Welcome to brand-new podcast Shrink The Box, taking a deep dive into some of the most popular and complex TV characters of all time.

On 31st January 2023, Somethin’ Else and Sony Music Entertainment will launch Shrink The Box, a brand-new podcast series set to take a deep dive into the most popular and complex TV characters of all time.

Shrink The Box is hosted by actor and comedian Ben Bailey Smith and psychotherapist Sasha Bates. The duo will put their favourite fictional characters ‘on the couch’, and analyse why their behaviour causes them so much drama, and why we find it so fascinating. 

From Succession‘s Shiv, to Omar from The Wire and Ross from Friends, Ben and Sasha will explore why these characters make certain decisions, what would happen if they made different ones, and what we can learn from their mistakes.

Shrink The Box promises the perfect combination of psychology, self-help, and the best TV since the birth of the box-set. Sasha brings her expert opinion to the conversation, whilst Ben, a writer and long-term beneficiary of therapy, taps into how these characters are brought to life so effectively. 

In each episode, Ben and Sasha will discuss what we’ve learnt about the character, and see how this can be translated into useful takeaways for our own lives. The show is the latest film and TV podcast to be added to the Sony Music Entertainment slate, which already boasts hit podcast Kermode & Mayo’s Take; subscribers of which will also be able to listen to Shrink The Box ad-free at no extra cost. 

If you live and breathe fan culture and are obsessed with all things TV, Shrink The Box is for you. 

Ben and Sasha will discuss the following iconic characters:

Tony Soprano – The Sopranos
Walter White – Breaking Bad
Beth Harmon – The Queen’s Gambit
Omar Little – The Wire
Fleabag – Fleabag
Don Draper – Mad Men
Wanda – Wandavision
Arabella Essiedu – I May Destroy You
Danny Rayburn – Bloodlines
Vanessa Keifer – Atlanta
Ross Geller – Friends 
Shiv Roy – Succession