Why ‘Shrinking’ Creator Bill Lawrence Wanted Kelly Bishop to Play Paul’s Ex-Wife: ‘It Wasn’t Just ‘Gilmore Girls”
Gilmore Girls alum Kelly Bishop returns to TV on Shrinking. In the latest episode of the Apple TV+ original series, she guest stars as Susan, the ex-wife of grumpy yet loveable therapist Paul (Harrison Ford). Bishop’s years playing Emily Gilmore aren’t the only reason the people behind Shrinking wanted her on the show. The Shrinking creator had other reasons for casting the award-winning actor as Paul’s ex-wife.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from Shrinking Season 2 Episode 5: “Honesty Era.”]
Kelly Bishop plays Paul’s ex-wife, Susan, in ‘Shrinking’ Season 2
Paul got a visit from his ex-wife, Susan, during the Nov. 6, 2024, episode of Shrinking. And who played the woman the gruff therapist had only referred to in less than glowing terms up until then? None other than Bishop. The Gilmore Girls alum guest-starred in the “Honesty Era” episode. Her character, Susan, visited when she and Paul’s daughter, Meg (Lily Rabe), came to town to give a big presentation.
“Just talk to your ex. You don’t even know why she’s here,” Brian (Michael Urie) told Paul. “Maybe she found a painting worth a billion dollars and you get half. It could be fun news.” Hint: It’s not.
When Paul asked Susan the reason for her visit she told him: “I had a friend recently who got diagnosed with Parkinson’s. She died a few months later, and I felt like you and I should talk again before you die.” Turning back to Brian, Paul sarcastically said, “You were right—fun news.”
Soon Paul and Susan sat down for a heart-to-heart. “I couldn’t forgive myself so how could you forgive me,” Paul said about his infidelity during their marriage. Much to his surprise, Susan shared she’d forgiven him “a long time ago.”
Their reunion ended on a positive note with words from Susan: “Still, no matter what we did to each other we made Meg, and she’s perfect.” If there was any doubt Paul and Susan weren’t on good terms, the pair revived a version of their old Pick and Sip drinking game, sipping from a flask during Meg’s presentation.
‘Shrinking’ wanted to cast Bishop for 2 reasons
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly before the episode aired, Lawrence, who created Shrinking with Jason Segal and Ted Lasso alum Brett Goldstein, shared why the show’s team wanted Bishop to play Susan. Spoiler: It’s not necessarily because they’re big Emily Gilmore fans. Rather, they’re fans of Bishop’s work on Broadway.
“We always knew we were going to bring Paul’s ex-wife in because the second season was a lot about dealing with your past,” Lawrence said. “And you can’t really move forward until you deal with your past.”
“We thought Kelly Bishop would be great, partially because we wanted someone to be Harrison Ford’s contemporary,” he explained. (The actors are 80 and 82, respectively.) “Secondly, we’re Broadway nerds and the fact that she was an original Chorus Line cast member made everybody so excited. So it wasn’t just Gilmore Girls. It’s also partially because of the Broadway love of the staff of Shrinking.”
In 1976, Bishop and Edward Herrmann, who later became her TV husband, Richard Gilmore, won Tony Awards for their lead performances on Broadway.
New episodes of ‘Shrinking’ drop weekly on Apple TV+
See Bishop—and other guest stars—in Shrinking Season 2 on Apple TV+ where a new episode drops every Wednesday. (Specifically at 3 a.m. EST or 12 a.m. PT.) The show is now about halfway through the season with seven episodes left. While fans have to wait for a new episode every week, all of season 1 is currently available on the streamer.
