[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Season 3 of Shrinking.]

Throughout Season 3 of the Apple TV series Shrinking, Jimmy (Jason Segel) faced the reality of Alice (Lukita Maxwell) leaving for college, Sean (Luke Tennie) sought the confidence to live independently, Liz (Christa Miller) and Derek (Ted McGinley) navigated family and health challenges, Brian (Michael Urie) made efforts to be less self-centered, and Paul (Harrison Ford) retired to Connecticut. The season began with Paul and Julie’s (Wendie Malick) wedding and concluded with Gaby’s (Jessica Williams) unconventional proposal to Derrick (Damon Wayans Jr.), while Summer (Rachel Stubington) also found her way. Throughout these events, the characters supported each other.

Originally envisioned as a three-season arc, Shrinking concluded one chapter while setting the stage for a new one in Season 4. Collider recently had the chance to speak with co-creator/showrunner Bill Lawrence about the transformative moments in Season 3 and what lies ahead. In this interview, he discussed wrapping up the narrative he crafted over three seasons, his vision for Season 4, Paul’s health journey, Gaby’s proposal to Derrick, the significance of ensemble scenes, Jimmy and Meg’s relationship, returning guest stars, and his favorite moments from Season 3.

Collider: I watched all of Season 3 of Shrinking without knowing if it would return for Season 4. Obviously, like everybody else that watched the finale of Season 3 of Ted Lasso without knowing that would return for Season 4. And now, we also have Scrubs back. Since you seem to have this gift for keeping shows alive, what TV show of someone else’s would you want to see brought back for yourself, just because you love it? Is there a show that you love that you didn’t have a hand in that you would just want to see return?

BILL LAWRENCE: Oh, so many. I would kill to see where Selina is on Veep. If they made that as a movie, I would immediately buy tickets and do anything to see it. It’s my favorite, favorite, favorite, favorite. Scrubs is an interesting thing because I was really nervous about it, but those guys crushed it. I wish I could take even more credit for it, but there are so many great people that are working on the show. It doesn’t feel like a reboot to me. It just feels like the next progression of that show, which is neat. The other shows, what’s important is that we’re not really keeping them alive as much as we set out to tell three-season stories with a beginning, middle, and end.

It’s an interesting burden because when you do that and the streaming site is nice enough to go, “Hey, we’d love you to do more,” you can’t just tell the same story again. With Jason Sudeikis and Jack Burditt and the writing staff of the original Ted Lasso, a lot of them are still there. I don’t work on Ted Lasso. Our company works on it, and there are a lot of the same writers. If people have seen any of the pictures, it’s a couple of years later and Ted Lasso is coaching a girls’ team. They know it’s not Season 4 of Ted Lasso. They know it’s Season 1 of a new Ted Lasso. That’s the thing that streaming has brought, which is so interesting. If I started Season 4 of Shrinking and Jason Segel turned to Liz and said, “You know, I’ve been thinking about it and I’m still super sad about my wife,” everybody would be like, “I don’t want to watch this again. We watched this for three years.”

Harrison Ford Will Return for Season 4 of ‘Shrinking’

“I saw that people were worried about that online.”

As Paul’s health declines, have you thought about and maybe even talked to Harrison Ford about his mortality?

LAWRENCE: Yeah. I don’t want to get way too poignant on you, but I saw that people were worried about that online. We all love talking about TV and engaging with people as long as it’s not too trolly or whatever. Parkinson’s specifically is so personal for me and Brett [Goldstein] and Harrison because he’s portraying it along with Mike Fox who’s on the show. The only spoiler I’ll ever gladly put out there is that I’m not hugely interested in representing Parkinson’s as a death sentence or something that makes us all feel hopeless and sad. By the way, we found out during Season 3 that we were going to do Season 4. Our fans are really savvy, and those who are perceptive are like, “Paul moved to Connecticut. I wonder why Alice chose to play soccer at a school in Connecticut.” They took time to show those characters together in another state. Everybody picks up on stuff. I do it too when watching shows.

It also feels like you left everyone at a place where they have grown up and are moving forward. Was that intentional? Did you want this season’s ending to feel like closing one book?

