Shrinking (2024) - Season 2

Score: 9 / 10
Category: Series
Platform: Apple TV+

One-line verdict

A season packed with pain, forgiveness, and healing that somehow juggles a lot of storylines without falling apart.

Why I watched this

I jumped into Season 2 almost immediately because Season 1 ended on a proper cliffhanger. Grace taking matters into her own hands was not something you just leave hanging.

So naturally, I wanted to see what happened next.

At the same time, I was still very affected by how Season 1 ended for Cruz—sorry, wrong show in my head for a second. For Shrinking, I was still carrying the emotional weight of Jimmy’s grief and how unfinished everything felt.

Story & Structure

This season feels like it’s really about depression, forgiveness, and acceptance.

Jimmy’s grief is still the emotional center, but now the show brings in Louis, the man responsible for Tia’s death, played by Brett Goldstein. That alone changes the energy of the season. I like Brett a lot from Ted Lasso, so seeing him here already gave me a good feeling. Finding out he’s also one of the creators and writers of the show made even more sense. He understands the tone.

What impressed me is that this season has a lot going on:

• Jimmy’s depression and guilt
• Louis’ backstory
• Sean’s trauma and recovery
• Liz’s emotional spiral and choices
• Alice making mistakes with Connor and Summer
• Gaby’s own personal complications
• Paul continuing to deal with age, health, and identity

That is a lot.

But unlike many shows that cram in too much and lose the plot, this one actually covers its angles well. It never felt rushed to me. Somehow it kept all the threads moving and still gave each one enough emotional space.

What worked

• The pacing is good. It never feels rushed.
• Brett Goldstein’s inclusion changes the season in a big way.
• Jessica Williams remains excellent.
• Harrison Ford is still the quiet giant of the show.
• Cobie Smulders showing up was a nice surprise, especially with the How I Met Your Mother connection.
• Damon Wayans Jr. as Derrick #2 was also a fun addition.
• The show goes heavy on difficult themes, but handles them with warmth instead of trying too hard to be profound.

It also does a good job showing how healing isn’t clean. People improve, then regress, then improve again.

That feels true.

What didn’t

I still think Cruz—again, wrong bloody show in my head, ignore that. For Shrinking, the one thing that could bother some people is simply how many storylines it carries.

For me it worked, but I can see others feeling like the season is trying to hold too many emotional plates at once.

Also, the ending feels so complete that it almost plays like a series finale. That’s good emotionally, but it does make me wonder whether Season 3 can justify itself without undoing some of that closure.

What others think

Season 2 was very well received. Critics especially praised how the show expanded its emotional range without losing its humor. Rotten Tomatoes has it at 97%, and Metacritic has it at 75/100, which is generally favorable. 

That feels fair to me. This season earns its praise.

Final thoughts

This is one of those rare seasons where a lot is happening, but it still feels controlled.

The themes are heavy—depression, guilt, suicide, forgiveness—but the show handles them with kindness and confidence. It doesn’t cheapen those struggles.

I’m giving this 9 / 10.

That’s because it made me feel a lot, but also because it was actually well built.
And the ending? Properly satisfying.

If Season 3 beats this, I’ll be impressed.