Editor’s Note: The following piece contains spoilers for “Shrinking,” which is currently streaming on Apple TV+.

As its first season came to a close March 24, Apple TV+’s “Shrinking” has proven itself as a poignant and necessary show for modern times.

Following Jimmy (Jason Segel), a cognitive behavioral therapist grieving the recent death of his wife, “Shrinking” explores grief and the cycle of life in a funny but meaningful way,

Though Jimmy is the central focus of the first few episodes, the other people in his life, along with their own grief, quickly take a larger role as the show progresses. 

Jimmy’s boss and mentor Paul (Harrison Ford) stubbornly grapples with both a Parkinson’s diagnosis and his painfully strained relationship with his daughter. His neighbor Liz (Christa Miller) struggles with the boredom of aging and becoming an empty nester. Sean (Luke Tennie), one of Jimmy’s patients and a veteran, suffers from crippling PTSD.

With this ensemble cast, the characters’ lives are constantly intertwining with each other in messy and heartwarming ways. The series examines how different people deal with their personal grief and how it affects those around them.

“Shrinking” makes the crucial distinction that grief is not limited to death, as it is often thought to be. Grief is something that can occur anytime someone faces a major change in their life. All of the characters on the show are clinging to a certain part of their past while simultaneously trying to adapt to the reality of the present.

The show consistently finds humor in the depths of despair. In one episode, Jimmy is upset by memories of his late wife at his best friend’s engagement party. After getting black-out drunk on tequila, he projectile vomits onto a grand piano while performing a song. While the context of this scene is rather dark, it hilariously plays out like a scene from one of Segel’s earlier comedic works like the 2008 film “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” 

However, the show is filled with many more emotionally charged moments that are more likely to make you cry than laugh. In the season finale, Jimmy officiates the wedding of his best friend and delivers an emotional speech discussing what he learned about marriage from his late wife. This scene is a fitting ending for the show as we finally see Jimmy arrive at a healthy place with his grief after over a year of struggling. 

With “Shrinking,” viewers get to watch as each character grows and learns from the hardships they face. These changes are never exaggerated or overdramatic; the characters are all still portrayed as realistic, flawed human beings. As a result, “Shrinking” is a show that people of all walks of life and backgrounds can connect with. It plays on universal emotions and experiences in a way that feels honest and relatable while still being consistently funny. 

With the shocking and unexpected cliffhanger of the season finale, viewers are sure to be waiting at the edge of their seats for season two.