Focused on the relationships between three therapists, their families and their friends, the critically acclaimed Apple TV show “Shrinking” does not shy away from tough conversations and heavy emotions.
The show deals with themes of grief and healing in a lighthearted way, and the daily-life situations the main characters go through feel relatable to the audience. Comedy is expertly woven into the dialogue, making awkward or stressful situations humorous. It has received multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, and stars renowned actors like Harrison Ford, Ted McGinley and Jessica Williams.
“Shrinking” has recently been renewed for a fourth season, which will likely premiere in 2027. Despite the show creators Jason Segel, Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein originally stating that the show would only last on a three-season storyline, Apple TV confirmed the show’s extension in January 2026. The third season is currently being released on Wednesdays, and has been very highly rated since its premiere in late January.
Shows that combine humor and large amounts of emotional trauma are pretty rare in modern-day television, especially considering how society generally avoids talking about hard topics. Lawrence, one of the creators, also produced the award-winning Apple TV show “Ted Lasso,” which co-creator Goldstein starred in. “Shrinking” is a bit darker than “Ted Lasso” because much of the show revolves around the death of an important character, but both manage to create humor out of very emotional storylines.
As a show about therapy and grief, “Shrinking” brings up a lot of heavy mental health topics that other TV shows typically shy away from. Mental health is difficult to represent accurately in the media because there are so many variations, as well as many ways to offend people who struggle with their own well-being. “Shrinking” took on this challenge wholeheartedly, striving to give a full, honest portrayal of the struggles of mental health.
Even though it’s obvious the writers of “Shrinking” have put a lot of thought and effort into accurate representation, the show isn’t a completely accurate portrayal of therapy and mental health.
The show is centered around therapy, but it’s pretty rare to see any psychotherapy work actually being done in it. Mental health issues that would probably take several years of therapy to improve in the real world seem to be resolved in an episode or two, so that the plot can progress. The reality of disorders like anxiety and depression isn’t usually interesting or happy, and it isn’t always shown in the show.
“Often times the representation is based on a stereotype or what people expect mental health to be,” says Ida B. Wells psychologist Emilee Refvem. “I think that accurate representation is starting to show up on screens the more our society talks about mental health and normalizes the conversation. While there continues to be growth in this area, there is still a long way to go, especially as it relates to representation of mental health from the perspective of culturally and ethnically diverse individuals.”
Many high school students deal with mental health struggles, and shows like “Shrinking” are crucial to have in the media to normalize it. But because it’s a TV show portraying difficult topics, it definitely has flaws in its representation of mental health, which can impact teenagers who watch it. There are so many variations of mental health disorders, and TV shows don’t always do the best job of showing the good and the bad.
“Shrinking” shows how therapy is a good influence on everyone, no matter what they are dealing with. Treatment for mental health struggles can be helpful for teenagers, and shouldn’t be considered strange. “When I meet with students and talk about accessing therapy, I remind them that taking a step to [consider help] is brave,” says Refvem. “Change requires discomfort and by participating in therapy, you might feel uncomfortable. This discomfort can help a person grow through a challenge and be able to look at that challenge from different perspectives that they have not been able to consider before.”
Representation of normal mental health disorders is incredibly important for teenagers and kids to see so that it is normalized in the real world. Therapy used to be, and sometimes still is, considered weird or weak instead of an actual treatment for harmful issues. “Shrinking” incorporates therapy into the main characters’ daily lives, making it a normal part of their routines instead of a distinct, absurd situation.
“Shrinking” definitely takes some creative license and doesn’t always give a completely accurate portrayal of therapy, but its representation of mental health is incredibly important for teenagers to see in the media. The third season finale will be released on April 3.
