Christian Slater, the doctors on Shrinking will see you now.
Just days after Apple TV announced that Guardians of the Galaxy star Karen Gillan will be joining the cast for Season 4, series creator Bill Lawrence announced that Slater — who most recently appeared in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You alongside Rose Byrne — would be boarding the series for the upcoming installment.
During the Bill Lawrence & Friends panel at ATX TV Festival over the weekend, Lawrence — who was joined by Shrinking star Michael Urie (“Brian”) as well as actors from Spin City (Connie Britton), Rooster (Scott MacArthur) and Scrubs ( Donald Faison, Zach Braff and Sarah Chalke) — spoke about bringing Gillan onto the series in an undisclosed role, as well as casting Slater to come and play with the fictional therapists at the heart of the show. He also shared the news that Michael J. Fox, whom he considers to be his mentor after their time working together on Spin City, will be coming back to Shrinking for the fourth season. At the announcement of Slater joining the cast, Faison asked, “Are you allowed to say that?”
Details about Slater’s and Gillan’s roles are being kept under wraps at this time, but we do know that Season 4 will feature a time jump from the Season 3 finale, which featured Jimmy (Jason Segel) being encouraged by Paul (Harrison Ford) to move on with his life and stop holding himself back from finding love. That came in the form of a date with Sofi (Cobie Smulders), whom he had previously screwed things up with.
During the panel in Texas, Lawrence and Urie refused to cough up any more details on the roles that Gillan and Slater will be playing or the exact details of the fast forward; however, Urie joked that it’s going to jump ahead “45 years” and that Brian’s baby, Sutton, will be played by her namesake, Sutton Foster. And while some fans have speculated that Season 4 will feature Ford’s character dying due to his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s, Lawrence used the opportunity to clear the air about whether or not Paul is sticking around.
According to the Ted Lasso creator, he never intends to kill Paul in the series, as the character is very much inspired by Fox, and it would be too hard to have to go through that. Lawrence also shared that the series, which is very much inspired by Dr. Phil Stutz, a renowned psychiatrist and Parkinson’s patient, has always been about those who live and inspire others after their diagnosis. For that reason, fans shouldn’t expect to be weeping at a funeral scene for one of Shrinking‘s most beloved characters, Lawrence shared.
No release date yet for Shrinking Season 4, although the show is currently filming in Los Angeles and most likely looking to debut its next season within the year. The entire cast, including Segel, Ford, Urie, Christa Miller, Jessica Williams, Ted McGinley, Lukita Maxwell, and Luke Tennie, is expected to return.
The first three seasons of Shrinking are streaming on Apple TV.
Apple TV comes with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers and has just one ad-free streaming plan available for $12.99/month.
Amazon Prime members can also subscribe to Apple TV directly through Prime Video and take advantage of the seven-day free trial. A bundle with Apple TV and Peacock is also available, offering $10/month in savings.