Is ‘Shrinking’ Based on a True Story?
Shrinking, the newest AppleTV+ dramedy from Jason Segel and the creators of Ted Lasso, is already a hit with many viewers. The series follows a grieving therapist who has a breakthrough when he starts telling patients exactly what he thinks. It’s funny, vulnerable, and relatable, but how much of Shrinking is a true story? Here’s what the creators have said.
What is ‘Shrinking’ on AppleTV+ about?
Shrinking stars Jason Segel as Jimmy Laird, a therapist who is struggling to cope with the death of his wife one year ago. He has isolated himself from friends and family, including his teenage daughter, Alice (Lukita Maxwell). At work, Jimmy can’t get into the right headspace to offer advice to his patients. However, when he reaches his breaking point, Jimmy snaps and tells his clients the hard truth.
To Jimmy’s surprise, his new method actually works. He believes that he can help people by going against everything he’s been taught to do. Jimmy’s mentor, Paul (Harrison Ford), and colleague, Gabby (Jessica Williams), don’t necessarily agree with the morality of what Jimmy’s doing — can he prove them wrong?
‘Shrinking’ is not directly a true story, but it’s inspired by real people
Unfortunately, fans of Shrinking won’t be able to schedule a therapy appointment with Jimmy anytime soon — he’s not a real person. As heart-warming and relatable as it is, the story in Shrinking is not true. However, some of the characters, including Jimmy and Paul, are inspired by real people and their experiences, according to co-creators Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein.
“There’s a specific real person it was based on that I know who lost a spouse and a child, and then one kid was still alive,” Lawrence told RadioTimes.com. He checked out. He was just too sad and debilitated for about a year and a half. He’s great now, he’s remarried, he actually has another kid with his wife. So it was a personal story that we were tracking with that journey 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.”
Meanwhile, Paul, who has Parkinson’s disease in Shrinking, is partly inspired by Goldstein’s father.
“Brett and I connected over our fathers both being too young and vibrant to be seriously ill,” Lawrence added. “His father has Parkinson’s, it’s in the show. My father has Lewy bodies dementia and he’s only 75, it’s a drag. And smiling our way through these things and maybe putting them out there creatively, not only as entertainment, but you’re part of a community and everybody’s going through s*** — that’s the world I like living in as a writer.”
‘Shrinking’ is based on this ‘dumpster fire’ of a world, Bill Lawrence shared
In a more general sense, Shrinking is inspired by the fact that everyone has something going on in their lives. We don’t always know what someone is dealing with behind the scenes. Lawrence explained during a Television Critics Association panel that he, Goldstein, and Segel wanted to create something to showcase the grief everyone experiences.
“We wanted to write a show about grief because the world is a bit of a dumpster fire right now. You can’t meet anybody right now that isn’t at least two or three degrees separated from some sad s*** going on in their lives. My family approaches that through comedy. It’s good actors and writers that can make that authentic,” he shared.
New episodes of Shrinking drop every Friday on AppleTV+.
