Apple TV+’s Shrinking has all the elements of a great comedy-drama, with both Jason Segel and Harrison Ford (along with the supporting cast) delivering memorable performances that both make fans want to laugh and cry. The show was created by several people behind Ted Lasso, including Brett Goldstein who plays Roy Kent in that series. So, not surprisingly, it has a similar feel to it.
Touching on topics of parenting, getting older, dealing with grief and trauma, therapy, and mental health, Shrinking shares some similarities with other shows. There are plenty of other shows worth watching for those who like Shrinking so far.
30
‘Bad Monkey’ (2024–)
Developed by Bill Lawrence
The latest series from Bill Lawrence, the co-creator of Shrinking, Bad Monkey is a cheerful marriage of black comedy and crime drama that stands as one of Apple TV+’s more underrated series. Vince Vaughn stars as Andrew Yancy, a former detective who now works as a restaurant inspector in South Florida. When a severed arm is discovered on a fishing boat off the coast of Florida Keys, Yancy is lured into a world of greed and corruption as he investigates a web of deceit spanning across Florida and to The Bahamas.
An engaging and hysterical riff on many of the P.I. serials of yesteryear, Bad Monkey is able to overcome its pitfalls with a vibrant energy of sun-swept intrigue that contains both uproarious laughs and surprising twists in abundance. Fans of Vaughn will enjoy the comic being allowed to embrace his motormouth mania, but the series also has plenty on offer for viewers less inclined to the actor’s style. With Lawrence’s wit and effervescence on full display, Bad Monkey is an essential watch for lovers of Shrinking looking for more comedy entertainment.
29
‘Mr. Corman’ (2021)
Created by Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Another Apple TV+ original that marries modern observational comedy with a story of self-discovery and pathos, Mr. Corman was perhaps too hastily canceled after just one season in 2021. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Josh Corman, a miserable public-school teacher left to contemplate how his life could have been different had he made it as a rock star, something he came agonizingly close to achieving. While he does care for his students, his daily life is a medley of uninspired malaise and melancholy as he searches for meaning amid the monotony.
Granted, the series does have its pitfalls, particularly a slow-burn story that struggles to gather momentum, but Mr. Corman still finds moments of gold with its lively visual presentation and its catchy musical numbers. It is enough to suggest the premise warranted more than one season to be fully realized, but even with that being the case, Mr. Corman remains a fun and light yet pointed meditation of modern life and the helpless feeling one experiences when they know they could have had it all.
Mr. Corman
- Release Date
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2021 – 2020
- Network
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Apple TV+
28
‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ (2023)
Created by Liz Tigelaar
Running with a clever and cute premise and a typically entrancing comedy performance from Kathryn Hahn, Tiny Beautiful Things is a touching dramedy miniseries about helping others even when one is feeling lost and unsettled. Clare Pierce (Hahn) is a writer at a crossroads in her life who reluctantly accepts an unpaid and anonymous job with an advice column. As she implements her own anxieties and past experiences into her writing, she quickly amasses a small following of people whose lives have been touched by her work.
A testament to the notion that there is universality in specificity, Tiny Beautiful Things finds both a tender heart and laughs aplenty in its detailed exploration of the tumultuous absurdity of Clare’s life. It isn’t afraid to engage with heavy and weighted topics, but it never strays away from its charming tone either. The end result is a cozy and comfortable viewing experience that largely excels as a sharp adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s book of self-help essays of the same name.
27
‘The Big Door Prize’ (2023–2024)
Created by David West Read
A high-concept premise with endless possibilities meets a sharp and sophisticated sense of modern comedy in Apple TV+’s original series, The Big Door Prize. Residents of the quiet suburban town of Deerfield find their lives uprooted by the arrival of a peculiar device that reveals people’s true potential. What starts out as an exciting oddity that ensnares the fascination of the townsfolk soon leads to chaos in the community as people start reconsidering their career trajectories, contemplating the quality of their relationships, and challenging their own life-long beliefs.
The series excels at taking such a volatile narrative idea and exploring it with an air of grounded charm, a measured sophistication that finds plenty of playful laughs without straying into moody existentialism or overbearing thematic discourse. Despite its endearing tone and its scandalous neighborhood fun, The Big Door Prize was canceled after just two seasons, but it remains an appropriately enjoyable series for fans of Shrinking looking for another comedy to embrace.
26
‘Casual’ (2015–2018)
Created by Zander Lehmann
For all its awkward comedy and its underlying heart, Shrinking is fundamentally a series about striving for self-improvement—and inspiring improvement in others—amid the complexity of modern-day life. Substituting the series’ psychiatrist angle for a contemplation on how internet dating has impacted today’s society, Casual is a considered and comical take on family life.
