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The Ted Lasso-ing of Shrinking
Bill Lawrence’s therapy dramedy didn’t start as a harmony-at-all-costs clone of his other TV shows. But it unfortunately became one.
This man was feuding with his family and letting strangers kick his ass because of whatever vague things happened during his military service in Afghanistan, but barely weeks later, he has convinced a near-stranger to join the U.S. Army because it will help her “see the world” and “get [her] shit together.” And then there’s Jimmy’s best friend, Brian (Michael Urie), and his aversion to having a child, which immediately disappears when he realizes a baby is an accessory and admits to himself that he was just afraid of being a father. An awkward-but-likable figure who breaks the rules, connects personally (and probably inappropriately) with the people he’s supposed to be responsible for guiding and teaching, and exists in a milieu where clemency is enforced with oppressive zeal — that’s Ted Lasso, and it’s also Shrinking. There’s seemingly no limit to how Shrinking continues to make its world smaller, its characters more incestuous in their dynamics (think of Sean dating Paul’s neurologist and Liz vetting Brian’s nanny candidates), and its vision of self-betterment simplistic to the point of offense.
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