Emmy Award-winning actor Michael J. Fox is making his return to the small screen nearly five years after stepping away from acting due to his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease.
On Thursday, Apple TV+ announced the former “Family Ties” star would be appearing in the forthcoming season of its hit comedy-drama series “Shrinking,” starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford.
Segel co-created the show, which debuted its second season in October 2024, with actor Brett Goldstein and screenwriter Bill Lawrence, who previously worked with Fox on the 1990s sitcom “Spin City.”
“Shrinking” centers on a grieving therapist named Jimmy Laird, played by Segel, who begins pushing the boundaries of his profession by telling clients his true thoughts.
Ford portrays Laird’s mentor and colleague, Dr. Paul Rhoades, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease.
Lawrence told People in December 2024 that the character was loosely based on Fox’s own experiences with the incurable progressive neurodegenerative condition, which he was diagnosed with in 1991.
“I found the first mentor in my life and career, Michael J. Fox, to be so inspiring with the way he took [his diagnosis] in stride and continues to work harder than anybody I know.
“And we want to kind of carry that spirit if we can into the show.”
Fox went public with his diagnosis in 1998, launching The Michael J. Fox Foundation two years later. The 63-year-old actor previously recounted his battle with the disease in his 2002 memoir, “Lucky Man.”
He is now set to release his fifth book, “Future Boy,” on Oct. 14. The memoir chronicles the actor’s time starring in the 1985 film “Back to the Future” and the 1980s sitcom “Family Ties.”
