Shrinking season 2: Release date speculation, cast and news for Apple TV+ comedy

The first season of the show followed Jimmy, a therapist struggling with grief who started to tell his patients exactly what to do, and also featured some memorable guest stars and supporting characters, most notably of which was, of course, Harrison Ford.

Alongside Segel, the series was also created by Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein, and has been in production on its second season for some time. But when are fans likely to see those new episodes?

Read on for everything you need to know about Shrinking season 2.

Will there be a second season of Shrinking?

There will!

Shrinking was officially renewed for a second season on Thursday 9th March 2023, with Matt Cherniss, head of programming at Apple TV+, saying: "We have loved the engaging, touching and hilarious world of Shrinking since the beginning, and it has been wonderful to watch as audiences around the world continue to connect with these big-hearted characters.

"We can’t wait for viewers to experience what the cast and creative team have for season 2."

Previously, Jason Segel told RadioTimes.com in an exclusive interview that it was "the hope and goal" to make more episodes of the show, adding: "One of the things Bill [Lawrence, co-creator] said to me when I signed on was, 'We'll do this for as long as we're having fun,' which sounds like a great way to go into a project."

Meanwhile, speaking in December 2022, Lawrence told RadioTimes.com that the writing staff were about to start work on a potential second season that week.

He said: "We're grinding on it as we speak. We know where this year and next year start and end. And so I think the end of this year people will both feel a sense of completion but also know without a shadow of a doubt that the show's not over.

"The finale has a big stick in the spokes, you know, a surprise type thing in the finale of this season. And beyond those two years, that's the fun – if we're lucky enough to keep doing it, if everybody's into it, and if Harrison is not flying his jet to some remote corner of the world at that point in time, we'll keep doing it forever, it's a lot of fun."

However, in an interview with Variety in March 2023, Lawrence seemed to suggest a more finite timeline for the series.

He said: "Part of the fun for me in doing shows with, like, Jason Segel and Harrison Ford, is that you can tell actors that you’ve always wanted to work with, 'If you give me three seasons, that’s fine if you want to split.'

"So all I can tell you is that all the gang that we roped in for this one was down for doing that.

"The second year is about forgiveness, and the third year is about moving forward."

When will Shrinking season 2 be released?

It's not certain yet just when we can expect more episodes of Shrinking, but given that Bill Lawrence confirmed the writing staff had started on the season in 2022, and the official renewal came before the end of the first season's run, we had hoped that it could be a fairly quick turn-around.

However, with the 2023 strikes likely having led to some delays, it now seems that an early 2025 release date seems likely - around two years after the first season debuted.

It could still be earlier than that, or indeed later, but we'll keep this page updated as and when we get any more information.

Whatever the case, the quite literal cliffhanger to the first season's finale saw Heidi Gardner's Grace, who has been in therapy with Jimmy, push her abusive boyfriend off a cliff while on a hike, meaning there's likely to be a sizeable fallout to deal with in season 2 when it does arrive.

Shrinking cast: Who will be back for season 2?

Based on Lawrence's comments that the cast, including Jason Segel and Harrison Ford, agreed to do a three-season arc on the show, that would certainly suggest the majority of the cast, including those two stars, will be back.

Alongside them, other stars set to return include Lukita Maxwell, Christa Miller, Jessica Williams, Luke Tennie, Michael Urie and of course, after that cliffhanger, Heidi Gardner.

We also now know that we'll definitely be meeting some new characters, with Ashley Nicole Black and the show's co-creator Brett Goldstein both joining the cast.

Black will not only be starring in the series, but she has also joined the writing team for season 2, while Goldstein's new role is currently being kept under wraps.

Goldstein was unable to appear in Shrinking season 1 as he was filming the third season of Ted Lasso during the shoot.

Segel told RadioTimes.com when promoting season 1: "He's busy doing Lasso, but my dream would be that he comes through as one of the characters, a patient or something like that, because I would love to act with Brett."

Here's a list of the main cast we would expect to return for a second season of Shrinking:

• Jason Segel as Jimmy
• Harrison Ford as Paul
• Jessica Williams as Gaby
• Lukita Maxwell as Alice
• Luke Tennie as Sean
• Michael Urie as Brian
• Christa Miller as Liz
• Ted McGinley as Derek
• Heidi Gardner as Grace
• Lily Rabe as Meg
• Wendie Malick as Julie
• Brett Goldstein as TBC
• Ashley Nicole Black as TBC

Is there a trailer for Shrinking season 2?

There isn't a trailer available for Shrinking season 2 just yet, but you can rewatch the trailer for season 1 right here, now.

Shrinking season 1 is available to stream in full on Apple TV+ – you can sign up to Apple TV+ here.

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