Shrinking Cast & Character Guide

The impressive performances of Shrinking‘s star-studded cast helped the comedy become a hit series. Shrinking season 1 received a 91% critical score and an 87% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, with both critics and general audiences impressed by the series’ balance between comedy and the exploration of a heartfelt story. Season 1’s success led to Shrinking season 2 being greenlit, with the series becoming one of Apple TV+’s most well-regarded comedies.

Created by Jason Segel, Bill Lawrence, and Brett Goldstein, Shrinking tells the story of a therapist, Jimmy, who takes an unorthodox approach to helping his patients by telling them what he really thinks about their problems. While this leads to many comedic situations, the series also explores difficult topics and emotions, as Jimmy, his daughter, Alice, and their loved ones grapple with the death of Jimmy’s wife, Tia. Even though Jimmy is the main character, many others in his life, including his colleagues, one of his patients, and his neighbors, become just as important to the story.

Jason Segel as Jimmy Laird

Date of Birth: January 18, 1980

Actor: Jason Segel was born in Santa Monica, California. His breakout role came in Freaks & Geeks, which, despite being short-lived, helped launch his career. Segel went on to play the role of Marshall Eriksen in all nine seasons of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. He starred in many comedic movies as well, including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and This Is 40, where he reunited with Freaks & Geeks‘ Judd Apatow, along with Knocked Up, Bad Teacher, the 2011 The Muppets movie, and voicing the villainous Vector in Despicable Me.

Notable Movies & TV Shows

Character: Jason Segel plays Jimmy Laird, the grieving therapist who has decided to tell his patients how he feels about their problems. Jimmy’s unconventional approach results in surprising success for many patients, but it can get complicated. This is especially the case with his patient, Sean, as the lines blur between therapist and doctor as they become close friends. Jimmy is a loving, compassionate, and well-intentioned individual who struggles with setting boundaries and dealing with his own unresolved trauma.

Harrison Ford as Paul Rhodes

Date of Birth: July 13, 1942

Actor: Harrison Ford was born in Chicago, Illinois. George Lucas’ 1973 movie American Graffiti served as Ford’s breakout role and led to Ford’s ongoing partnership with Lucas. Ford first played the iconic role of Han Solo in Lucas’ Star Wars in 1977 and would reprise the role in four more sequels. Another beloved Lucasfilm character was brought to life with Ford playing Indiana Jones in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark and its four sequels. Other notable roles include Rick Deckard in Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049 and Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive.

Notable Movies & TV Shows

Character: Ford’s Shrinking character, Dr. Paul Rhodes, is a therapist who is Jimmy’s boss, friend, and mentor. While he cares deeply about Jimmy and Alice, he is a more traditional therapist and disapproves of Jimmy’s unprofessional practices. Paul has a gruff persona, but he is brilliant at his job. Beyond the drama Jimmy brings to their practice, Paul is dealing with the challenges of Parkinson’s disease and his own unresolved family issues.

Jessica Williams as Gaby

Date of Birth: July 31, 1989

Actor: Jessica Williams was born in Los Angeles, California. As an actor and comedian, Williams gained widespread recognition as a correspondent on The Daily Show. Her television experience also includes playing Karen in HBO’s Girls, Rei Tanaka in the “Six Degrees of Freedom” episode in the 2019 The Twilight Zone, and Mia Hines in season 2 of HBO’s romantic-comedy anthology series Love Life. She played the American witch, Lally Hicks, in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, along with the role of Frankie in the 2024 Road House remake starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

Notable Movies & TV Shows

Character: Williams plays Gaby, a therapist who works at the same practice as Jimmy and Paul. She is an extremely empathetic person, sometimes to her own detriment. Gaby was the best friend of Jimmy’s wife, Tia, and remains close with Jimmy and Alice. From driving Paul to work every morning to making sure he stays hydrated, Gaby makes sure to look out for Paul. She also develops a close and supportive friendship with Jimmy’s neighbor, Liz.

Lukita Maxwell as Alice

Date of Birth: October 27, 2001

Actor: Lukita Maxwell was born in Jakarta, Indonesia. Maxwell’s breakout role was as a series regular on HBO’s Generation, where she played Delilah, a teenager dedicated to social activism. Her first television role was as Jillian in four episodes of Speechless, including in the pilot episode of the ABC sitcom. As for movies, she appeared in 2023’s The Young Wife starring Kiersey Clemons and Kelly Marie Tran, and in the 2024 science-fiction horror story Afraid.

Notable Movies & TV Shows

Character: Maxwell plays Jimmy’s daughter, Alice, in Shrinking. Alice had a close relationship with her mother and has gradually rebuilt a strong relationship with her father. When Jimmy was struggling to be there for her, their neighbor, Liz, stepped up and helped take care of Alice. In addition to Liz, Alice is close with Gaby and forms a connection with one of Jimmy’s patients, Sean, who moves into their house. In many ways, Alice is more mature than the adults in her life, but she is still a high school teenager navigating the traditional challenges of adolescence.

Luke Tennie as Sean

Date of Birth: November 21, 1994

Actor: Luke Tennie was born in Plantation, Florida. Being a series regular in Shrinking has been Tennie’s breakout role, with Sean being one of the most important and developed characters in the series. Before Shrinking, Tennie played Willie Lewis, leader of the Final World Order in the SYFY series Deadly Class. He later played Solomon, a member of the football team in the Disney+ movie Safety, which is based on former Clemson University safety Ray McElrathbey, and played a recurring role in CSI: Vegas seasons 1 and 2.