It follows Alex Cole (Tommy Dewey), the co-founder of a popular dating website who takes in his sister, Valerie (Michaela Watkins), a newly divorced therapist, and her teenage daughter, Laura (Tara Lynne Barr). Amid the chaotic living situation, Alex grows determined to find his sister the perfect partner. Funny, smart, and invested in exploring modern relationships while also containing plenty of absurd family hilarity, Casual ran for four seasons from 2015 to 2018, maintaining a high quality throughout the entirety of its tenure.
Casual
- Release Date
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2015 – 2017
- Network
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Hulu
25
‘Schitt’s Creek’ (2015–2020)
Created by Eugene Levy and Daniel Levy
After overcoming a mixed first season, Schitt’s Creek went on to thrive as a wildly absurd yet sincere comedy about the awkwardness of family life imbued with all the nuances of the 21st century. Headed by video rental magnate Johnny Rose (Eugene Levy), the Rose family live a life of luxury and wealth until they lose all their money in a scam. With the small town of Schitt’s Creek their sole remaining asset, the family relocate to rebuild their lives and clash with some of the fiery locals in the process.
While its eccentricity flaunts an easy wit, Schitt’s Creek is best defined by the warmth and charm of its characters, with the series having fun with their quirks in a cheerful and endearing manner. It also received widespread praise for its incorporation of sexuality into the story, exploring it with depth and insight without using it as a source for cheap jokes.
24
‘Atypical’ (2017–2021)
Created by Robia Rashid
Many of the greatest and most engaging sitcoms of today earn their approval not only through their comedic senses, but through their navigating of socially pointed concepts as well. Atypical does this to fine effect, blending teenage angst with family drama as it follows high school student Sam Gardner (Keir Gilchrist), an autistic teenager whose endeavor to start dating leads to his doting though good-natured mother growing concerned.
The series expertly presents a story that is relatable to everyone, a story of familial anxiety and love that covers parents worrying about their maturing children and teenagers seeking independence as they transition to adulthood. The fact that Atypical is able to do this so brilliantly while also incorporating narrative aspects tied to Sam’s autism is a testament to its efficiency and craft.
Atypical
- Release Date
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2017 – 2020
- Network
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Netflix
23
‘Kidding’ (2018–2020)
Created by Dave Holstein
A criminally underrated project from Jim Carrey in recent years, Kidding blends a comedic zest with a painful story of tragedy and loss. Jeff Piccirillo (Carrey) is a veteran television personality known as Mr. Pickles, a children’s entertainer adored by kids and adults alike. However, following the death of one of his sons, Jeff finds great difficulty re-adjusting to his usual life.
Its comedic inflections come from a place of harrowing darkness and emotional devastation, meaning fans of Carrey’s usual slapstick antics may be surprised if they go into the series expecting such a comedy display. However, it still offers plenty of laughs while delving deep into serious notions of grief, loss, and the difficulties of life after tragedy, making it a bittersweet gem of television dramedy.
22
‘Trying’ (2020–)
Created by Andy Wolton
Modern life can be a chaotic whirlwind in which personal aspirations clash with the peculiar mixture of friends and family members that become a person’s core support group. Trying explores this muddled mess with exceptional depth and heart. The British TV series follows Nikki (Esther Smith) and Jason (Rafe Spall), a couple whose efforts to adopt a child come at odds with their circle of dysfunctional familial figures and friends.
Season 1 particularly excels in its analysis of a couple dealing with infertility, with the series’ balance of grounded yet hilarious humor and poignant heartache. As the scope of the show slightly broadens in ensuing seasons, Trying finds an added sweetness and sincerity, one that makes it a beautiful show of profoundly human people trying their best in a challenging and emotionally exhausting situation.
21
‘The Good Place’ (2016–2020)
Created by Michael Schur
A refreshing and vibrant comedy series that flaunts a warm and wholesome charm as its greatest asset, The Good Place endeared itself to viewers consistently throughout its four-season run. Created by Michael Schur—the creator of The Office U.S.—the series follows Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), a morally corrupt saleswoman who finds herself in heaven upon her death and tries to conceal her true self in order to stay where she is.
Imbued with an unabashed sense of optimism about humanity, The Good Place is a welcome tonic in a time when so many series and stories exhibit a certain pessimism. Further bolstered by its endeavor to use its premise to touch on philosophical issues, the series mixes heartfelt humor with heady intrigue to excel both as an engaging life-after-death hypothetical and an engaging, feel-good sitcom.