ll want to buckle up for these new hump day, 30+ minute sessions of this feel-good, emotional, but also deeply hilarious show.
Shrinking Season 3 Comes Full Circle
Shrinking Season 1 centred around Jimmy (Jason Segel) dealing with the sudden death of his wife by going off the rails in his personal life, with his teenage daughter, and eventually impacting the treatment of his patients. He slowly came back into focus and started to heal. That was, until another wrench was thrown into the mix in Season 2 when he was approached by Louis (Brett Goldstein), the man driving in the accident that killed Tia (Lilan Bowden in flashbacks). Louis is going through his own journey of self-reflection and loathing, rife with guilt for what he had done. It doesn’t help that Jimmy’s daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell) eventually decides to break bread with Louis, even forms a friendship with him as part of her healing.
By the end of Season 2, Jimmy has made the decision to accept his feelings, release the blame, and embrace Louis in the way his daughter has. It’s the right thing to do, and it’s what Tia would have wanted. So, he seems to be in a much better place in Season 3. But it’s clear halfway through that he still has a long way to go, especially with so many life changes facing him head on, and past trauma bubbling to the surface to compound his already fractured psyche.
Meanwhile, the others face their own challenges. Paul’s (Harrison Ford) Parkinson’s symptoms are getting increasingly worse. Gaby (Jessica Williams) is in a loving relationship with Derrick #2 (Damon Wayans), but she can’t help her self-sabotaging behavior, her constant desire to fix things, and an inherent belief that she isn’t good enough. What’s made clear by the end is that this group of friends is ironclad, each one exposing their vulnerabilities to one another and breaking down walls. Not everyone has gotten one of Liz’s (Christa Miller) exclusive rocks yet. But it’s only a matter of time.
In Season 3, we meet new characters like Jimmy’s father, played by Jeff Daniels, along with other surprise characters portrayed by Candace Bergen and Michael J. Fox in his first on-screen acting role in years. All three hit it out of the park, Fox with some of the best one-liners of the season, even though he only appears sparingly.
I feel like a broken record saying this about every season, but this season really has tons of heart. There’s a heavier focus on Paul and how he comes to terms with the fact that his life is changing, he is changing, and he can’t continue to do what he does forever. “F**k Parkinson’s” has become a battle cry, a sign off for everyone in his orbit to express their disdain for the debilitating disease and their support of his plight.
Once again, Liz and Derek (Ted McGinley) are the MVPs, central to every core storyline, every pivotal moment. They always seem to just be there, and make the most impact for celebrating moments, causing trouble (only with good intentions, of course), and delivering laughs. I literally burst out laughing at many of their scenes. I fondly recall McGinley from his time playing Jefferson on Married…With Children (The Love Boat was before my time!) and he hasn’t lost an ounce of talent. Miller, meanwhile, is probably one of the most underrated female comedic actors of this generation. She embodies Liz and her craziness so well, I can’t help but believe she’s like that in real life, even though she probably isn’t.
Shrinking Hits its Stride
The season has a few minor though not groundbreaking twists you won’t see coming. This isn’t a show about shock and surprise, anyway. It’s about the slow build, the subtle life lessons about hope, faith, moving on, learning how to cope, and finding your own way in the face of adversity. But it’s also about selfishness, learning when it’s OK to put yourself first, when to consider others, and when it’s okay to put aside those times when others might not take you into consideration. Themes also touch on navigating the delicate balance between knowing when you need to be there for the ones you love and when you need to let them do it on their own.
For Jimmy, important dates remind him of Tia. Alice is heading off to college. His friends are moving on and moving forward. He might not be self-medicating with drugs and sex workers anymore, but he’s still stuck, on the verge of something far worse than grieving: loneliness, another central theme of the season. Grappling with this isn’t as easy as a sappy episode ending that solves the problem in 30 minutes or less. And Shrinking makes sure we understand and accept that.
If you’re looking for fair warning about emotional episodes, grab the tissues for Episodes 7 and 11 especially. You’re going to need them. One thing I fear is that the plot wraps up so nicely, it feels like this could be the end. Then again, the same could be said for the first two seasons as well. Maybe writers are hedging their bets since there isn’t an official renewal just yet. But based on how wonderfully feel-good and cathartic this season is, I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a Season 4 of Shrinking, which retains its position on my list of favourite shows of all time. The show is far too good, too cleverly written and beautifully delivered with a top-notch cast, to end now.