Notable Movies & TV Shows

Character: In Shrinking, Tennie plays Sean, a military veteran who is sent to court-mandated therapy. Sean was initially supposed to be Gaby’s patient, but she referred him to Jimmy instead. Jimmy used MMA fighting and other unconventional practices to help Sean channel his anger and even let Sean move in with him. Sean became close with Jimmy’s family, colleagues, and friends, and even started a food truck business with financial help from Jimmy’s neighbors, Liz and Derek. Sean has made tremendous progress, but is still struggling, especially when it comes to the relationship with his father.

Christa Miller as Liz

Date of Birth: May 28, 1964

Actor: Christa Miller was born in New York City. Appearing in two episodes of Seinfeld led to Miller’s more prominent roles as series regular Kate O’Brien in The Drew Carey Show and as the recurring character Jordan Sullivan in Scrubs. She later played series regular Ellie Torres in Cougar Town, where she starred alongside Courteney Cox and Busy Philipps. Miller has also played roles in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Clone High, CSI: Miami, and Whiskey Cavalier.

Notable Movies & TV Shows

Character: Miller’s Shrinking character, Liz, lives next door to Jimmy and Alice. She took care of Alice for much of the year after Tia’s death and treated Alice like her own daughter. Liz becomes close friends with Gaby, Sean, and Jimmy, even though she and Jimmy often get on each other’s nerves. She and her husband, Derek, help financially support Sean’s food truck business, and Liz also becomes more directly involved as Sean’s business partner. Liz can be overbearing and intense, but she will do anything for those she loves.

Shrinking Supporting Cast & Characters

Michael Urie as Brian – Michael Urie plays Brian, who is a lawyer and has been Jimmy’s best friend since college. Brian is part of the social circle that includes Jimmy, Gaby, and other prominent characters, and manages the legalities of Paul’s estate. Urie played Marc St. James in Ugly Betty and portrayed Stephen Dinovera in The Good Wife and in The Good Fight.

Ted McGinley as Derek – Ted McGinley plays Derek, Liz’s jovial and easygoing husband, who is always supportive of his wife. Derek becomes increasingly connected to Shrinking‘s other characters, leading to McGinley being a series regular in season 2. McGinley has also starred in Married…with Children, Happy Days, Dynasty, The Love Boat, and Revenge of the Nerds.

Lilan Bowden as Tia – Lilan Bowden plays Tia, the deceased wife of Jimmy and mother to Alice. She appears in flashbacks, primarily with Jimmy and Alice, and has a striking resemblance to her daughter. Bowden is best known for playing Rebecca “Bex” Mack in Andi Mack. She has also appeared in episodes of Parks and Recreation, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and NCIS.

Heidi Gardner as Grace – Heidi Gardner plays Grace, who is one of Jimmy’s patients. She is the first patient who Jimmy tells how he really feels, which in her case has to do with her emotionally abusive marriage. Gardner has been on Saturday Night Live since 2017. She has also had roles in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and in episodes of Veep, Superstore, and Girls5eva.

Lily Rabe as Meg – Lily Rabe plays Meg, who is Paul’s daughter. She and her father have had an estranged relationship but are working on repairing it. Rabe has played a wide range of roles throughout multiple seasons of American Horror Story, including the Stevie Nicks-loving witch Misty Day and the real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Rabe also starred in the HBO limited series The Undoing and Love & Death.

Wendie Malick as Dr. Julie Baram – Wendie Malick plays Dr. Julie Baram, who is introduced as Paul’s doctor, and later becomes his girlfriend. Malick previously played Judith Tupper in Dream On and Nina Van Horn in Shoot Me! She also voiced Chicha in The Emperor’s New Groove and had roles in The American President, BoJack Horseman, and Young Sheldon.

Devin Kawaoka as Charlie – Devin Kawoako plays Brian’s sweet and supportive husband, Charlie. Kawaoka has appeared in episodes of Criminal Minds, Lucifer, and Goliath. He has an ongoing role as Kai Tanaka-Reed in Chicago Med, played Gary in the 2021 horror movie The Manor, and starred in the Broadway production of Slave Play by Jeremy O. Harris.

Rachel Stubington as Summer – Rachel Stubington plays Summer, who is Alice’s best friend. Stubington played April in an episode of Generation, a series where Lukita Maxwell was a series regular. Stubington also played the role of Rhea in the pilot episode of ABC’s Ryan Murphy series Doctor Odyssey.

Gavin Lewis as Connor – Gavin Lewis plays Connor, one of Liz and Derek’s three sons. Connor is in college but still has feelings for Alice. Lewis’ most prominent role was as Moody Richardson in Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere, starring Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon. He also starred in Prince of Peoria.

Brett Goldstein as Louis – Brett Goldstein, who is one of Shrinking‘s co-creators, executive producers, and writers, plays the guest-starring role of Louis in season 2. Goldstein is best known for his Emmy Award-winning performance as Roy Kent in Apple TV+’s popular comedy series Ted Lasso. He has also appeared in Doctor Who, Thor: Love and Thunder, and in Harley Quinn.

Courtney Taylor as Courtney – Courtney Taylor plays Gaby’s sister, Courtney, who is introduced in Shrinking season 2. Taylor played the recurring character Erika in Abbott Elementary seasons 2 and 3. She has also been in the 2022 horror movie The Invitation and in seasons 4 and 5 of Insecure.

Josh Hopkins as Mac – Josh Hopkins plays Mac, an important figure from Liz’s past who makes his debut in Shrinking season 2. Hopkins previously played Raymond Millbury in Ally McBeal, Grayson Ellis in Cougar Town, and Liam O’Connor in Quantico. Other notable projects include True Detective and CSI: Miami.