Knit to This: Shrinking

Any actor in Shrinking (season two just premiered on Apple TV) could be the lead in his or her own show. This deck could not be more stacked.

You’ve got Jason Segel, who can always find a way to make melancholy approachable and entertaining. Add in Jessica Williams (one of The Daily Show‘s gems), Michael Urie (Ugly Betty and a bunch of Broadway), Christa Miller (one of those omnipresent sitcom actors) and Ted McGinley (ditto). That’s before you even get to Harrison Ford.

Yes, Harrison Ford. Action movie star. Space maverick.

Here he gets to be funny, like really funny rather than wry or sardonic or quippy.

And Shrinking needs the laughs. The show kicks off with Segel’s character stuck in a gray place after his wife’s death a year prior. His teenage daughter is caught in it with him and the first season is about rebuilding that relationship.

But it’s also about connection and community—and how digging yourself out of a rough spot isn’t a solo job.

If that sounds a lot like Ted Lasso, it’s no coincidence. A couple of the producers and writers worked on both. The DNA is similar but not identical. For me, Shrinking dials down the treacle that could gum up Ted Lasso‘s bite. Plus, Shrinking has Harrison Ford, which is definitely a draw.

All of the folks both on the screen and behind it are at the top of their game in Shrinking. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You might do both simultaneously watching these flawed humans (just like all humans) do their best to find a way back to their lives after a crushing loss.

But, mostly, you’ll laugh.