Shrinking is headed into a fourth season with its entire main cast set to return, and Brett Goldstein says the show’s creators knew from the beginning where the story was going. The season three finale already pushed Jimmy to the point of a long-delayed date with Sofi, giving the comedy-drama a sense of closure even as it prepares for more episodes.
Goldstein, who started work on the series in 2021 while also continuing to star on and write Ted Lasso, said the show only became what it is once the cast started to expand and the writers began writing for the actors they fell in love with. “It changes with the cast — once you fall in love with them and you start writing for them,” he said, adding that his brain works better when there are “300 things going on at once” than if he were focused on just one project.
That approach shaped several of the show’s most memorable turns. Ted McGinley’s Derek was introduced in season one as Liz’s happy-go-lucky husband, but Goldstein said the character gained far more depth in season two and beyond because the writers loved what McGinley brought to the role. Rachel Stubington’s Summer, meanwhile, was kept in the series because she was so funny, even though Goldstein said there was no clear plan for her at first. He said the writers try to give every character a full arc, a process that can make the writing slower but also makes the show feel more complete.
The series has also leaned into harder material as it has grown. Goldstein plays Louis, the man responsible for Jimmy’s wife Tia’s fatal car accident, and said Louis’s arrival in season two was “almost an experiment.” The character came in after serving time for causing Tia’s death and seeking redemption, a move that deepened the emotional stakes of the show without changing its basic structure as a relationship-driven comedy-drama.
That balance is why the fourth season matters now. Shrinking was originally built as a three-season arc, but the story has clearly outgrown that first plan as the cast and characters expanded. Goldstein said the writers are still trying to tell a season-long story and an episodic story at the same time, while making sure no one gets left behind. The result is a show that has kept its ending in view without becoming predictable, and a return for the full cast suggests the next season will keep following the same tightrope rather than starting over.
For viewers, the next step is simple: the fourth season is coming, the main ensemble is back, and the series enters it with a finish line already in mind. That should give the new season a clear direction, but it also leaves one question with real weight — how long can Shrinking keep finding new stories once the ending it was always aiming for is finally in sight?
