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I didn't mind Season One. Wasn't super hooked in but thought it might improve and deepen. There was some humor I enjoyed. I also enjoyed the lead, it seemed to have potential. It did exactly the opposite in S2. It slid into repetitive patterns. I felt like I was watching the same scene/conflicts/schtick over and over. It decided to be shallow masquerading as profound. One or two humorous moments don't make a series. Harrison Ford has ONE NOTE: grumpy and I'm completely over it. Can't look at the hideous plastic surgery victim any more either. She really kicked it into high gear this season. Ugh. The dialogue gets incredibly pretentious. It seems to think it's clever and witty with a side of human foible but it.becomes increasingly irritatingly smug and self conscious. I've had enough. Two shows into S2, I'm out.

The trailer looked good. Jason Segel, as a therapist, finally snapping at an obtuse client who's willfully blind to her partner's abuse. And, creators of Ted Lasso! Great, right?

But, that intriguing premise, wittily pulling client's heads under "the cold tap of facts", quickly evaporates. This show is just so damn phoney, who are these people?

The way they talk, react, handle life grates with BS; it's all so try-hard and false. Even Curb Your Enthusiasm, a farce, is a more realistic rendering of wrangling first-world problems while being rich in California.

There are moments of humour, for sure (especially Michael Urie); but, so much is "huh, who talks like this?" Take Liz, please, the fake-faced next door neighbour and her gettin' real with the tiresomely vulgar Gaby...uuuggh.

"Shrinking" presents a wannabe Utopia imagined by rich, privileged people in their cozy, stylish bubbles. Also, the dialogue goes into the toilet so, so relentlessly; lame TMI sex jokes means the writers are desperate, lazy or both. And it reeks here.

The decor, clothes, cars and lush Pasadena backdrops are fabulous. But, if the brain trust here hoped they were going to impart valuable life lessons, deep truths or relationship insights, which I think they did....well....the decor, clothes, cars and lush Pasadena backdrops are fabulous.

FWIW, update: When the main character sat down with his teenage daughter to tell her about him having sex with a family friend, persisting even when she was so uncomfortable, we finally bailed. Too stupid, too unreal, too smugly weird. Sigh, too bad. We tried.

This show is basically trying to be Ricky Gervais's After Life but without the wit, depth, or heartbreaking realism. It's not funny but it's not really dramatic. Jason Segal is the exact same character in this show as he is in every other show. If you've seen one of his performances you've seen them all. The woman who plays the neighbor has had so much plastic surgery it hurts to watch her try to move her poor face. Also, for no apparent reason, the writer I guess, keeps hamfistedly interjecting racial commentary that has nothing to do with the plot or show... it's distracting and weird. They're so obsessed with race in the first couple of episodes I'm starting to think someone creating this show really IS a racist. Not worth watching.

We watched Episode One--didn't believe a word of it and laughed only at the fact that we were supposed to accept this unlovable loser as a medical professional. But we tried again and enjoyed some of the next three episodes. We got to know the cast a little and took some pleasure in the understated quality of the Harrison Ford character juxtaposed with the excessive volume of all the others. I also liked the violent patient, played by Luke Tennie.

Then came episode five and the porch scene, where the Segal character stands on the porch/deck, whatever and lets loose a fusillade of foul and vulgar insults which we are supposed to tolerate because he's sad. Sorry, those are the kinds of people who exercise that kind of loss of control, buy a gun, and shoot grocery shoppers, churchgoers, or schoolchildren. And the neighbors then say, yeah, he was a little off. Funny stuff!

It gets worse. Jessica Williams is stunning in every way, until she and Christa Miller engage in "conversation," and it sounds as if we're eavesdropping on two sophomores-in middle school. (My apologies to middle-school students everywhere.)

It just isn't good. I disliked the first episode of Mrs. Maisel and even Ted Lasso. But in those stories, the characters grow, and their growth grows on us, and you can sense that the writers took care to create some sense of empathy. Not so in "Shrinking," where scripts probably include directions like "Segal screams incomprehensible gibberish for thirty seconds." He deserves better, too.

I've read the other reviews, and I'm in the minority I know. There haven't been too many clunkers on Apple TV, but this one clunks loudly...and incessantly.

