Michael J. Fox has shared more about his “amazing” experience while filming Shrinking season 3, including co-star Harrison Ford’s “protective” nature. Created by sitcom legend Bill Lawrence alongside stars Jason Segel and Brett Goldstein, the Apple TV dramedy will return for its third season in the new year, fresh off seven nominations — including Outstanding Comedy Series — at the 2025 Emmy Awards.
Much like Lawrence’s other recent Apple TV hit, Ted Lasso, Shrinking isn’t your run-of-the-mill sitcom. One of the major storylines from the first two seasons that will be continued in season 3 is therapist Paul Rhodes’ (Ford) ongoing battle with Parkinson’s, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the brain and the body’s movement.
During an interview with PEOPLE at the A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s Gala — hosted by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research — Shrinking season 3 guest star Fox shared how much working with Harrison Ford meant to him. “[He’s] so brilliant and so fun to work with. [He’s] so protective of me and wanted me to have a great experience,” Fox said.
“It was amazing. Harrison is so good… I should say he’s an underrated actor because everybody knows how great he is, but the subtlety of his work,” the Back to the Future icon explained. Although the specifics of Fox’s role in Shrinking season 3 remain a mystery, Fox did reveal in a separate feature with PEOPLE, published in October, that he was playing a character with Parkinson’s disease in a three-episode guest arc.
Paul (Harrison Ford) looking grumpy in Shrinking Season 2 Ep 9Image via Apple TV+
Fox, who was announced as a guest star for Shrinking season 3 in May this year, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991. Lawrence and Fox have a long history together, having previously collaborated on ABC’s mid-’90s political sitcom, Spin City. Though Fox had officially retired from acting in 2020, Paul’s story on Shrinking inspired the actor.
“It was the first time ever I get to show up on-set, and I didn’t have to worry about I am too tired or coughing or anything,” Fox told PEOPLE about his Shrinking experience. “I just do it. It was really good, because for the moments when I say, ‘I’m not going to be able to do this,’ then I say, ‘Well, I’ll just deal with how I can’t do it in the scene.’ And you get through it.”
In the Shrinking season 2 finale, Paul announces he’s decided to stop taking his Parkinson’s medication, as it has lost its effectiveness. How this will affect his journey in season 3 remains to be seen, but Paul’s story isn’t just meaningful to Fox. Both Lawrence and Goldstein have familial experience with Parkinson’s.
“I will tell you this: what we really care about, Brett and me, both with our family connections to Parkinson’s, is an accurate and inspiring representation of what people that have to deal with that s— go through, and what it means moving forward,” Lawrence told Deadline following the season 2 finale in December last year.
Michael J. Fox isn’t the only new actor added to Shrinking’s impressive cast list in season 3. Joining Fox and Ford in their storyline is Murphy Brown star and five-time Emmy winner Candice Bergen in an as-yet unnamed role. Two-time Emmy winner Jeff Daniels will also join the series as Jimmy’s (Jason Segel) father. Shrinking’s upcoming season will consist of 11 episodes.
Shrinking season 3 premieres on Apple TV on January 28, 2026, with new episodes releasing weekly on Wednesdays until April 8.
Release Date
January 26, 2023
Showrunner
Bill Lawrence
Directors
Bill Lawrence