Undeniably, Shrinking and Ted Lasso have generated much chatter among fans, mostly because they share a warm appeal and notably, a common creative creator. Both shows are the joint brainchild of Bill Lawrence, with Shrinking also written by Ted Lasso writer and actor Brett Goldstein as a co-creator and executive producer.
While Ted Lasso revolves around an optimistic American coach spreading positivity in a British football club, Shrinking turns the script on its head, as it is focused on the journey of Jimmy Laird (played by Jason Segel), a grieving therapist who pushes the boundaries of therapy in weird ways.
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Though differing in tone, their common themes of personal growth, friendship, and overcoming loss bond them together. Apple TV+ has tried to expand its feel-good universe, but the edge on Shrinking paired with its darker bite decidedly sets it apart from Ted Lasso.
Ted Lasso and Shrinking have a common thread of radical kindness
At their heart, it's all based on the philosophy of "radical kindness." Ted Lasso did win hearts with the relentless optimism of Ted and his possibilities to inspire everyone around him-a feature that, as The Everygirl notes, made the show:
“One of the closest things to a perfect television show.”
Ted is full of positivity despite personal traumas, and his main tool for connecting to his team and making them grow has been humor and compassion.
Jimmy also illustrates an identical desire to alter lives but through very different methods. While Ted uses positivity to lift, Jimmy's journey has revolved around questionable therapy tactics including boundary-pushing and direct interventions that are often against the norm in therapeutic techniques.
According to IndieWire, sometimes Jimmy's concept of a "psychological vigilante" causes more harm than good, because he tends to force his patients to face their past without working through enough of his baggage. That is a darker, more troubled take on kindness—a distinction that separates Shrinking.
Rather than trying to redeem only, Jimmy's search is his process of mourning and finding out how to grieve and heal without hurting. Both the characters' acts, though resonate with helping others as a way of healing themselves, even if Jimmy's methods and circumstances are infinitely more chaotic than Ted's.
Shrinking and Ted Lasso's storytelling tactics are quite different
Although the themes are somewhat similar, there's a huge difference between Ted Lasso and Shrinking's stories. The latter does not go light-hearted with its depth of emotion but what it could be (at the risk of being sad) is indeed comforting and full of inspiration that has taken in many fans all over the world.
Bill Lawrence and his team manage to balance comedy and heart in producing an optimistic yet able to deal with critical issues, such as mental health and personal loss. The latter, on the other hand, takes a graver and messier approach. Jimmy starts at rock bottom, and it only goes down from there.
Instead of opening the show by introducing viewers to a character with endless optimism, it sets off with Jimmy in a scene where his grief and reckless behavior throw open the back door to host an impromptu pool party in the middle of the night to shake off his pain.
While certainly dishing out plenty of comedy in the series, the latter often uses even worse situations for this, like when Jimmy is contending with patient Sean, a military veteran whose anger issues have been so severe that he ultimately ends up as a guest in Jimmy's guesthouse.
In this regard, Shrinking is both heavy and even comedic at the same time, which seems to pretty well say what needs to be said about the show's freedom to be openly more open with its characters' flaws.
Both shows can be streamed on Apple TV+.
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