Shrinking Season 3 is making Bill Lawrence’s guest star dreams come true.
Season 2 of Lawrence, Brett Goldstein, and Jason Segel’s beloved Apple TV+ comedy welcomed big names like Kelly Bishop, Damon Wayans Jr., and Cobie Smulders to screen, and Season 3 is keeping the legendary guest stars coming with award-winning actor, author, and advocate Michael J. Fox joining the cast.
When asked his dream Shrinking guest stars in a 2024 Paley Center event in Los Angeles, Lawrence told Decider, “Every one of my shows has a lifetime invite for Michael J. Fox. He’s my mentor, and he’s one of the kindest guys in the world. I find him so inspiring… He’s the only one out there that has an open door policy that he gets to tell us if and when he ever feels like doing something again.”
Though details around Fox’s role remain unknown, it’s clear his contribution to Shrinking will be deeply personal for both him and Lawrence, who worked together on Lawrence’s 1996 sitcom, Spin City. After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Fox left the series after four seasons, and Lawrence has been open about striving to honor his friend through Harrison Ford’s character, Paul, on Shrinking.
Ford plays a wise, grumpy, fiercely funny therapist who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and navigates its progression throughout Shrinking‘s first two seasons. In addition to Fox, Shrinking co-creator and Season 2 guest star Brett Goldstein’s father has the disease, and Lawrence’s father also has Lewy body dementia, an extension of Parkinson’s. Plus, Phil Stutz, a real-life therapist who has Parkinson’s also inspired Ford’s character.
“Brett and I and the staff are trying to honor the people we love the most,” Lawrence told Decider over Zoom. “I got to see Michael J. Fox over the summer, and it meant so much to me, because he was such a mentor for me. So knock on wood, we keep at least coming close to representing [Parkinson’s] in a way that makes those folks proud.”
Fox’s Shrinking guest role will mark his first on-screen performance in five years, since reprising his Good Wife character on The Good Fight in 2020. And it will also mark his first partnership with Apple TV+ since the 2023 Emmy Award-winning documentary, STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie.
In addition to Fox, Shrinking Season 3 will also welcome Sherry Cola, Isabella Gomez, and Jeff Daniels, who will guest star as Jimmy’s (Segel) dad. And as Decider reported, the Shrinking cast has lots more dream guest stars, including Mark Hamill, Prince Harry, Judith Light, and more. So stay tuned for more Shrinking Season 3 updates!
Shrinking Season 1 and Season 2 are now streaming on Apple TV+.