I feel like this was written for Vince Vaughn, but he wisely passed, so we get Jason Segel instead.

I am certain that this was a laugh riot in the writers room wherein LA types are neurotics who go to therapy 3 times a week and deal with the same problems everyone else deals with, but, because they come from Hollywoodland, they are certain that their problems are unique and require LA solutions.

This is a comedy that is not funny. These characters, and the situations in which they place these characters, can only come from a Hollywood writers room. So, they throw in Harrison Ford for some star power, but he looks as befuddled as do we.

One episode and done!

With such a high profile cast, I thought it was gonna shine but for me each episode gets more and more disappointing. The character flaws that are supposed to draw you in are super unbelievable except for maybe Sean and Paul. As you get further in, Paul loses me and only Sean is left as a believable character. Then...they start the race baiting, f-word in almost every sentence, explicit and inappropriate sex conversations with a teenage girl, gender biases and inauthentic workplace situations. The characters try super hard to make you laugh, get mad or sad at certain points in the episodes but it gets lost in translation with the crude, rude, unethical and unbelievable situations.

I decided to watch it b/c of Jason Segel. But geesus...the show is just another run-of-the-mill, virtual signaling unfunny waste of time. Harrison Ford should be embarrassed. The script is cheesy and cringy. And the jokes are more like talking points, no real punch lines.

The characters are completely one-sided and unrealistic. Nothing is believable at the least. I just kept thinking, 'these are actors'.... I could not get into it. I also couldn't help thinking, was Harrison Ford really okay with this??

I gave it a 3 instead of a 1 or 2 b/c I laughed twice in the few episodes I watched...or else it would have been a 1.

Beceided Jason Segel and Harrison Ford the cast and the overall acting is terrible.

Feels like they selected the cast first, based on racial and gender PC criteria and built some character around that. So much if that that I had to double check the show want a Netflix one.

Other than that it was a cliche after another cliche, cheap and predictable humour.

"Shrinking" fails to live up with it's potential. Yes, this a potentially good idea, but terribly executed.

I would probably stop here as nothing more is worth it saying about the show. But still I need type 35 more characters, so I can publish this.

I watched the first couple of episodes and it was tolerable and then progressively got worse every episode was less and less interesting.

Harrison Ford is a fish out of water Jason segals good at the and everything is fine with him the neighbors have no character development and they're on for 30 seconds the colleague in the office is annoying and childish

Perhaps they should have saved the money they spent on the big name Harrison Ford and given the opportunity to somebody that was more credible in the position.

The final straw was all the whispering for effect to make somehow the conversation more intense or impressive.

It's just annoying stop doing it.

I love Jason Segel. I love Harrison Ford. I was excited to see this series pop up.

This series has some great characters and a great basic set up for the storyline. The series begins in the middle of a tragedy having happened, and in the midst of relationships that have been broken. I looked forward to seeing the various characters make their way through these things. This aspect of the show is really good. And the show has some great, funny moments. Jason Segel is wonderful in this.

However, after six shows, I am done. If you are a person whose morality is traditional or Christian-based, this show, from about three episodes on, is unrelenting in its presenting of immorality and things that should be mourned as acceptable, good, and things to be celebrated.

I am used to finding no shows and movies that are completely moral. Everything I must filter, and I know that's just life in 2023, but this show broke my limit, and I am sad about that, because the parts of the show that are not immoral have much value to them. And, the immorality is completely unnecessary to the storyline and to the main substance of the show. So, if you have traditional morality, or are a Christian person, I'm sorry to say: skip this show.

It's a great romantic sit, but light on the comedy. By light I mean the sausage with the hotdog. There's feel good moments, but if the same crew who did Ted laugh a minute Lasso did this. I'm not sure how it came about. Otherwise a good show to do social media to and once you hear a joke, roll back and then back to instagram!

I'm sure Ford attracts the crowd, but the main protagonist only gets funny when he's overacting, overacting. When he's underacting, he's overacting making the overacting seem funny.

It just comes across as bad casting for the main actor and it takes forever to get a rapport with the cast.

First impressions are important. Jason Segel's character is unlikeable. He thinks he is cute and funny but he's not. He's quirky and makes silly faces. He is over 40 and he still drinks and does drugs until 3 am. He is supposed to be a lovable loser, but we don't love him. Everyone treats him with kid gloves, while he becomes a cliche of self pity.

