Michael J. Fox influenced the representation of Parkinson's in 'Shrinking'

The drama and comedy series Shrinking del streamer Apple TV+is portraying on the small screen the emotional journey of Paul, the character in charge of Harrison Fordwho at the end of the first season was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

The plot of the second season, which aired the season finale on December 25, delves into Paul's battle, accompanied by an emotional performance by Ford.

Co-created by Jason Segel, Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso) y Bill Lawrence (Ted Lasso), the plot of the titled Filterless therapy in our market, follows Jimmy (Segel) as a grieving therapist who begins to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making enormous, tumultuous changes in people's lives…including his own. Jimmy must face the consequences of doing unconventional therapy.

In an interview with People, Lawrence analyzes the series' representation of Parkinson's disease. Lawrence explained that both he and Goldstein have a “history” with Parkinson's, as both of their parents suffer from the disease. Furthermore, Lawrence said that Michael J. Fox had influence on the series:

“It's great to be able to write about things that matter to you now. And Michael J. Fox is my first mentor. So we wanted to represent it in an inspiring way and not sad or tragic”.

He added:

“I found the first mentor in my life and career, Michael J. Fox, to be very inspiring in the way he took it in stride and continues to work harder than anyone else I know. And we want to bring that spirit, if we can, to the series.”

Lawrence noted that he has generally approached difficult situations with comedy in his life:

“As a writer, it takes you a while to realize what your voice is; I think mine is hopeful and optimistic by nature. I absorb the inspiring people around me and steal from them as much as I can.”

Fox revealed he had Parkinson's in 1998, while working with Lawrence on the ABC sitcom, Spin City. The actor collaborated with Lawrence again in the series Scrubs in 2004.

Last October, Apple renewed Shrinking to a third season.