TV Show review
Review basis: 3 seasons · through April 7, 2026
January 26, 2023 · TV-MA · Returning Series
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Shrinking is an Apple TV+ comedy-drama that follows therapist Jimmy Laird as he grieves his wife’s death and begins giving blunt, unfiltered advice to patients, family, and friends, sparking chaos and growth across three seasons. The series explores loss, relationships, personal accountability, and emotional healing with humor and heart. Diverse casting appears naturally in a modern Pasadena setting, with background cultural references and light queer humor in supporting storylines, but these elements stay secondary to the core focus on grief and connection.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Shrinking.
Woke representation / casting
Diverse ensemble with prominent Black actors in professional roles fits modern Los Angeles-area setting; some background race and cultural references appear but lack heavy signaling or central emphasis.
Woke political dialogue
Centers on personal honesty, grief, accountability, and relationships; no explicit activist or ideological debates drive episodes.
Identity-driven story themes
Explores personal growth and change with light queer humor and one supporting character’s cultural arc; remains secondary to universal emotional themes.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Questions overly passive therapy norms in favor of direct intervention; lacks modern activist framing around patriarchy, systemic issues, or identity politics.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Limited conservative criticism targeted moral relativism and race sensitivity as woke elements; mainstream reaction stayed apolitical and positive.
Creator track record context
Core team shows mild liberal comedy leanings with isolated queer or political-comedy credits among writers and one director; overall pattern stays character-focused rather than activist-driven.
Production
