Bill Lawrence is pretty busy these days with new Scrubs, an upcoming HBO comedy with Steve Carrell, a second season of Apple TV’s Bad Monkey, and whatever’s going on with Ted Lasso. But that hasn’t slowed down his other fan-favorite comedy, Shrinking. The series, co-created with Ted‘s Brett Goldstein, returns to Apple on January 28. On Tuesday, the streamer shared a first look (below) at the 11-episode third season.
The whole Shrinking gang will be back in season three, including a newly recommitted Liz (Christa Miller) and Derek (Ted McGinley) and a similarly loved-up Gaby (Jessica Williams) and boyfriend Derrick (guest star Damon Wayans Jr.). Brian (Michael Urie) and Charlie (Devin Kawaoka) are embarking on their parenting journey, while Jimmy (Jason Segel) continues to navigate his with daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell). Sean (Luke Tennie) is working on his business, while Paul (Harrison Ford) is working on coming to terms with his Parkinson’s diagnosis.
He’ll have some assistance with that from Michael J. Fox, one of season three’s guest stars. Lawrence has said that Fox isn’t playing himself, but the actor—a Parkinson’s advocate in real life—is playing someone with the disease. Other Shrinking guest stars include The Newsroom‘s Jeff Daniels as Jimmy’s dad, and One Day At A Time‘s Isabella Gomez as a potential love interest for Sean. Wendie Malick and Cobie Smulders are set to return as guests, while newcomer Candice Bergen will also feature in the season in an as-yet undisclosed role. Brett Goldstein will also return as Louis, the man who killed Jimmy’s wife in a drunk driving incident.
Reflecting on the second season for The A.V. Club, Manuel Betancourt wrote that he was worried when the show “opted for levity rather than embracing the darker undertones of its central premise,” but ultimately found that the addition of Louis “was an intriguing gamble that… paid off quite handsomely.” Shrinking will return with a one-hour premiere episode in January, with new episodes dropping weekly through April 8. You can check out the first look photos below.
