‘Shrinking’ Perfectly Cast ‘Gilmore Girls’ Legend Kelly Bishop As Harrison Ford’s Ex Wife: “To Bring Her Into Our World — What A Gift”

Shrinking Season 2 is for nan Amy Sherman-Palladino stans.

The critically-acclaimed Apple TV+ drama is obviously for everyone, but we’re thrilled to study that fans of nan Gilmore Girls creator’s activity will get not one, but 2 unexpected serotonin boosts successful Shrinking’s sophomore season.

That’s right, folks! Just erstwhile you deliberation it can’t get immoderate amended than Paul (Harrison Ford) making a Marvelous Mrs. Maisel reference successful Season 2, Episode 4, Shrinking introduces nan awesome Kelly Bishop arsenic Paul’s ex-wife, Susan, successful Episode 5. 

Though Bishop is well-known for her domiciled arsenic Emily Gilmore successful Gilmore Girls, she besides impermanent starred successful respective episodes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which makes Paul’s reference moreover much delightful. Bishop’s jaw-dropping intro arsenic Paul’s ex and Meg’s (Lily Rabe) mom is iconic for truthful galore reasons — one being that astatine property 80, this is her first clip moving pinch Ford.

“When we were trying to travel up pinch Harrison Ford’s ex-wife, nan funniest point for america was Harrison’s like, ‘You’re going to beryllium hard-pressed to find an character who hasn’t played my woman aliases a emotion liking astatine slightest erstwhile already,’” Shrinking co-creator Bill Lawrence told Decider complete Zoom. “It’s conscionable truthful insane that he has a profession for illustration that. You can’t sanction anyone iconic without him going, ‘Yeah, I did that. I did that.’ And for us, we’re TV nerds and TV fans. And to bring her backmost into our world, man. What a gift.”

With forgiveness and facing nan past arsenic 2 salient Season 2 themes, Susan’s quality fits seamlessly into nan show — arsenic does Bishop’s singular range.

Photo: Apple TV+

When Susan first appears on-screen, she’s engaging successful effortless banter pinch Wendie Malick’s Julie and calling her a saint, because nan only point worse than being successful a narration pinch Paul is “being successful a narration pinch an old Paul.” While Susan’s successful municipality to support Meg, she signs a revised type of nan family spot and makes judge to propulsion a fewer zingers Paul’s way. In nan words of Brian— er, Kevin (Michael Urie), “She’s fun!” But successful summation to her speedy wit and humor, Bishop elevates nan characteristic pinch extent and heart. 

After a play of secrecy, we yet study that Paul cheated connected Susan soon aft his profession took disconnected and Meg was born. As a result, Susan took Meg distant and Paul was “so afloat of shame” that he “didn’t really conflict back,” which led to their estrangement. When Paul asks Susan why she’s backmost successful his life, she bluntly admits, “I had a friend who precocious sewage diagnosed pinch Parkinson’s. She died a fewer months later, and I felt for illustration you and I should talk again earlier you die.” Paul sarcastically calls her reasoning “fun news,” causing nan segment to displacement to a much comedic tone, but later successful nan section nan 2 stock a long-overdue heart-to-heart, showcasing conscionable really good Bishop and Ford spell head-to-head successful comedic and melodramatic scenes alike.

Photo: Apple TV+

Striking Shrinking’s quintessential equilibrium of silly, sweet, and sorrowful, Paul and Susan beryllium extracurricular his location catching up complete glasses of wine. Paul admits he’s been avoiding her because he’s a coward, and Susan suggests he’s been a “little babe chickenhearted bitch.” (Yes, Shrinking sewage nan iconic Kelly Bishop, 80, to opportunity those 4 words successful succession, and she perfectly nailed it pinch each nan passion and vigor of a sassy Emily Gilmore.) One infinitesimal you’re tearing up watching Susan forgive Paul, nan adjacent you’re grinning receptor to receptor watching nan 2 reminisce connected playing “Pick And Sip,” a crippled successful which they’d sip from a flask each clip kids successful Meg’s schoolhouse plays picked their noses. Bishop and Ford make a cleanable on-screen pair, and her personality, warmth, confidence, and grace do wonders for establishing Susan’s character. Plus, that closing Pick And Sip segment was an A+ inclusion.

“It’s truthful fun. She’s truthful bully and cool,” Lawrence said of Bishop’s capacity and cleanable casting. “Our favourite point connected this show — it’s truthful cool erstwhile you person a show that’s successful truthful you tin get nan group that you would want to spot again. We’re besides philharmonic theatre nerds, and not galore group cognize she was 1 of nan original Chorus Line people.” Nearly 50 years later and she’s still a legend.

Photo: Apple TV+

Between Bishop, Brett Goldstein, Damon Wayans Jr., and different Season 2 impermanent stars, Shrinking has ramped up nan prima powerfulness and had immoderate superior nosy this clip around. But remainder assured, you haven’t seen nan past of nan jaw-dropping impermanent prima moments.

New episodes of Shrinking Season 2 premiere Wednesdays connected Apple TV+.