While I'm trying to watch this episode and struggling through horrible dialogue, I start thinking what a great show this could have been if it was centered on Harrison Ford's Character. A show about a psychiatrist who no longer cares about his patients because he has been sitting in the chair too long. He should retire but he can't because his career defines who he is. That could have been a great foundation for a charming comedy.

I'm done with quirky.

This is one of those shows where it could have been good, if it weren't for the main character. Segel playes an absolute manbaby who doesn't take any emotional responsibilite at all in his relationship with his teenage daughter - who just lost his mom! I mean c'mon. Instead he spends his time engaged in strangers.

Also, he is not funny at all. I dunno why, but every joke he makes seems totally off in timing and just falls flat. I could not care less for this man.

The three stars are for Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams. Would love to see the series continue with these two - and drop the mainbaby altogether.

...is too much like a cheesy teenager plot, sex sells and imaturity.

The psychology is flat... people that need consciousness should be doctor or prof??

Okay, maybe this circumstance is tragic correct. Psy pseudoscience is not unusual. Unconscious, manipulative people like to study psychology.

Something critical as topic would be fine like narcissism and the ideology of being worth or unworthy, winner - loser as human.

So it has the spirit of a soap opera. Maybe funny in times of socialmedia dumbness, fame, glamour, commercial delusions to stay into.

Shrinking sounds too much like ... it could be so much more, but no soap!

Predictable comedy with a story that is just way too perfect for my taste.

I guess it's not far off from a lot of similar comedies, but this just seems too predictable and cliche.

I mean, the lawn sprinkler going off on him to show he's having a hard time? Gee, not too cliche.

It's just too SWEET. Too FAKE. I get most of these kind of movies are like that, but this is really bad.

There's no real conflict, it feels like the Brady Bunch but without the campy characters and funny scenarios.

And what happened to Christie Miller? OMG, she looks like the Joker Way too much plastic surgery causing her to have weird facial expressions and her mouth looks plastic.

It feels like that movie with those 80 year old women who go to the Superbowl. And you feel obligated to laugh because it's a bunch of old women doing "funny stuff". Despite it being sad and pathetic.

This isn't funny and the conflict is totally fake. And I couldn't care less for the characters. Harrison Ford is barely a character.

Here's my basic problem with some shows NOT on basic cable. While I personally do not have a problem per se with swearing and crude content, that should not comprise eighty percent of a show. It seems that everyone on this show has to drop f-bombs at every opportunity, and every opportunity between every two opportunities. A note to the writers - just because you are allowed to swear and include crude content, doesn't mean that you are required to. A recent episode in season two obsessed on the term "corn holing". This was totally unnecessary and totally unfunny. And it was totally unnecessary to mention it more than a dozen times. When I make soup I like to add a little salt. By a little I mean a few pinches. If I made the soup eighty percent salt it would be inedible. The same applies to salty language. It is not a substitute for good writing and completely overshadows what could be interesting and amusing stories.

Ricky Gervaise included bad language and coarse content in his remarkable series, After Life, but he did it in such a way that it did not overpower what was a touching and interesting exploration of one man's grief after losing the love of his life.

Shrinking

So many Apple shows are bland even beige in their attempt to be all things to all men, but this show seemed to have a voice, albeit quite a feeble one.

The key element to hook us in was quality acting from top stars delivering a witty script, we see the equivalent big budget stars in Ted Lasco and The Morning Show, and despite the hype these shows are dire soaps, but this was different, the script had some adult elements to entertain a sophisticated audience. Despite the fact I don't recognise any facet of the world in which any of these individuals live.

The themes were prosaic, a bad father, a grieving husband, a daughter acting out, a dysfunctional parental relationship and broken friendships.........yawn yawn! But the tag vigilante shrink was new as a vehicle for redemption.

After a strong start, they abandoned the very thing that made the show interesting "brutal honesty in the consulting room", at about episode 5, and the show nose dived in a morass of female centric neurosis, it became no more than a daytime soap glanced at whilst checking your iphone messages. I barely made it through as yet another show became bland and beige, well done Apple!

