Two intergalactic worlds collide as Karen Gillan teams up with legend Harrison Ford for a little TV therapy

By ANDY BEAVEN, NEWS AND FEATURE WRITER Published: 18:57, 30 May 2026 | Updated: 19:05, 30 May 2026 They are both famous for their starring roles in sci-fi. But when Scots actress Karen Gillan teams up with Hollywood legend Harrison Ford later this year, it will not be on a faraway planet or in some distant galaxy. Instead the pair will appear on the small screen together in a comedy-drama, set in modern-day America, about a very unorthodox therapist. Ford – who first shot to fame as Han Solo in the Star Wars films nearly 50 years ago – has already appeared as a main character in the first three seasons of Shrinking. But it has now been announced that 38-year-old Ms Gillan will join him in a major role in season four. The Inverness-born actress began her career as Amy Pond in the BBC’s time-travelling drama Doctor Who in 2010 – before landing a starring role as the alien assassin Nebula in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie franchise. Scots actress Karen Gillan, who is to join Harrison Ford in season four of the hit series, Shrinking Veteran actor Harrison Ford as Han Solo in Star Wars Shrinking, which premiered in 2023, revolves around Jimmy Laird – played by American actor Jason Segel – a therapist who is mourning his wife Tia after her death in a car accident. Growing weary of his patients’ inability to solve their own problems, he begins intervening in their lives – crossing multiple ethical and professional boundaries – to help them make changes. Ford, now 83, portrays Dr Paul Rhoades, a senior therapist and colleague of Jimmy’s at the cognitive behavioural therapy centre who has Parkinson’s disease. Details of Ms Gillan’s upcoming role in Shrinking are still under wraps. However, Apple TV, which makes the show, will be hoping the new project is more successful than Ms Gillan and Ford’s previous collaboration. In 2020, the pair worked together on animal adventure Call Of The Wild, set in the late 19th century, about a dog named Buck who is stolen from his home in California and sent to the Yukon wilderness, where he befriends an old outdoorsman. The film cost an estimated $125-$150 million to make – but its cinema release was cut short as the world was plunged into lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, it grossed only $111 million, meaning 20th Century Studios made a huge loss. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.