Considering it's one of the best shows streaming on Apple TV, it's no surprise to me that Shrinking will be back for a fourth season. However, while the series was renewed for Season 4 as the last season was airing on the 2026 TV schedule, Season 3’s finale felt like a conclusion. So, some were left wondering if characters, like Harrison Ford's Paul, would be back. So, someone asked the actor if he thought about leaving after the latest season ended.
Ford has played therapist Dr. Paul Rhodes since the first season, and he was even nominated for his first Primetime Emmy Award last year for it. However, considering Season 3 saw Paul giving his practice to Gaby, retiring, and moving to Connecticut, on top of dealing with his Parkinson's diagnosis, fans have been worried about what this means for the character moving forward. Luckily, Ford gave an update during a comedy actors roundtable interview with THR. He was asked if he ever flirted with the idea of departing Shrinking at the end of Season 3, and he gave a pretty straight answer:
No, I don’t want a nice bow at the end on it. I mean, I don’t know what I want from it. One of the great pleasures of doing this is I don’t have all the scripts for a season. I don’t have the next episode. And I’m playing a guy with Parkinson’s disease. I don’t know my fate. I don’t know what’s going to happen next. Oh shit? No, that’s like life. That’s kinda cool. And because I’m so supported by the writers and I know that they’re going to take care of it, so I can really just enjoy the day-to-day stuff.
So fans will be seeing a lot more of Paul in Season 4 and possibly in future seasons, depending on how long Shrinking lasts. However, when it comes to what we'll be seeing from this character, Ford has no idea. That’s what makes working on the show fun, though, especially since he knows the writers will do Paul justice.
Ford is not the only one wondering where Shrinking will go in Season 4. As previously mentioned, the Season 3 finale set the characters on new paths, with Paul and Alice specifically moving across the country.
The show always had a three-season arc planned, so the fourth season renewal was a pleasant surprise. It’s been confirmed that the entire gang will be back, and co-creator Bill Lawrence previously revealed that Season 4 will have a whole new story, so it should be interesting to see where it leads.
As of now, details surrounding the story for Season 4 have not been released. However, we do know that everyone will be back. So, fans should rest easy knowing that Dr. Paul Rhodes is not going anywhere, unless it’s Connecticut, that is. All episodes of Shrinking can be streamed with an Apple TV subscription.
