Spoilers for Shrinking Season 2, Episode 7 are ahead! If you have not watched it, you can stream it now with an Apple TV+ subscription.
Shrinking isn’t just one of my favorite series on the 2024 TV schedule, it’s one of the best shows on Apple TV+. That’s in great part because it brilliantly mixes serious topics and hilarious moments with ease – like the scene in the latest episode where Jimmy and Sean beatboxed together to re-create the song Summer made about Alice sleeping with her boyfriend.
So, when I asked Sean actor Luke Tennie about that situation, he proved my point by sharing the story behind it and explaining why instances like this make the show special.
The Story Behind Jimmy And Sean Recreating The 'Cheater Bitch' Song
The scene in question is the first sequence in Episode 7. It opens with Summer rapping in a TikTok, saying the words “cheater, cheater, bitch” over and over again. As both Jimmy and Sean acknowledge, while that sucks for Alice, the song “kind of slaps” and “is a total banger.”
That leads to the guys recreating the song, with Sean beatboxing and Jimmy rapping. So, when I spoke with Luke Tennie, I asked what it was like to film the silly little gag with Jason Segel, and he said:
Well, it was hilarious to me because I showed up to set really hoping that I would do the beatboxing part. Because I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but if there's anything I've ever been naturally good at, it's that. I've always been a naturally good beatboxer. I'm good with rhythm, and I flex a little in that scene too with some high-hat work.
As you saw, Tennie did get the beatboxing part, in part because Jason Segel wanted to rap. Turns out, the two had the same idea going into the scene, as the Sean actor told me:
And then I get there, and Jason's like, ‘Hey, man, would you mind doing the beatboxing so I can rap?’ I'm like, ‘Bro, this is my dream!’ So we wanted to do the parts we both felt most comfortable, confident would be best for our character.
Honestly, it was a match made in hilarious heaven too, because while it’s a short bit, it’s hilarious. It also helped develop a through line through the episode as Alice dealt with the attention she was getting for betraying Summer. And that mixture of humor, heart and drama is what makes Shrinking fantastic.
Luke Tennie Explains Why Scenes Like This Make Shrinking So Good
This was something I spoke about with Luke Tennie too. While sharing the silly story behind figuring out who would beatbox and who would rap in this moment, he also explained why it’s small scenes like this that make Shrinking so unique. He said:
And then just as a whole, those sort of moments, to me, is the other side of the coin. Like when you think Shrinking, you think of scenes like ‘Eat a dick, Pam.’ You think of scenes like the hospital. You think of scenes like the barbecue. But Shrinking is also those odd couple moments. Here we have freaking Jimmy and Sean beatboxing over something that's completely trashing and Alice, but the beat goes too hard. So it’s an honor and a pleasure. But also, I think those moments are crafted so we can see the humanity as well as the funny haha on the entertainment scale.
Shrinking’s Jason Segel Told Me The Hilarious Story Behind His Iconic Canoe Scene With Harrison Ford
As the actor explained, Shrinking is full of big funny and dramatic moments. For example, in last week’s episode, he shined as Sean in both ways, by hilariously calling out his friends while high on anesthesia and reconnecting with his dad who came to visit him at the end of the episode.
However, mixed into these massive scenes, there are tiny goofy moments that show us more of these characters, their “humanity” and their relationships with each other.
While Jimmy and Sean obviously feel bad for Alice, they also find the song really funny and catchy. Having both sides of that coin present makes for a fun story, and it results in hilarious instances like them recreating the “cheater cheater bitch" song. Plus, this song ended up being a throughline of the episode as others in the Shrinking cast – including Harrison Ford – couldn’t deny how catchy it was while they tried to help Alice.
As Shrinking continues to drop new episodes on Wednesdays, you better believe I’ll be looking out for more fun instances like this one and thinking about Tennie’s comments regarding why they’re so special. And you should too, because the Sean actor is 100% right, these bits are part of the reason why this Apple TV+ comedy works oh so well.
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