4 Fox Focus | In the Spotlight
Michael Returns to TV— and Reignites Parkinson’ s Awareness
By Lucy Peterson
MICHAEL J. FOX RETURNED to our TV screens in January, appearing in season three of the award-winning Apple TV series Shrinking. This marks Michael’ s first role since retiring in 2020— an inspirational moment for the Parkinson’ s community worldwide.
Shrinking is a comedy-drama starring Harrison Ford as Dr. Paul Rhoades, a therapist grappling with his own vulnerability while living with Parkinson’ s disease. Michael guest stars opposite Ford as Gerry, a client also navigating life with PD. Art imitates life as Michael draws on his own experiences with Parkinson’ s in the show, sharing messages of optimism with the characters around him.
Since publicly sharing his diagnosis in 1998, Michael has been relentless in his work to find a cure, becoming a symbol of hope for so many people and families living with Parkinson’ s. His return to acting proves that people living with PD can pursue their passions at any stage of the disease: A diagnosis does not define your life or ability to inspire others to act.
“ Michael brings wisdom, heart and grit to everything he does, both on and off screen,” Debi Brooks, MJFF CEO and co-founder, said
Michael J. Fox appears alongside Harrison Ford in season three of the hit Apple TV series“ Shrinking.”( Photo courtesy of Apple TV)
in an interview with Parkinson’ s News Today on Michael’ s return to TV.“ Seeing him in action is especially meaningful, inspiring the entire Parkinson’ s community and underscoring the important role every individual plays in driving research forward. With this opportunity, we look forward to amplifying the national conversation around living with Parkinson’ s and connecting more people to our urgent mission of finding a cure.”
The Foundation continues accelerating research, advancing promising therapies in the pipeline and building on decades of progress. Thanks to Michael’ s continued leadership, people and families living with Parkinson’ s are leading the charge, bringing us closer to a cure than ever before.