The dirty secret of therapy is that therapists often need their own help coping with life's challenges. And the Apple TV+ comedy series "Shrinking" has used that idea as a launching point.
The series stars Jason Segel as Jimmy, a grieving widower and therapist who is taking an unconventional approach with his clients and those in his orbit, including his grumpy mentor, Paul, played by Harrison Ford. Segel co-created the series with Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein, who collaborated on "Ted Lasso." The cast includes Jessica Williams (Gaby), Christa Miller (Liz), Lukita Maxwell (Alice), Michael Urie (Brian), Luke Tennie (Sean) and Ted McGinley (Derek).
In much of the first episode, we see Jimmy becoming far too involved in the personal lives of his clients, leading to a breakdown of boundaries. After spending his days listening to his patients unload about their toxic spouses, their compulsions and their dating troubles, he grows increasingly frustrated by their lack of action — or, as Paul calls it, "compassion fatigue." Jimmy, whose life is just as wayward, leans into a new tactic, pushing his patients to change and to accelerate their breakthroughs, while attempting to find his own breakthrough with the help of his family and friends.
