Shrinking Season 2 is for the Amy Sherman-Palladino stans.
The critically-acclaimed Apple TV+ comedy is obviously for everyone, but we’re thrilled to report that fans of the Gilmore Girls creator’s work will get not one, but two unexpected serotonin boosts in Shrinking’s sophomore season.
That’s right, folks! Just when you think it can’t get any better than Paul (Harrison Ford) making a Marvelous Mrs. Maisel reference in Season 2, Episode 4, Shrinking introduces the great Kelly Bishop as Paul’s ex-wife, Susan, in Episode 5.
Though Bishop is well-known for her role as Emily Gilmore in Gilmore Girls, she also guest starred in several episodes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which makes Paul’s reference even more delightful. Bishop’s jaw-dropping intro as Paul’s ex and Meg’s (Lily Rabe) mom is iconic for so many reasons — one being that at age 80, this is her first time working with Ford.
“When we were trying to come up with Harrison Ford’s ex-wife, the funniest thing for us was Harrison’s like, ‘You’re going to be hard-pressed to find an actress who hasn’t played my wife or a love interest at least once already,’” Shrinking co-creator Bill Lawrence told Decider over Zoom. “It’s just so insane that he has a career like that. You can’t name anyone iconic without him going, ‘Yeah, I did that. I did that.’ And for us, we’re TV nerds and TV fans. And to bring her back into our world, man. What a gift.”
With forgiveness and facing the past as two prominent Season 2 themes, Susan’s appearance fits seamlessly into the show — as does Bishop’s remarkable range.
When Susan first appears on-screen, she’s engaging in effortless banter with Wendie Malick’s Julie and calling her a saint, because the only thing worse than being in a relationship with Paul is “being in a relationship with an old Paul.” While Susan’s in town to support Meg, she signs a revised version of the family trust and makes sure to throw a few zingers Paul’s way. In the words of Brian— er, Kevin (Michael Urie), “She’s fun!” But in addition to her quick wit and humor, Bishop elevates the character with depth and heart.
After a season of secrecy, we finally learn that Paul cheated on Susan shortly after his career took off and Meg was born. As a result, Susan took Meg away and Paul was “so full of shame” that he “didn’t really fight back,” which led to their estrangement. When Paul asks Susan why she’s back in his life, she bluntly admits, “I had a friend who recently got diagnosed with Parkinson’s. She died a few months later, and I felt like you and I should talk again before you die.” Paul sarcastically calls her reasoning “fun news,” causing the scene to shift to a more comedic tone, but later in the episode the two share a long-overdue heart-to-heart, showcasing just how well Bishop and Ford go head-to-head in comedic and dramatic scenes alike.
Striking Shrinking’s quintessential balance of silly, sweet, and sorrowful, Paul and Susan sit outside his house catching up over glasses of wine. Paul admits he’s been avoiding her because he’s a coward, and Susan suggests he’s been a “little baby chicken bitch.” (Yes, Shrinking got the iconic Kelly Bishop, 80, to say those four words in succession, and she absolutely nailed it with all the passion and vigor of a sassy Emily Gilmore.) One minute you’re tearing up watching Susan forgive Paul, the next you’re grinning ear to ear watching the two reminisce on playing “Pick And Sip,” a game in which they’d sip from a flask every time kids in Meg’s school plays picked their noses. Bishop and Ford make a perfect on-screen pair, and her personality, warmth, confidence, and grace do wonders for establishing Susan’s character. Plus, that closing Pick And Sip scene was an A+ inclusion.
“It’s so fun. She’s so good and cool,” Lawrence said of Bishop’s performance and perfect casting. “Our favorite thing on this show — it’s so cool when you have a show that’s successful so you can get the people that you would want to see again. We’re also musical theater nerds, and not many people know she was one of the original Chorus Line people.” Nearly 50 years later and she’s still a legend.
Between Bishop, Brett Goldstein, Damon Wayans Jr., and other Season 2 guest stars, Shrinking has ramped up the star power and had some serious fun this time around. But rest assured, you haven’t seen the last of the jaw-dropping guest star moments.
New episodes of Shrinking Season 2 premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV+.
