Why Wendie Malick Calls ‘Shrinking’ Romance With Harrison Ford a ‘Gift’

Wendie Malick is one of TV’s most consistent stars. Her decades of work include shows like Frasier, Hot in Cleveland, Just Shoot Me, Young Sheldon, and more, and she’s worked with her fair share of fellow TV legends like Betty White. Harrison Ford remains one of our biggest movie stars, and Shrinking marked his first foray into television. Now, these two industry veterans play love interests on Shrinking, a show that deftly handles multigenerational stories. And their onscreen romance is a rare narrative treat that Malick tells TV Insider is a “gift” to portray.

The Apple TV+ comedy, currently in its second season, stars Jason Segel as a grieving therapist, Jimmy, who resorts to bold methods with his patients as he tries to keep himself out of a deep depression caused by the tragic death of his wife. All of the characters are part of Jimmy and daughter Alice’s (Lukita Maxwell) found family, including his colleagues Paul (Ford) and Gaby (Jessica Williams), the latter of whom was his wife’s best friend. Paul is the definition of a lovable curmudgeon, but he slowly opens up over the show’s two seasons. When he does, he ends up falling for his neurologist, Malick’s Dr. Julie Baram, who’s treating his Parkinson’s.

They’re no longer a doctor and patient in Season 2; Julie is strictly just his partner now. Their later-in-life romance, which also depicts the reality of growing old with someone and the health issues that entails, is not something you see often on TV. Malick tells TV Insider that it’s been a delight playing opposite of Ford for two seasons — and she confirms that she’s returning for Shrinking Season 3 (the series was renewed on October 17 during New York Comic-Con).