Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1507937
S H R I N K I N G | P E R S P E C T I V E 3 7 The dirty secret of therapy is that therapists often need their own help coping with life's challenges, which became the launching point of the new comedy series Shrinking for Apple TV+. Warner Bros. Television expected another half-hour workplace comedy, but at the outset of the pilot, it became clear the show's creators had other ideas. Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein and Jason Segal pitched the first season to everyone on the creative team as a 5-hour movie about a grieving man slowly coming out of the darkness. The biggest surprise for me was our cast of iconic actors asking to collaborate with the Art Department to explore their characters through design and details. So, our six-week prep became a fascinating dive into the actors' process as we got into character with Harrison Ford as 'Paul,' Jason Segal as 'Jimmy' and the rest of our cast on Shrinking. I started before director of photography Jim Frohna was hired, key casting was complete and a production office was open as I began to look for a way into this story. There was a great first draft of the pilot but still many unknowns with the production. On the surface, it was about a middle-aged therapist one year after the sudden loss of his wife in an accident. Jimmy's not coping well, self-medicating, not taking care of himself or his daughter, who is also in pain. He's circling the drain as friends, co-workers and his daughter Alice express their concerns, but he's not responsive to their efforts and, in true Bill Lawrence fashion, the script explores the humor in his grief. I've been working with Bill since our early days together on Spin City; as a result, we operate with A. JIMMY AND ALICE HAVE A MOMENT, INT. JIMMY'S HOUSE, STAGE SET— KITCHEN AND BREAKFAST NOOK, WARNER BROS. STAGE 6. PRODUCTION STILL COURTESY OF APPLE TV+. B. INT. JIMMY'S HOUSE, STAGE SET—ENTRY FOYER, SET PHOTO BY TIM SWOPE. C. INT. JIMMY'S HOUSE, STAGE SET—LIVING ROOM, SET PHOTO BY TIM SWOPE. B C