NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
It’s always a gift and a curse when the creator of a hit show can say they had plans for a certain number of seasons. This is the case with Shrinking. While it was originally set for a three-season run, Apple TV has renewed it for a 4th. It appears to be a good choice. However, there might be a bit of a setback.
Shrinking was created by Bill Lawrence. Yes, the same man responsible for another hit show on Apple TV, titled Ted Lasso. Let’s go back. Ted Lasso was also created with 3 seasons in mind. And for a while, it appeared that Lawrence had kept his word. But, like a great cliffhanger, the tides shifted, and a 4th season of Ted Lasso is set to drop after being off the air for 2 years. Was it pressure from the network, fans, or the writers who were itching to get back in a groove with a fresh story to tell?
Well, Shrinking was never off the air. They never had a chance to see how fans would react if the show were to ride off into the sunset. Instead, Lawrence said he and the writers have a plan for the 4th season, which will include a time jump. No new real characters, the story will still center on the original gang, but why a time jump?
A jump with this show is asking for trouble wth the OG viewers. For one, how far can they go with Paul’s health? He has Parkinson’s, and while there has been no mention of the time he has left, you have to believe that a huge time jump won’t be in his favor. But then we get to the rest of the cast. And the only way this jump will work is if it’s centered around the kids?
When I say kids, I mean a version where Brian’s daughter has to be at least 10 or so. But a jump will also provide the writers with enough time to hopefully add more spice to Shrinking. It makes no sense to do a year or two jump. This has to be at least 5 or more. The downside of this is that we will miss the wedding of Gaby and Derrick. While that will surely bring laughs, there is more to this storyline. What they can do is maybe show us flashback scenes to the wedding, but there is no way Shrinking can hold that wedding off for a large number of years. So a time hump does not work for that.
With the focus on kids, the time jump will work as we can get a look at Brian’s daughter, Will’s baby, and maybe Summer and Connor’s baby if they have one. But then we can’t forget the possibility of a baby from Gaby and Derrick, and then an icing on the cake could be a child by Sean and Marisol. Just those storylines alone would be worth another season. But with Jimmy and Alice still in the fold for Season 4, why not throw in a baby for Alice as well?
Shrining was built on grief that turned into redemption, and then joy, but family was always at the forefront. Let’s keep that trend going in Season 4.
