After spending the past several years starring in dramas, Jeff Daniels is beginning his comedic comeback in the therapist’s office. Deadline reports that the Emmy winner is joining Season 3 of Apple TV+‘s Shrinking for a guest arc as Jimmy’s dad. Though the popular series starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford handles its fair share of heavy subjects, it’s Daniels’s first foray into a proper comedy project since the sequel to Dumb & Dumber in 2014. As an actor lauded for his ability to make viewers laugh and give moving dramatic performances, he’s the perfect fit for a series that has dabbled in both throughout its two-season run so far.
Shrinking will be Daniels‘s first major role in a live-action comedy series, coming on the heels of his performances as Charlie Croker in A Man in Full and Del Harris in American Rust: Broken Justice on television last year. He’s racked up an impressive resume on the small screen thus far, earning two Emmy Awards in 2013 for The Newsroom and in 2018 for Godless. Of course, he’s still beloved for his feature film roles, including as the screwball comedy partner to Jim Carrey in the aforementioned Dumb & Dumber and as the thrice-divorced father Bernard Berkman in the heart-wrenching dramedy The Squid and the Whale. He also has an upcoming turn as Ronald Reagan to look forward to in the star-studded Reykjavík announced last year. While nothing is known yet about what his storyline will entail, he’s sure to play a key role in Jimmy’s continued development and could open up viewers to more of his family history.
In addition to Segel and Ford, Daniels boards a cast that featured the talents of Christa Miller, Jessica Williams, Luke Tennie, Michael Urie, Lukita Maxwell, and Ted McGinley in Season 2. Series co-creator Brett Goldstein also played a major role in the most recent run as Louis, the man responsible for killing Jimmy’s wife Tia in a drunk-driving accident. Also created by Segel and Bill Lawrence, Shrinking follows the grieving Jimmy as he throws his ethics and training aside to tell his patients what he really thinks, causing tumultuous changes in his life and others while he and those close to him work through their troubles. Season 2 picked up with a story all about forgiveness as Jimmy and his friends learn the value of making amends.
What To Expect From Season 3 of ‘Shrinking’?
Lawrence and company have structured the show around the process of grief with Season 3 meant to be the end of this current storyline, focusing primarily on moving on. Work is already underway to get the hit show back on the air and there are a few breadcrumbs as to where Jimmy, Paul, and the rest are heading next. Now that he’s addressed the roots of his grief over Tia, the path is clear for a better relationship between Jimmy and his daughter Alice (Maxwell) built on healthier ground. With Jimmy’s dad in the picture, that may require exploring the therapist’s relationship with his own parents too. Ford‘s wise therapist Paul will also have a major part to play as both he and those around him confront his worsening Parkinson’s, which doctors confirmed may soon progress beyond what medicine can help.
For now, stay tuned here at Collider for more on Shrinking Season 3 as work gets underway. The first two seasons are available to stream in full on Apple TV+.
via Collider