Why Harrison Ford is poised to get his first Emmy nomination for ‘Shrinking’
When the Apple TV+ comedy series Shrinking premiered in January 2023, Harrison Ford seemed like a safe bet for his first nomination at the Emmys. After all, he's one of the biggest movie stars in the world making a rare foray into series television. He ranked fifth in Gold Derby's odds for Best Comedy Supporting Actor going into nominations morning, but was unexpectedly snubbed. Shrinking only managed nominations for lead actor Jason Segel and supporting actress Jessica Williams. The show returned for its second season last October, and it looks like things will be different, not just for Ford but for the show as a whole.
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Ford plays Dr. Paul Rhoades, a therapist at the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center who works with fellow shrink Jimmy Laird (Segel). For the show's first season, Ford was nominated at the Critics Choice Awards and the Television Critics Association Awards. But Season 2 has seen him and the show break through in new places. At the Golden Globes, both Segel and Ford scored nominations after only the former received a bid for the first season. Shrinking also appeared on the American Film Institute's list of the top 10 TV programs of 2024.
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And Shrinking made its first appearances at the SAG Awards, earning nominations for its ensemble cast and for Ford's individual performance. That's especially significant because the SAG Awards, like the Emmys, are decided by peers within the entertainment industry. And it was an impressive feat because the SAG Awards combine all lead and supporting performers into a single category for TV comedy actors. Ford was the only supporting actor who made the cut against series leads Jeremy Allen White (The Bear), Adam Brody (Nobody Wants This), Ted Danson (A Man on the Inside), and ultimate winner Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building).
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All of that gives Shrinking added momentum going into Emmy season. It ranks fifth in Gold Derby's odds for Best Comedy Series. The category will have eight nominees, so it's likely to score its first bid there. Segel and Williams are also in line for repeat nominations. And there are multiple Shrinking men jockeying for position in Best Comedy Supporting Actor. Ford ranks second — up significantly from the last time he was eligible. Michael Urie, who just won a Critics Choice Award for the show, ranks fourth. And two-time Emmy winner for Ted Lasso Brett Goldstein, who joined the Shrinking cast in Season 2, is on the bubble in seventh place.
Could Ford even win? The current frontrunner is two-time defending champion Ebon Moss-Bachrach from The Bear, but that series could see a contraction in 2025. Though it won five of six comedy acting categories last year, it lost Best Comedy Series, perhaps a sign that backlash over the show's categorization as a comedy is catching up with it. And its current eligible season, which aired last summer, received less glowing reviews than its first two seasons. Perhaps that's why three out of 10 expert journalists we've surveyed so far and four out of 10 Gold Derby editors currently predict that the Indiana Jones and Star Wars star will prevail. Of course, he'll need to secure the nomination first. 2023 proved that voters won't be starstruck enough to automatically check off his name. But Shrinking is on the rise. And as it stands, Ford is likely to be one of the beneficiaries.
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