It was great seeing Michael Urie, I haven't seen him dominate a scene since Ugly Betty, and Christa Miller as the neighbour was incredible, I want her cosmetic surgeons number lol

At best this is an 3 out of 10, really quite tedious and as unique as toast!

Being a massive Scrubs fan (not so much Ted Lassso) I had high hopes for this.

The first episode is pretty good except for the tired trope of middle-aged white man is terrible at everthing bit.

However from the second episode onwards its just full of left-wing Twitter style drivel about white priviledge and how things are "too white".

It's only a 30 minute show but it gets pretty relentless. If you like racism (its not reverse racism because it's against white people) then maybe you'll enjoy it but personally I got tired of that kind of humour fast.

Harrison Ford is great as always. Segel is his usual amusing self too.

So much potential. What a shame.

The show is actually good - and funny. But the vulgarity spoils much of it. I'd like to sit around and watch it with my kids, or parents, or friends. But I can't. The odd placed vulgar word to make emphasis or prove a point is sometimes valid. But this show has so much vulgarity that the storyline gets lost. There is no point to this kind of language. It adds nothing. It on,y takes away. The goal of TV shows is to get people to watch. Think of how many people will not watch this show because of the language. And the flip side, how many more people would watch it if it didn't have such language.

Ok so I enjoyed the first season, it was great to see Harrison Ford play a role that catered to his dark sense of humour but to also see him settle for a 'silly' non serious role. I liked the building.g I f characters and the story of loss of a wife and mother. But now that's all over season 2 should never had been made, it doesn't know where it's going, it's clearly just now following a formula and quite honestly I think the shows creators think we must be idiots. I couldn't get through half the season 2 first episode before I called it quits. If you are hungover or need some blanket TV because you're going through something perhaps this show can be your friend. Otherwise don't waste your time it's poorly written, poorly acted and yet has huge ratings and a huge budget.

Season 1 - was great, then Season 2 - just awfully annoying charactors, cringy and just not genuine too scripty. However they a few good episodes, Harrison Ford makes it better to watch. The cringy part is when they try to normalize a unproper situation as acceptable to younger viewer. The usage of profanity as a normal to younger viewer. I just dont understand why would people rate this 10, its a neverending cringy happy happy joy joy behavior at all time. It's trying too much to make the ic and joke out of the misery. There is a charactor that cant make any wrong and yet others the moment they make mistake they being call out.

Shrinking is full of good people. Even if they appear prickly and even "scary", they really really care, and they give care, sometimes to their own detriment. That's pretty much the only thing that made the show enjoyable. That and Harrison Ford in one of his best performances. He really stands out because he is very funny without going over the top and poignant without dragging. And there's something very special about Lukita Maxwell, who plays Jason Segel's character's daughter.

Shrinking requires a huge suspension of disbelief. Its main premise is that a psychologist in Pasadena, California, someone who in real life would charge $300-400 per hour, would help patients for free outside the office and office hours. Yeah, right. I get it, it's a TV show, comedy-drama. But comedy works best when it's rooted in reality and so does drama, unless it's fantasy altogether. And sure, maybe some people actually live in that standard sitcom setting where everyone is a neighbor and so close, people just barge into each other's homes at any time. But, no, you cannot just barge into a psychologist's office mid-session. They are supposed to be locked and the psychologist themselves needs to buzz you in - for the patients' privacy and the therapist's safety. Or there's a scene where a group of people hanging out in the Pacific ocean, far from the shore. Maybe if didn't live in LA, it wouldn't have bothered me because I wouldn't have known that you have to be a really good swimmer to get this far out. I also might not have known that the ocean here is literally never warm enough to just sit in it like that for an extended period of time without a wetsuit. And at that same time a member of the group who is not with them in the ocean is shown at a park dressed in three layers. I couldn't help noticing it because it looked she was wearing two jackets - a little weird.

If it sounds like nitpicking, that's because it is. But perhaps I wouldn't have the opportunity to think of these things if the show kept my mind sufficiently occupied. But it didn't. The pace was sluggish. Too much empty air. Too much empty banter in the dialogue and way too much banality.

I wanted to like this show. The implausible premise could have nevertheless worked. If the writers actually focused on it. But they didn't.