LAWRENCE: That’s a great question. When we knew we were going into a fourth season, what was interesting was that we could have extended this story we were telling. However, we were all so committed to the three-season narrative we pitched that as writers we said no—we would write this as it was always meant to be: the finale of this story.The scene shot at the end was the same scene we pitched for how the series ends when we first presented the show.

If there’s a significant time jump or if we revisit this group years later, viewers might recall Gaby’s challenging experience with a patient where she crossed boundaries or Jimmy’s unresolved issues with his father. While I don’t want too many references like these scattered throughout future seasons, there will be several Easter eggs where dedicated fans could identify key storylines.

Where are things at with Season 4? What stage is it in right now? When do you shoot Season 4?

LAWRENCE: We’re in the writers’ room. We’ve been working diligently for quite some time now, and production is scheduled to commence very soon.

If Season 3 was about moving on and moving forward, what will Season 4 deal with? Will you continue with a theme every season?

LAWRENCE: We still focus on themes but have collectively decided not to disclose them while viewers are still engaged with this season.

Season 4 of ‘Shrinking’ Will Be a New Story That Co-Creator Bill Lawrence Hopes Fans Will Enjoy

“I couldn’t tell you if the last season of the show is going to be Season 5 or Season 6.”

You did the three-season arc. Are you looking at it as Seasons 4, 5 and 6 or just taking it one season at a time now?

LAWRENCE: We all obsess about not wanting to overstay our welcome. It’s an evolving situation for me. I’ve worked on shows lasting nine years with nearly 200 episodes produced. When I see fans online expressing concern over whether a show should end after reaching its peak—often after around thirty episodes—I resonate with those thoughts myself when watching shows like The Pitt.

The approach we’ve taken as writers indicates that we definitely pitched a storyline where Season 4 isn’t intended as the final season.

I cannot predict whether our last season will be Season 5 or Season 6 since much depends on how everyone feels about continuing with this project—and let’s face it—we’re all anxious because we’ve engaged viewers through our storytelling over these three years. This new narrative will be distinct enough for viewers either to embrace or reject.

You started the season with a wedding between Paul and Julie and ended it with an engagement between Gaby and Derrick—both personal milestones for these characters. How did you determine Gaby’s engagement proposal?

LAWRENCE: That wasn’t solely my decision. Early discussions revealed strong interest in how fitting Gaby’s character arc was for her proposal—especially considering her past hesitance towards commitment due to previous experiences—and how humorous Jessica [Williams] would be in delivering such an unexpected moment.

This show has made significant efforts towards incorporating large group scenes which can be challenging yet essential for showcasing family dynamics frequently—was this always part of your vision?

LAWRENCE: My writing often aims for an undercurrent of hopefulness even during darker times—this found family dynamic serves as wish fulfillment for us all. From early discussions among writers regarding how life ideally functions—where loved ones support each other—we recognized when episodes became too isolated they felt lonely instead of connected.

This intent remains strong throughout our storytelling process—my personal experiences influence my desire for such connections reflected within our narratives.

The fling between Jimmy and Meg had its fun moments—did you always view this as temporary or consider making them more serious?

LAWRENCE: Our show naturally leans towards claustrophobia—we grappled with these dynamics extensively during writing sessions—but ultimately decided against deepening their relationship due primarily towards concerns over narrative density.

Familiar Faces Will Be Back for Season 4 of ‘Shrinking’

“There are so many actors and characters on this show that even if we’re telling a new story … not only would I be bummed as a fan [if they didn’t return], but it would feel inauthentic.”

I love that Paul is the one who helped Jimmy reconnect with Sofi at season’s end—will their relationship continue?

LAWRENCE: I adore Cobie Smulders—she will undoubtedly return next year without question! Her presence adds tremendous value—there are numerous actors whose absence would feel disingenuous if they weren’t included moving forward.
So yes! Cobie will definitely be back!
Also regarding Liz and Derek—it was meant humorously when naming their son Will after my own son who lives with someone named Peyton—but rest assured—they’re still young at only twenty-three!

Shrinking is available for streaming on Apple TV.