Jason Segel from “Shrinking” delivers an Emmy-worthy performance in Season 2, Episode 11 that will tug at your heartstrings.

Jason Segel, known for his role on How I Met Your Mother, desired to break away from his established image and tackle diverse acting opportunities. The co-creator and lead actor of Shrinking expressed his journey of shifting public perception of him. He stated, “I was confined to a particular image for a significant period. Gradually, I endeavored to align the public’s view of me with my self-perception, departing from past associations. It required persistent effort on my part.”

While Segel’s goal may have taken longer to achieve than he’d hoped, the wait and hard work was all worth it for Shrinking, where he plays Jimmy Laird, a therapist and single dad grieving the loss of his wife, Tia (Lilan Bowden).

The Apple TV+ series puts Segel’s signature charm and seasoned comedic chops on full display, but what makes the role such a standout is his raw, honest exploration of heavier themes. Week after week, Shrinking strikes a remarkable balance between humor and heartbreak, but in Season 2, Episode 11, Segel delivers a career-great performance that will shatter fans while reminding them just how hard he nails drama.

Jimmy takes a significant step forward in Episode 10 when he meets and instantly clicks with Sofi (Cobie Smulders), a “very cute” divorced single mom who doesn’t tiptoe around his grief. Hours after their intro, Jimmy gets a text from Sofi that brings a huge, hopeful smile to his face. But the cheesy grin swiftly fades when his daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell) curses him out for isolating her from Louis (Brett Goldstein), the driver who accidentally killed Tia.

Throughout Shrinking‘s first two seasons, Jimmy works hard to overcome the pain and guilt of letting Alice down after Tia’s death, but towards the end of the sophomore season he has yet to fully forgive himself. In a reminder that grief isn’t linear, Episode 211, “Drugs Don’t Work,” finds him backsliding.

Jimmy’s colleague Paul (Harrison Ford), instantly clocks his oncoming spiral and advises him to deal with his past head-on, saying,”You are this close to a breakdown, and when that happens, you better fucking call me, because you’ve only got two choices. One, you get some help. Or, you go back to where you were when Tia died, and that scared me, man.” (ICYMI, Harrison Ford is also doing Emmy-worthy work on Shrinking. Where are the awards for this cast?! My god.)

Jimmy tells Paul off, promising, “I’m not gonna call you,” before finding a patient outside of office hours, “Jimmying” her to a better place, and sinking in his own trauma like quicksand once the buzz wears off. From the moment Jimmy’s mood shifts during a celebratory hug with his patient, Segel’s intricate facial journey (featuring Sad Face, Dead Wife Face, and every Bad Face in between) takes Shrinking fans on an agonizing ride. While cycling through a Rolodex of emotions, Jimmy goes to Alice’s room only to find it empty, agrees to meet Sean at a corn hole bar despite being miles away mentally, and turns to his former coping mechanism by calling Kiara (Ashley Elyse Rogers). The retired sex worker says she’s no longer in the business, but she tells Jimmy if he calls her back in a few minutes she can hook him up with someone else.

As Shrinking dares play The National’s “I Need My Girl” to really get the tears flowing, Jimmy processes the idea that yet another person in his life moved on while he remains stuck. He floats around town in a trance, guided by his grief, and finds himself in the middle of the street being honked at by a driver who nearly hit him. Neil Goldman’s excellent writing, Randall Keenan Winston’s stunning directing, and that perfect song selection take the storyline to new heights, but Segel’s potent portrayal of a human weighed down by life’s repeated blows and worn out from pushing through the pain packs the ultimate punch.

After Jimmy flips off the honking driver and finds his way back to the sidewalk, he calls someone and tells says, “Hey, it’s me.” Another show may have had Jimmy call Kiara and further self-sabotage, but Shrinking rewards those who put in the work and actively try to regain control of their lives, so instead, he finds himself on a park bench waiting for Paul, who arrives in his robe and pajamas.

In one of TV’s most gutting — yet heartwarming — scenes, Paul sits down beside Jimmy, says, “I told you you’d call,” and holds him as he breaks down to make way for his breakthrough. As Jimmy spirals, Segel shines, making anyone who’s ever felt defeated feel seen and helping those who can’t relate feel empathy. His physicality in the final scene alone is stellar enough for an Emmy, and while it may seem wrong to use dramatic scenes as argument for an award in a comedy category, we all know The Bear‘s been doing it for years — the only difference is Shrinking and Segel are indisputably funny every episode.

Whether Segel is professionally recognized for his performance this season or not, he’s clearly stepped his game up on Shrinking Season 2, and “Drugs Don’t Work” is all the proof anyone needs to know he’s much more than Marshall Eriksen. (That said, Marshall, we’ll always love you, man.)

New episodes of Shrinking Season 2 premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV+.