Michael J. Fox's New Shrinking Season 3 Role Creates A Long-Awaited Reunion For His 29-Year-Old Sitcom That Won Him An Emmy

Michael J. Fox will be joining the cast of Shrinking season 3, which will mean a reunion with the creator of his 29-year-old hit sitcom. Fox is a Hollywood legend, having gained fame from massive 1980s projects like Family Ties and Back to the Future. His career carried on into the following decades with more big hits, but it has now been five years since he appeared in a TV show. This makes the news that Fox will appear as a guest star in Shrinking season 3, alongside Harrison Ford and Jason Segel, all the more exciting.

Shrinking stars Ford and Segel as therapists at their wits’ end, and the series has maintained excellent critical reception throughout its existing two seasons. Segel is a co-creator of the Apple TV+ series alongside Brett Goldstein and Bill Lawrence. Precisely who Fox will play in Shrinking season 3 is currently unclear. Ford’s character, Paul Rhoades, was revealed to have Parkinson’s disease in a previous season, so Fox’s character could be connected to this plotline. Still, even without further details, there’s a great deal to look forward to regarding Fox’s involvement, especially given his connection to Lawrence.

Michael J. Fox’s Shrinking Season 3 Role Reunites Him With Spin City Creator Bill Lawrence

Fox Starred In Lawrence’s First Series

Shrinking co-creator Bill Lawrence has had his hands on several successful TV shows, including Scrubs, Cougar Town, Ground Floor, Ted Lasso, and more. His very first series, 1996’s Spin City, starred Fox as Mike Flaherty, the fictional Deputy Mayor of New York City. Spin City ran for six seasons until 2002, but Fox departed in 2000 due to worsening Parkinson’s symptoms. Lawrence’s sitcom earned Fox Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series every year from 1997 to 2000. Finally, that final year, the actor claimed a win.

Lawrence and Fox clearly did excellent work together on Spin City, and we can hope that some of this will be carried over into Shrinking season 3. The pair’s reunion could turn out some fun references to the ’90s sitcom—perhaps Fox’s Shrinking character will have some connection to a mayor’s office or city politics. This would be precisely Lawrence’s style. Regardless, we can almost certainly expect Fox’s presence in the coming episodes to further emphasize the actor’s existing impact on Shrinking.

Michael J. Fox Has Already Had An Important Impact On Shrinking Before His Casting

Lawrence Has Spoken About His Inspiration For Shrinking’s Approach To Parkinson’s Disease

Fox will be a natural addition to Shrinking, not only because of his previous work with Lawrence, but because the actor has already had an impact on the Apple TV+ comedy‘s story. Ford’s Shrinking character, Paul, was revealed to have Parkinson’s disease earlier in the series, and this has remained a key feature of this therapist’s arc. Lawrence has revealed (via Variety) that Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1998, has been a significant inspiration for how Shrinking has approached the topic of this disease:

“I found the first mentor in my life and career, Michael J. Fox, to be so inspiring. The way he took it in stride and continues to work harder than anybody I know. And we want to kind of carry that spirit if we can into the show.”

Lawrence expressed that Fox had served as a significant inspiration for Shrinking prior to the announcement that the actor would be joining him for season 3. Now, regardless of the character that Fox will play, we can see his impact on the story—especially in the way of Ford’s character—firsthand.

Michael J. Fox Continues Shrinking Season 3’s Exciting New Casting Streak

This Show Does Guest Appearances Right

Jimmy (Jason Segel) helps Summer (Rachel Stubington) get out of a problem at a pharmacy in Shrinking Season 2 Ep 12 — Image via Apple TV+

Fox will certainly be a standout guest star in Shrinking season 3, between his professional history with Lawrence and status as a figure of inspiration for Paul Rhoades’ story. However, he’s not the only notable name that has been added to the docket for the coming episodes. Jeff Daniels, known for The Newsroom among other outstanding hits, has also been cast for Shrinking season 3. He will be joined by Sherry Cola, known for Joy Ride, Good Trouble, Shortcomings, and more, as well as Isabella Gomez, who previously appeared in projects like One Day at a Time and Invitation.

This continues an exciting streak that Shrinking has established from season to season.

This continues an exciting streak that Shrinking has established from season to season. So far, we have seen several guest stars with connections to Lawrence, including Brett Goldstein from Ted Lasso, Neil Flynn from Scrubs, Josh Hopkins from Cougar Town, and more. We also saw Cobie Smulders in Shrinking season 2, who was Segel’s costar on How I Met Your Mother. Overall, Lawrence’s Shrinking is becoming the who’s who of hit sitcoms—you never know who will join the likes of Michael J. Fox next.Sourse: Variety