Parents' Guide to Shrink

TV Peacock Comedy 2017
Poster image for the TV show Shrink. Two people sit in chairs facing one another on a bright yellow backdrop.

Common Sense Media Review

Jenny Nixon By Jenny Nixon , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 15+

Endearing deadpan comedy balances humor and sincerity.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

Any Positive Content?

  • A man and a woman sit facing each other in a room with red brick walls.
  • A man with red hair and an olive green jacket stands in a grocery store with a serious expression on his face.
  • Two men sit in a car. The man in the passenger seat has long, curly red hair and a big red big. The man in the driver seat has short red hair and has his right hand on a cassette player that is sitting on the dashboard.
  • A woman and man are pictured laying in bed, under a blue and white patterned blanket, smiling at one another.

Parent and Kid Reviews

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What's the Story?

SHRINK follows the life of David Tracy (Tim Baltz), a recent med school graduate who finds himself dumped by his longtime girlfriend and living with his parents after racking up a half-mil in student loans. When his one chance at placement in a residency program falls through, he devises an offbeat backup plan: offer free psychotherapy to patients solicited via Craigslist out of his parent's garage in order to build up the 1,920 clinical hours he needs to earn his license. Though conceived out of desperation, after taking on a full caseload of eccentric patients he tries earnestly (if imperfectly) to help, David begins to realize there might just be something to this plan after all.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

Chicago improv veteran Tim Baltz (The Righteous Gemstones) charms as the titular therapist-in-training, an endearingly hapless underdog you just want to root for despite being massively out of his depths. This Shrink may not always say or do the right thing, but his heart's in the right place. His inexperience and eagerness to please make him go overboard at times -- It's probably not advisable to accompany a sex-averse patient to an adult bookstore, for one thing -- but he does start to make a difference in people's lives, including his own. The series melds comedy and tragedy in a truly unique way, and the result is compelling and binge-worthy.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about shows that address serious subjects in a humorous way. Are there any topics that are off-limits?

  • David shows a lot of resilience and persistence after life deals him a series of unpleasant surprises. Talk about a time in your life when you had to bounce back after things didn't go as planned. How did you do it?

TV Details

  • Premiere date : March 16, 2017
  • Cast : Mary Holland
  • Network : Peacock
  • Genre : Comedy
  • TV rating : TV-MA
  • Last updated : July 6, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

Poster image for the TV show Shrink. Two people sit in chairs facing one another on a bright yellow backdrop.

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