Apple TV: ‘Shrinking’ Renewed, ‘Ted Lasso’ Returns, and 9 WGA Nods
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On Tuesday, Apple shared news about two of its most popular comedy series while also scoring nine Writers Guild Awards 2026 nominations, with four nods going to Pluribus, according to Mactrast.
Shrinking
Alongside its third-season return on Tuesday evening, Apple recently announced that it’s renewed beloved and Emmy-nominated comedy-drama series Shrinking for a fourth season,
Shrinking follows a grieving therapist (Jason Segel) who decides to break the rules and be candid with his clients, telling them exactly what he thinks. He finds himself making big, somewhat unnerving changes to people’s lives, including his own.
Harrison Ford plays Segel’s mentor, Dr. Paul Rhoades, who has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, which “forces him out of his comfort zone as he grapples with intrusive friends, his estranged family, and his legacy.” Other cast members include Christa Miller and Jessica Williams.
Third season guest stars will include Cobie Smulders, Jeff Daniels, Brett Goldstein, Candice Bergen, Sherry Cola and Isabella Gomez, along with a special appearance by Michael J. Fox, who was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s in 1991 at age 29, and has become the condition’s most prominent advocate since sharing his diagnosis with the world in 1998.
The first episode of Shrinking season three debuted Tuesday night, with additional episodes coming every Wednesday through April 8 (although new episodes will typically drop Tuesday evenings at around 9 p.m. Eastern Time, Apple officially lists the release dates as Wednesdays).
Among other things, the trailer shows the new season seeing Jimmy (Jason Segel) grappling with his daughter Alice preparing for college and Paul (Harrison Ford) continuing to push back against Jimmy’s diagnostic methods with his trademark “grumpy” charm. It also offers a brief glimpse of the guest stars, including the first look at Michael J. Fox meeting Harrison Ford’s character.
Apple has not announced a release date for the fourth season.
Ted Lasso
The hit comedy Ted Lasso is also coming back for a fourth season this summer. The highly-anticipated return of the series will see most of its popular stars making a return. That includes star Jason Sudeikis as Ted, Brendan Hunt as Coach Beard, Hannah Waddingham as Rebecca, Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent, and several other faces that should be recognizable to fans.
This time around, Ted Lasso will be coaching a second division women’s football team. While details about the women’s team are few, I’d wager it’s the team that Juno Temple’s Keeley proposed to Waddingham’s Rebecca at the end of the third — and ostensibly final — season of its original run. While the series is still in production, Apple has confirmed the summer 2026 release date.
Ted Lasso was one of Apple TV’s early hits, premiering during 2020 pandemic lockdowns. The series scored several award nominations, including multiple historic Emmy wins.
The series has remained one of Apple TV’s most-watched series, nearly three years since the final new episode was released. The show remains on the streaming service’s top 10 chart to this day.
While the series’ creators always said the show was conceived as a three-season arc, the popularity of the series has led to a fourth season, with Jack Burditt (Modern Family, 30 Rock) coming onboard as a producer.
Pluribus Scores Four Writers Guild Award Nods
Apple TV is adding to its long list of award nominations as the 2026 Writers Guild Awards have recognized Pluribus, The Studio, and Severance with award nominations.
Apple has scored a total of 3,229 nominations, resulting in 687 wins as of January 22.
The Writers Guild Awards 2026 nominations add nine more nods to that huge total, four of which have gone to Pluribus. While Apple didn’t receive any nominations for its films this time around, it did receive a nod for one of its children’s shows.
The nominations given to Apple TV content includes:
- Pluribus
- Drama Series
- New Series
- Episodic Drama: “Charm Offensive”
- Episodic Drama: “Got Milk”
- The Studio
- Comedy Series
- New Series
- Episodic Comedy: “Prelude”
- Severance
- Drama Series
- The First Snow of Fraggle Rock
- Children’s Episodic, Long Form, and Specials
Pluribus, which premiered late last year, has proven to be one of the streaming service’s most popular properties, receiving multiple award nods, with lead actress Rhea Seehorn taking home a Golden Globe for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Drama.
