Shrinking Season 3 has a How I Met Your Mother reunion in store for fans

There’s already a lot of buzz around Shrinking Season 3, and now it has a little extra spark. Fans of How I Met Your Mother are in for something special: Jason Segel and Cobie Smulders will appear together on screen for the first time since the sitcom wrapped in 2014. But don’t expect a throwback or a wink to the past. This isn’t a reunion built on familiar beats, it’s something entirely new. They’re stepping into different roles, in a different story, and in a world that speaks a different emotional language.

With Smulders set to return after her surprise appearance in the Season 2 finale, Shrinking Season 3 is lining up to be more than just another chapter, it’s shaping into a turning point, both for its characters and its tone. The show, already praised for its honest take on healing and human messiness, is clearly ready to grow even further.

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What Shrinking Season 3 will continue to explore?

At its core, Shrinking is about the complicated ways people cope with loss, and how they try to move forward, even when they’re not sure how. Jason Segel plays Jimmy Laird, a therapist who, after losing his wife, abandons the clinical filter that defines his profession and begins telling his patients what’s really on his mind.

It’s a bold move, one that shakes up everything around him. His relationships, both personal and professional, begin to shift in ways that are often messy but occasionally cathartic. As Shrinking Season 3 approaches, those consequences are expected to ripple even further, especially in Jimmy’s connection with his daughter Alice, his friendship with Gaby, and his ongoing dynamic with Paul.

Jimmy’s story has always walked a tightrope between growth and resistance. This next season seems poised to ask: what happens when change finally sticks, and what does it cost to get there?

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Cobie Smulders brings subtle weight and emotional possibility

Cobie Smulders made her debut in Shrinking during the final episode of Season 2, where she plays Sofi, a self-assured woman introduced in a simple yet striking moment: a car sale. It’s a brief scene, but the ease between her and Jimmy hints at something more, a possible thread to pick up down the line.

Fans who’ve followed Smulders and Segel since their How I Met Your Mother days noticed the natural rhythm between the two, even in such a short exchange. And while their characters in Shrinking are nothing like Robin and Marshall, the comfort between the actors gives their new dynamic a quiet authenticity.

Smulders is confirmed to return in Shrinking Season 3, this time in a recurring role, suggesting that Sofi has a deeper part to play in what comes next.

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What Sofi could bring to Shrinking Season 3?

What makes Sofi’s character interesting isn’t just her connection to Jimmy, it’s what she represents. While most of the show’s relationships have grown out of trauma or crisis, Sofi enters from a place of emotional steadiness. She’s not there to rescue Jimmy, and she doesn’t arrive carrying the same kind of pain.

That difference matters. As Shrinking Season 3 unfolds, Sofi could serve as both a mirror and a challenge, someone who invites Jimmy to show up more honestly, but doesn’t let him hide behind his usual emotional reflexes.

Their story doesn’t need to be a romantic arc to matter. In fact, the beauty may lie in how Shrinking lets relationships breathe, stretch, and evolve without forcing them into familiar patterns. Sofi could be the beginning of something that reflects mutual care without rescuing anyone.

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Familiar faces and new energy

Alongside Segel and Smulders, Shrinking Season 3 will bring back Harrison Ford as Paul, Jessica Williams as Gaby, and Lukita Maxwell as Alice. Also joining the upcoming season are guest stars Michael J. Fox, Jeff Daniels, and Candice Bergen, each known for bringing nuance and gravitas to the screen.

Production is already in progress, with the new season expected to arrive in Fall 2025. While specific storylines remain under wraps, the returning cast and fresh faces suggest a season that’s willing to stretch beyond what’s already been explored.

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A reunion that feels earned

It’s easy to label this a reunion, but Shrinking Season 3 doesn’t seem interested in nostalgia. Smulders and Segel aren’t slipping back into old chemistry, they’re building something new. Their shared screen time doesn’t rely on past roles for impact. Instead, it taps into a familiarity that adds depth, not distraction.

And that’s where Shrinking thrives: in quiet shifts, in emotional honesty, in allowing characters to stumble without losing their dignity. This return isn’t about pleasing fans, it’s about honoring the way people change. And in doing that, it just might become the show’s most meaningful chapter yet.