Add Candice Bergen to the checklist of icons showing on Apple TV+’s “Shrinking,” co-creator Bill Lawrence revealed Saturday night time throughout a panel at Austin’s ATX TV Competition. In the course of the “Bill Lawrence and Pals” occasion on the Paramount Theatre, Lawrence let it slip that the “Murphy Brown” star would seem on the collection, which is now taking pictures its Season 3, reverse collection common Harrison Ford and beforehand introduced visitor star Michael J. Fox.
Lawrence let Bergen’s casting slip whereas speaking about working once more with Fox, the star of Lawrence’s first-ever sitcom, “Spin Metropolis.”
“He’s one of many biggest individuals I’ve ever met,” Lawrence stated of Fox. “He’s one among my mentors. And man, what an inspiring dude, the best way he’s residing his life. So to get to have him again, working with him… I didn’t count on to have profession highlights at this level in my profession and I used to be on set about 10 days in the past watching Harrison Ford and Mike Fox and Candice Bergen — oh a spoiler!”
Lawrence didn’t elaborate on Bergen’s “Shrinking” position past that slip. Lawrence co-created “Shrinking” with Brett Goldstein and Jason Segel, who stars as Jimmy, a therapist whose grief about his late spouse pushes him to begin breaking the principles and making massive adjustments within the lives of his sufferers, buddies, household and self. The solid additionally consists of Harrison Ford, Christa Miller, Jessica Williams, Luke Tennie, Michael Urie, Lukita Maxwell, Ted McGinley.
Apart from Fox and Bergen, new solid members in Season 3 will embrace Jeff Daniels, Sherry Cola and Isabella Gomez. Bergen’s different latest visitor stints embrace “And Simply Like Us” and “The Conners.”
Lawrence shared extra about his expertise working with Fox on “Spin Metropolis,” which he created and government produced with Gary David Goldberg in his 20s. Fox departed “Spin Metropolis” after 4 seasons in 2000 due to Parkinson’s signs. Fox additionally had a two-episode arc in Lawrence’s NBC sitcom “Scrubs,” through which he performed a genius physician with extreme OCD.
“I used to be fortunate sufficient to had a mentor, and I created ‘Spin Metropolis’ after I was 25 years previous,” Lawrence stated. “Mike Fox was saying issues that I wrote, and I used to be so scared. I couldn’t give him notes, and I couldn’t do different issues. And what broke the ice lastly, and I feel he did this on function. ‘Spin Metropolis’ was in entrance of a dwell viewers, and individuals would line up in New York as a result of it wasn’t LA, there was just one dwell sitcom. It was Michael J Fox’s present… [there was] a joke that I used to be satisfied was gonna be fucking humorous. And Mike’s like, ‘dude, not humorous.’ This the primary time I took a stand. I’m like, ‘I feel it’s gonna be humorous, Mike, that is the primary scene. And he goes, I don’t suppose so. And I’m like, ‘I feel it’s be humorous.’ He’s like, ‘All proper, I’ll do it.’ And the primary scene with an enormous viewers that’s crackling with electrical energy. We get to that first joke. He says it, and it’s fucking crickets. As a substitute of going on with the scene, he simply appeared over in entrance of me. He goes, ‘you fucking completely happy now?’
“There’s two classes. One is he, by the best way, had a smile on his face. So he was letting me know that it was okay, and it gave me a lot confidence,” Lawrence added. “However he was additionally letting me know that these of us that write don’t have to have that sort of egg on our face, if it goes south. So one of many issues that we at all times inform all people, is you do one thing foolish and massive and daring and go for it, and if it doesn’t work, I promise it gained’t be on the present. I hope you guys like seeing Mike on TV once more. He’s my hero.”
The Lawrence panel additionally included Zach Braff (“Scrubs”), Brett Goldstein (“Shrinking,” “Ted Lasso”), Josh Hopkins (“Cougar City,” “Shrinking”), Phil Dunster (“Ted Lasso”) and Charly Clive, who stars in Lawrence’s upcoming HBO collection because the daughter of Steve Carell’s character. (Dunster can be in that present.)
Braff is on board Lawrence’s potential “Scrubs” revival in improvement at ABC. “We’re all nonetheless buddies,” Braff stated. “Individuals suppose this is sort of a lie, and we inform individuals all of us actually hang around. Donald and I are legitimately finest buddies. He’s staying in my residence as we converse in New York. We’re all actually, actually shut and and so when this, when it got here up that ABC, Disney, needed to do it. It simply felt like an ideal the best time. And the thought of going and laughing all day lengthy with this group of folks that I really like a lot once more this time felt like a very good time.”
Braff can be directing an episode of Lawrence’s HBO collection starring Carell, Dunster, Clive and John C. McGinley.
Requested concerning the Apple TV+ “Ted Lasso” revival, Lawrence deferred to creator/star Jason Sudeikis. (Who wasn’t in Austin.) “He’s Ted Lasso, however he’s additionally the voice the present,” Lawrence stated. “And greater than a artistic associate, I used to be sort of driving on his coattails on that one.”
Added Goldstein, who joked at Lawrence’s Bergen slip: “Not like Bill, who breaks embargoes, I’m not allowed to say something, as a result of Apple has a sniper on the roof driving an eye fixed on me proper now. All I can say is, it’s pleasant to be again in the best by way of with everybody.”