'Shrinking' Season 3: Michael J. Fox Guest Role & Release Date
Not many shows capture the essence of loss, grief and forgiveness while also managing to make us laugh out loud quite like Apple TV+’s Shrinking. The debut season, which premiered in January of 2023, followed Jimmy Laird, a therapist grieving the loss of his wife after she was killed by a drunk driver. In the wake of her death, Jimmy takes on a new approach when it comes to his patients, practicing radical honesty and telling them exactly how he feels. Though unorthodox (and potentially a tad unethical), his new method seems to work—and he begins to heal himself in the process. With two seasons already streaming, fans have loved seeing the evolution of Jimmy, his family and his quirky, hilarious group of friends. Now, with season 3 set to premiere in January, here’s everything we know about what’s next—plus, a look at Michael J. Fox’s guest role.
What happened in ‘Shrinking’ season 2?
In the second season of Shrinking, Jason Segel’s character, Jimmy, continued to work on his own healing, while trying to fix the damage his actions caused in the immediate wake of his wife’s death—specifically involving his daughter, Alice (played by Lukita Maxwell). A major theme within the show’s second season was forgiveness, as Louis, the drunk driver who killed Jimmy’s wife, was introduced. Meanwhile, Paul (Harrison Ford) gradually came to face the reality of his Parkinson’s diagnosis, making for an emotional, heartwarming follow-up season.
What will ‘Shrinking’ season 3 be about?
Season 3 of Shrinking introduces a new era for all of our favorite characters. Jimmy finds himself struggling as he prepares for Alice to head to college. And the trailer reveals that romance could be on the horizon for him. As for the season’s overall theme, Shrinking co-creator Bill Lawrence told Deadlinethat while season 1 was largely focused on grief and season 2 revolved around the idea of forgiveness, the third season will focus on “moving forward.”
Who will be in ‘Shrinking’ season 3?
The third season of Shrinking will bring back most of our favorite characters, with Jason Segel returning as Jimmy, Harrison Ford as Paul, Jessica Williams as Gaby, Christa Miller as Liz, Luke Tennie as Sean, Michael Urie as Brian, Lukita Maxwell as Alice and Ted McGinley as Derek. Fans will also be excited to know that Cobie Smulders, Brett Goldstein, Damon Wayans, Jr. and Devin Kawaoka are also returning to Shrinking, but there’s one new guest star that viewers seem most excited about.
All about Michael J. Fox’s ‘Shrinking’ guest role
It was back in 2020 when Michael J. Fox stepped away from acting after his Parkinson’s diagnosis began affecting his speech, but earlier this year, it was announced that the actor would be joining the cast of Shrinking in season 3, leaving longtime fans excited at what was to come for him on screen. Paul, played by Harrison Ford, suffers from Parkinson’s in the series, and the way he deals with his diagnosis plays a big part in his story. With that in mind, fans assumed Fox’s storyline would intersect with Paul’s.
In the trailer for the third season, Paul is in a waiting room alongside the Back to the Future actor. “What are you in for?” asks Fox’s character. “Parkinson’s. You?” Paul replies. “Just a haircut,” Fox quips in return.
For co-creators Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein, Parkinson’s is something that’s personal to them, as both of their fathers suffered from the disease. “It’s cool to get to write about things you care about now,” Bill Lawrence told People at An Evening with Shrinking at PaleyLive. “And Michael J. Fox is my first mentor. So we wanted to represent it in hopefully an inspiring and not sad or tragic way.”
‘Shrinking’ Season 3 release date
Shrinking season 3 will premiere on Apple TV+ on January 28, 2026.
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This story was originally published December 31, 2025 at 11:03 AM.