How “Shrinking” EP's Experience Getting High Inspired the Wild Stoner Episode in Season 3: 'My Son Tried to Poison Me' (Exclusive)
How “Shrinking” EP's Experience Getting High Inspired the Wild Stoner Episode in Season 3: 'My Son Tried to Poison Me' (Exclusive)
Stacy LambeWed, February 18, 2026 at 4:16 PM UTC
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From left: Bill Lawrence and Ted McGinley on Oct. 8, 2024
Emma McIntyre/WireImage
Warning: Spoilers for Shrinking season 3, episode four, which debuted Feb. 18 on Apple TV
On season 3, episode 4 of Shrinking, Ted McGinley's character, Derek, accidentally gets really high and thinks he's dying because of it
The hilarious episode was actually inspired by showrunner Bill Lawrence's own real-life experience with his son
"My son tried to poison me by accident. It's not a fond memory," he tells PEOPLE
An always reliable scene-stealer, Ted McGinley continues to have standout moments on Shrinking — especially in season 3, thanks to one particular episode inspired by showrunner Bill Lawrence's own real-life experiences.
In episode 4, "The Field," Derek (McGinley, 67) and Liz (Christa Miller) are struggling with how to deal with one of their sons, Matthew (Markus Silbiger), who has returned home and has failed to get back on his feet. After kicking him out, they decide to take him back in on one condition: he has to fix the guest house, which is mid-renovation.
While giving their son some tough love, Derek attempts to eat some of Matthew's gummies, claiming he needs it to raise his blood sugar. Despite Liz telling him not to eat their "broke son's candy," Derek sneaks off with the bag of goodies as he heads out to the tailor to pick up his blazer.
After he leaves, Matthew discovers that his dad took the candy, which turns out to be incredibly strong weed gummies. The episode then cuts to Derek, now high, wandering down the street, where he starts talking to a naked mannequin. He then tells the shopkeeper, "You may have to call an ambulance. I've been poisoned. I'm just a little bit dying."
From left: Christa Miller and Ted McGinley on 'Shrinking'
Soon after EMTs arrive, Derek starts calling his wife and the rest of the gang — including Brian (Michael Urie) and Paul (Harrison Ford) — to tell them he's dying. At the hospital, everyone learns that he got high after consuming 650 milligrams of THC. The doctor also informs him that he has a small heart aberration.
While speaking to PEOPLE, McGinley says he "laughed his ass off" after reading the script for episode 4. "I thought, 'Oh my God, this is so good.' Are you kidding me? Like, those are the kind of things you dream about," he says of getting to act out that wild moment in front of the camera.
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"And yet I was so nervous because that's actually a Bill Lawrence story. That really happened to Bill," he reveals, explaining that the showrunner "walked me through that story and I had to try to honor his story and also figure out how to do it… I will say it was one of the most challenging things I've ever done as an actor."
When asked for more details about the story, Lawrence, 57, says, "My son tried to poison me by accident. It's not a fond memory."
Ted McGinley on 'Shrinking'
"I had visited my son at his college and we were in a fight because he had stood me up. While he was showering, all he had in his fridge was a box of Toblerones and Sour Patch ropes," the co-creator continues, revealing that he ended up consuming "like 2,600 milligrams or something of f---ing THC."
"It was awful. It was the worst," Lawrence says, revealing that "I did all those things. I was in the ambulance, I was convinced I was dying and I was calling everybody in my life." He then jokes, "It's cool to relive your lowest moments on television."
As for incorporating the moment into the show, he explains that "I'm not really good at writing stories that, at least on some level, haven't been part of my life emotionally or that I don't have a personal connection to." As a result, "once I told the writers — it was more them than me — and they were like, 'We gotta put that on TV,' " he says.
Giving credit to McGinley, Lawrence says that "anytime Ted gets more material and the opportunity to shine, he crushes it."
New episodes of Shrinking season 3 debut Wednesdays until April 8 on Apple TV.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
