‘Shrinking’ Season 2 Filming Update: Release Date Speculation, News, Cast, and More!

Shrinking Season 2 is officially back in production. Filming on the upcoming season of the Apple TV+ series was initially delayed due to the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. However, since both strikes have ended, productions are moving forward again and it’s business as usual.

The first season of Shrinking has been praised by critics for the way it looks into grief, as well as its use of comedy. Paired with the performances of its cast, it’s no wonder the show received a renewal. Here’s what we know so far about Shrinking Season 2. Spoilers from Season 1 ahead.

Shrinking Season 2 Began Filming in January 2024

Apple TV has renewed Shrinking for a second season in March 2023, ahead of the season’s finale.

“We have loved the engaging, touching, and hilarious world of Shrinking since the beginning, and it has been wonderful to watch as audiences worldwide 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,” said Apple TV+ head of programming Matt Cherniss.

Shrinking co-creators Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein, and Jason Segel have already made plans for Season 2 and even a possible Season 3. Lawrence hinted that the show was going to be a three-season arc.

“We pitched three seasons – the beginning, middle, and end,” said Lawrence, drawing comparisons to another show known for its three-season arc, Ted Lasso, but noting the differences. “It does not have a sports season component to it the same way that’s a function of a story. Like, ‘I wonder if they win or lose!’”

“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.”

Who in the Shrinking Cast Will Be Returning?

It’s very likely that the cast from the first season will be back for Shrinking Season 2. This includes Jason Segel as Jimmy Laird, Harrison Ford as Dr. Paul Rhoades, and Jessica Williams as Gaby, another therapist who works with Jimmy and Paul.

“He’s so funny. We knew that. We instinctively knew how funny he was,” Goldstein previously said of Ford in an interview with Parade. “He’s really generous and lovely. And the fact that he’s in this ensemble show as part of the ensemble cast and how he kind of disappears into the part, it’s amazing.”

Also expected to return are Michael Urie as Brian, Lukita Maxwell as Alice, and Christa Miller as Liz. Luke Tennie may also be back as Jimmy’s patient Sean. Shrinking Season 2 will definitely bring in some new characters as the therapists’ patients, but an official cast list is still to be confirmed. Segel, Lawrence, and Goldstein will undoubtedly be back to run Shrinking Season 2.

“You have people who are the best at what they do,” Segel told ET during the premiere of Shrinking. “I’m a huge Bill Lawrence fan and Brett Goldstein I think is a genius, so to join forces I felt really lucky.”

Segel also had nothing but praise for working with Ford. “It’s a dream. He treated all of us like a peer, he broke through the awe really quickly.”

The same could be said for Ford. “It’s really fun,” said the veteran actor. “The people I’m working with are fantastic.”

What Happened in Season 1?

The official synopsis for Shrinking reads:

“Jimmy is struggling to grieve the loss of his wife while being a dad, friend, and therapist. He decides to try a new approach with everyone in his path: Unfiltered, brutal honesty. Can he help himself by helping others? Will it bring him back into the light?”

The season finale saw a shocking twist, where Grace, who is one of Jimmy’s clients, pushed her abusive boyfriend off a cliff. All this while Jimmy also struggles with the loss of his wife in a car crash.

“We wanted it to feel like life, sloppy and messy and funny and sad and confusing,” Segel told Parade ahead of the season premiere.

There’s also Jimmy’s relationship with Gaby, who was also his wife’s best friend. Episode 6 saw the two of them share a kiss as both of them were feeling miserable about their respective lives.

“Friendship, love, sexual attraction – they’re all so fluid, and they can get confused,” said Segel, according to Variety. “Those feelings are like a ball of spaghetti. They start at one end and come out on the other, but in the middle, they get all twisted around. So it might take some unraveling for that to become a straight line, and to figure out if they’re both holding the same side of the spaghetti noodle. Is that the weirdest metaphor?”

What to Expect in Season 2?

In Shrinking Season 2, fans can expect other topics to be covered aside from grief, which was done in the first season. Lawrence revealed that Season 2 would be all about forgiveness. He also revealed what Season 3 may be about.

“The second year is about forgiveness, and the third year is about moving forward,” said Lawrence.

Segel talked about the balance of comedy and drama in Shrinking. “Brett has put it really well: I think the line that we hit is sort of the tone of life. We all know people who are just properly miserable and behave that way. And that’s a hard thing to pull yourself out of. But real people don’t try and show their feelings. They try to hide them. We laugh our way through the hardest moments. I think sometimes we cry our way through the most beautiful moments because they’re so unexpected and rare. That’s exactly what the show does. It’s a reflection of how we actually experience these feelings.”

Following the events of the first season, Jimmy might be at risk of losing his job as a therapist after what Grace did. Jimmy previously joked that Grace could “boop” her boyfriend off a cliff and he would be held responsible. Jimmy also didn’t see the signs that Grace could actually do it.

However, Shrinking Season 2 may also lean more towards crime after what happened in the season finale. Lawrence revealed that for Shrinking Season 2, “They’re not gonna be in a courtroom,” which could hint at a cover-up possibly being done.

Shrinking Season 2 Release Date Speculation

Unfortunately, there’s no official Shrinking Season 2 release date yet, but filming has resumed as of January 2024. Production is expected to continue through June 2024 in Los Angeles under the working title “Pinch.”

With the current production schedule, it’s possible the series could return as early as late 2024. However, we think an early 2025 date might be more likely. We’re also basing this on the fact that the first season had a nine-month production schedule in 2022 before it premiered in 2023.

For now, fans can rewatch the first season on Apple TV+.