Harrison Ford To Make His TV Debut As Star Of New Series
negotiations to get Harrison Ford officially cast in the role were lengthy, however, they were clearly worth it.
Like many actors, Harrison Ford appeared on a few random episodes of television early on in his acting career. Technically, the much-hated Star Wars Holiday Special counts as a TV movie. However, we haven’t seen this leading man as the star of a television series–that is, before now. The actor known for leading many major movie franchises has just been cast as Dr. Phil Rhodes, a “blue collar shrink” for a new comedy series opposite Jason Segel. Shrinking is set for a 10-episode first season on Apple TV+.
Deadline reports that negotiations to get Harrison Ford officially cast in the role were lengthy, however, they were clearly worth it. His character is described as being blunt, incredibly intelligent and witty, and as having a fun twinkle in his eye, which sounds like he might be a bit mischievous. The doctor will be a leader in the field of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. He holds his own practice with two proteges. The show will see his character struggling with a Parkinson’s diagnosis. He’ll be facing the realities of what that means for his career and his relationships with the important people in his life.
He’ll be starring opposite Jason Segel, who is also a writer on Shrinking. Segel is most well-known for his part as Marshall on the long-running sitcom How I Met Your Mother. Notably, he also wrote the hit comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. In Shrinking, Segel will be playing a therapist lost to his own grief. The description of the series hasn’t shared what caused that grief for his character, but has noted that he will start sharing what he really thinks with his clients about their situations, breaking the rules and seeing what happens. Unlike Harrison Ford, Jason Segel’s character hasn’t been named yet, and it isn’t clear how the two will interact. Is Segel one of Ford’s proteges? We’ll have to wait for more information on the Apple TV+ series to find out.
At 79 years old, Harrison Ford has seemingly done it all in Hollywood, but he’s still finding fun ways to surprise his fans with his career. He spent a lot of 2021 filming Indiana Jones 5. Most people would have expected that the actor was too old to return to the action franchise. He’s met that criticism head on. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly discussing the fourth Indiana Jones film, he said: “Aaaaw, he’s older.’ Well, s—, yes. And by the way? So are you. So…are… you! Take a look in the f—ing mirror!” Clearly, we shouldn’t rule anything out when it comes to Harrison Ford.
While Shrinking may be his first big television role, there’s a good chance it won’t be his last. Ridley Scott is currently working on Blade Runner 2099, a live-action television series for the franchise. Will Harrison Ford be returning to his iconic role as Rick Deckard? Again, rule nothing out when it comes to Ford. Maybe he’ll agree to a role in the next Blade Runner series. Maybe he’ll take on another comedy. Perhaps we’ll be seeing Han Solo appear in one of the many Star Wars projects that are out there. It seems likely that Harrison Ford isn’t going to slow down anytime soon, and his fans will be all the luckier for it.
