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Shrinking poster

Shows that feel likeShrinking (2023–)

Jimmy is struggling to grieve the loss of his wife while being a dad, friend, and therapist. He decides to try a new approach with everyone in his path: unfiltered, brutal honesty. Will it make things better—or unleash uproarious chaos?

If you loved Shrinking, the closest series we have are The Bear (2022), After Life (2019) and Barry (2018). All three share Shrinking's contemplative and witty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Carrie (2026).

★ 8.2 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗3 seasons · Apple TVcreated by Brett Goldsteincontemplativewittyplayfulmelancholy
12 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video
Stream it:Apple TV ↗

If Shrinking hit the spot, these will too

The Bear poster
The Bear
2022–2026 · 5 seasons · Hulu
★ 8.5drama · comedyHuluDisney+

Contemplative and witty in the same breath

Carmy, a young fine-dining chef, comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop. As he fights to transform the shop and himself, he works alongside a rough-around-the-edges crew that ultimately reveal themselves as his chosen family.

After Life poster
After Life
2019–2022 · 3 seasons · Netflix
★ 8.4comedy · dramaNetflix

The same preoccupation in both: grieving widower

Tony had a perfect life. But after his wife Lisa suddenly dies, Tony changes. After contemplating taking his own life, he decides instead to live long enough to punish the world by saying and doing whatever he likes from now on.

Barry poster
Barry
2018–2023 · 4 seasons · HBO
★ 8.3comedy · crime · dramaMax

One thread runs through both: dramedy

The difference: Sits closer to crime than Shrinking does

A hit man from the Midwest moves to Los Angeles and gets caught up in the city's theatre arts scene.

Time poster
Time
2021– · 3 seasons · BBC One
★ 8.1drama · crime

Melancholy drama in both cases

The difference: Trades the wit of Shrinking for an angle of its own

Guilt, violence and impossible choices – what does it take to survive? Tense, gritty and heartbreaking – Jimmy McGovern's award-winning prison drama, with an all-star cast.

Guardian: The Lonely and Great God poster
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God
2016–2017 · 1 season · tvN
★ 8.5drama · sci-fi & fantasy · comedy

Comedy built on play, twice over

The difference: Leans harder into sci-fi & fantasy than Shrinking does

In his quest for a bride to break his immortal curse, a 939-year-old guardian of souls meets a grim reaper and a sprightly student with a tragic past.

This Is Us poster
This Is Us
2016–2022 · 6 seasons · NBC
★ 8.7dramaHuluParamount+

Both keep coming back to the same thing: grieving

The difference: Easier on the wit than Shrinking

Follows the lives and families of three adults living and growing up in the United States of America in present and past times. As their paths cross and their life stories intertwine in curious ways, we find that several of them share the same birthday - and so much more than anyone would expect.

Superstore poster
Superstore
2015–2021 · 6 seasons · NBC
★ 7.8comedyHuluPeacock

Common ground: workplace comedy

A hilarious workplace comedy about a unique family of employees at a super-sized mega store. From the bright-eyed newbies and the seen-it-all veterans to the clueless summer hires and the in-it-for-life managers, together they hilariously tackle the day-to-day grind of rabid bargain hunters, riot-causing sales and nap-worthy training sessions.

Carrie poster
Carrie
2026 · 1 season · Prime Video
★ 7.8mystery · drama · sci-fi & fantasyPrime Video

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

After her father's sudden, untimely death thrusts her into the unforgiving ecosystem of public high school, Carrie is forced to navigate a viral bullying scandal that tears through her community, the relentless pressure and casual cruelty of the social‑media age, and the awakening of mysterious telekinetic powers that rise alongside her adolescence.

Fleabag poster
Fleabag
2016–2019 · 2 seasons · BBC Three
★ 8.7comedy · dramaPrime Video

Both lean on wit more than on comedy

A portrait into the mind of a dry-witted, sexual, angry, porn-watching, grief-riddled woman, trying to make sense of the world. As she hurls herself headlong at modern living, Fleabag is thrown roughly up against the walls of contemporary London, with all its frenetic energy, late nights, and bright lights.

Broadchurch poster
Broadchurch
2013–2017 · 3 seasons · ITV1
★ 8.3crime · drama · mysteryNetflixPeacock

Melancholy drama, and it commits to that

The murder of a young boy in a small coastal town brings a media frenzy, which threatens to tear the community apart.

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ted
2024–2026 · 2 seasons · Peacock
★ 7.9comedyPeacock

Comedy with a pulse of play, in both cases

It's 1993 and Ted the bear's moment of fame has passed, leaving him living with his best friend, 16-year-old John Bennett, who lives in a working-class Boston home with his parents and cousin. Ted may not be the best influence on John, but when it comes right down to it, he's willing to go out on a limb to help his friend and his family.

The Leftovers poster
The Leftovers
2014–2017 · 3 seasons · HBO
★ 8.3sci-fi & fantasy · dramaMax

A streak of stillness through both

When 2% of the world's population abruptly disappears without explanation, the world struggles to understand just what they're supposed to do about it. This is the story of the people who didn't make the cut.

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The best-reviewed series that share Shrinking’s defining feeling.