Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better than Derek (Ted McGinley) on Shrinking, Season 2 of the Apple TV+ comedy proved us wrong. What’s better than one Derek, you ask? TWO Dereks, of course!
Wait — what?!
Shrinking Season 2, Episode 4, “Made You Look,” introduces fans to Derek #2, best friend of Liz’s (Christa Miller) husband, also named Derek. Played by Damon Wayans Jr., Derek #2 instantly hits it off with the gorgeous, hilarious Gaby (Jessica Williams), and despite her recent Jimmy (Jason Segel) heartbreak, she gives the new Derek in town a shot.
On-screen, Derek #2 and Gaby have effortless chemistry, which makes complete sense, because Williams and Wayans Jr. had a great connection off-screen as well.
“Derek 2 is hot. Derek 2 is hot.” Williams told Decider with a smile over Zoom. “I love Damon Wayans Jr. I’ve always been a fan of his. He’s so insanely funny and he’s so fast. He has that quickness, too, that Jason has. And I think Gabby requires that. So it was really, really fun.”
After a meet-cute in Derek’s kitchen, Gaby and Derek 2 reconnect in the driveway, where they engage in easy, hilarious banter about everything from his “dicky” prescription sunglasses to her favorite vibrator. Though they always keep it light, thanks to Gaby’s “breakup box,” they also dive deep quickly by bonding over breakups. With Gaby dangerously close to a romantic flop era, Wayans Jr.’s upbeat, suave energy is the perfect antidote. He’s cool, confident, quick-witted, and perfectly matches the show’s tone. Part of the reason the pairing works so well is because like their characters, the actors also share a sense of humor.
“We figured out pretty quickly, Damon and I, that we could improvise really well together and we’ll get really lewd and crude. It also just felt like with Damon, you’re ‘cha, cha, cha,’ like you’re kids play fighting together — whereas Jason, it feels like you’re doing a really nice dance. So that was really fun, too.”
Though they share such little screen time in Episode 4, it’s clear that Williams and Wayans Jr. beautifully match each other’s freak. After Derek 2 brings Gaby coffee in the morning, they flirt amongst the sweet scent of maple bacon, and Gaby gets a call that her mom is at the hospital after an accident, she leaves him alone in her house with only the sounds of the Lord of the Rings score’s 30-minute-long trap remix. In one of the season’s greatest music moments, Derek 2 bops his head to the beat and asks “WHO IS THIS?!” to an empty room. In that moment, Damon Wayans Jr. belonged on Shrinking. Derek 2 couldn’t have been anyone else.
Shrinking admittedly had us shipping Gaby and Jimmy in Season 1, but in Season 2, as Williams said, everything changes when he goes from “safe dick” to “pretty dangerous dick.”
Despite Gaby and fans’ disappointment in Jimmy for leading her on after he realized she had deeper feelings for him, Williams said Segel is still her “favorite person to act with” on the show.
“We just get each other on some level. You would think we’re so different on the surface, but we work really similarly and we just have a little shortcut. It always feels like we’re kids in the sandbox playing,” she explained. “He’s really quick. I’m pretty quick when I’m working, as far as improvising. But he’s able to respond really quickly and he’s open to any and all offers. He can just do it all. We can do comedy together or drama together. We can do a mix. So it’s really fun. It’s one of my favorite parts of my job on this show — he’s a really good dancing partner.”
In wake of Jimmy’s major Gaby disrespect, like the OG Derek, we were rooting for her and Derek 2. The relationships are definitely different, but Williams says they’re each fun in their own ways, and there’s thankfully more Derek 2 to come.
“It was like two different really fast cars, but it was a blast,” Williams said. “I’m so excited for you guys to see all the dumb shit Damon and I got to do this season.”
New episodes of Shrinking Season 2 premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV+.
The post ‘Shrinking’s Jessica Williams Is Pumped For Damon Wayans Jr.’s Season 2 Guest Role: “Derek 2 Is Hot” appeared first on Decider.
