Physical
Physical TV series poster.png
Genre
Created byAnnie Weisman
Starring
Narrated byRose Byrne
ComposerIsabella Summers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes20 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Running time27–34 minutes
Production companies
Release
Original networkApple TV+
Original releaseJune 18, 2021 (2021-06-18) –
present (present)

Physical is an American comedy-drama television series created by Annie Weisman that premiered on Apple TV+ on June 18, 2021.

In August 2021, the series was renewed for a second season ahead of its first season finale which premiered on June 3, 2022.[1][2] In August 2022, the series was renewed for a third season.[3]

Premise

Set in 1980s San Diego, Physical is a dark comedy following Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne) through her journey of self discovery via aerobics.[4]

Cast and characters

Main cast

Recurring cast

  1. ^ Arend appears in only one episode of season 2 although credited as a main cast member

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
110June 18, 2021 (2021-06-18)August 6, 2021 (2021-08-06)
210June 3, 2022 (2022-06-03)August 5, 2022 (2022-08-05)

Season 1 (2021)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"Let's Do This Thing"Craig GillespieAnnie WeismanJune 18, 2021 (2021-06-18)
22"Let's Get Political"Liza JohnsonAnnie WeismanJune 18, 2021 (2021-06-18)
33"Let's Get Down To Business"Stephanie LaingRosa HandelmanJune 18, 2021 (2021-06-18)
44"Let's Get This Party Started"Liza JohnsonJessica DickeyJune 25, 2021 (2021-06-25)
55"Let's Agree to Disagree"Stephanie LaingAlexandra CunninghamJuly 2, 2021 (2021-07-02)
66"Let's Get It on Tape"Stephanie LaingLex EdnessJuly 9, 2021 (2021-07-09)
77"Let's Take This Show on the Road"Stephanie LaingAnnie WeismanJuly 16, 2021 (2021-07-16)
88"Let's Not and Say We Did"Stephanie LaingJustin BonillaJuly 23, 2021 (2021-07-23)
99"Let's Face the Facts"Stephanie LaingRosa HandelmanJuly 30, 2021 (2021-07-30)
1010"Let's Get Together"Liza Johnson, Stephanie LaingAnnie WeismanAugust 6, 2021 (2021-08-06)

Season 2 (2022)

No.
overall
No. in
season
Title [5]Directed byWritten byOriginal release date [6]
111"Don't You Want Me"Stephanie LaingAnnie WeismanJune 3, 2022 (2022-06-03)
122"Don't You Ever Stop"Stephanie LaingRachel Caris LoveJune 10, 2022 (2022-06-10)
133"Don't You Go Far"Dan LazarovitsJessica DickeyJune 17, 2022 (2022-06-17)
144"Don't You Know"Dan LazarovitsK.C. ScottJune 24, 2022 (2022-06-24)
155"Don't You Want to Watch"Stephanie LaingJustin BonillaJuly 1, 2022 (2022-07-01)
166"Don't You Have Enough"Stephanie LaingJackie LiJuly 8, 2022 (2022-07-08)
177"Don't Try This at Home"Stephanie LaingColeman HerbertJuly 15, 2022 (2022-07-15)
188"Don't You Run and Hide"Stephanie LaingRosa HandelmanJuly 22, 2022 (2022-07-22)
199"Don't You Want to Get Better"Stephanie LaingColeman HerbertJuly 29, 2022 (2022-07-29)
2010"Don't You Say It's Over"Stephanie LaingStory by : Annie Weisman & Erika A. Schleich
Teleplay by : Annie Weisman
August 5, 2022 (2022-08-05)

Production

Development

In January 2020, it was reported that Apple was nearing a series order for Physical, created and written by Annie Weisman, with Tomorrow Studios set to produce.[7] In December 2020, Craig Gillespie, Liza Johnson, and Stephanie Laing were announced as directors for the series, with Gillespie set to direct the pilot episode.[8] The series is a half-hour long and consists of ten episodes.[9] On August 4, 2021, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a second season.[1] On August 11, 2022, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a third season.[3]

Casting

In January 2020, Rose Byrne was reported as headlining Physical.[7] In December 2020, it was announced that Byrne was playing the role of Sheila Rubin, with Paul Sparks, Rory Scovel, Lou Taylor Pucci, Della Saba, Dierdre Friel, and Ashley Liao joining the cast.[8] Geoffrey Arend joined the cast in January 2021, with Ian Gomez joining in April 2021.[10][11] In October 2022, Zooey Deschanel joined the cast for the third season.[12]

Filming

Filming for the first season began in November 2020 and ended in March 2021. The second season began filming in November 2021 and ended in March 2022.

Release

The series premiered on June 18, 2021, on Apple TV + globally with the first three episodes available immediately and the rest debuting on a weekly basis, every Friday.[13] The second season premiered on June 3, 2022.[2]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 67% based on 48 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.49/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Not even a magnetic performance from Rose Byrne can save Physical from its exhausting parade of unpleasant characters and plot choices."[14] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[15] German online magazine Spiegel was delighted and pointed out the difference between American and European reception, saying "that snarky social satire pitches into body cult and consumeristic insanity to our veritable pleasure; American critics were rather appalled – without any reason."[16]

The second season has an approval rating of 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 11 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 4, 2021). "Rose Byrne Dramedy 'Physical' Renewed For Season 2 By AppleTV+". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Mitovich, Matt Webb (April 5, 2022). "Rose Byrne Gets Physical in Season 2 With Murray Bartlett — See First Photos, Get Apple TV+ Premiere Date". TVLine. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Petski, Denise (August 11, 2022). "'Physical' Renewed For Season 3 At Apple TV+". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  4. ^ "Physical". Apple TV+ Press. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  5. ^ "Apple TV+ – Physical -Season 2". Apple Inc. June 17, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  6. ^ "Physical – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (January 29, 2020). "Rose Byrne To Star In Apple 1980s Dramedy Series 'Physical' From Annie Weisman". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 4, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Otterson, Joe (December 9, 2020). "Rose Byrne Apple Dramedy Series 'Physical' Adds Six to Cast". Variety. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  9. ^ Strause, Jackie (February 19, 2021). "Rose Byrne Talks "Groundbreaking" Lifestyle Guru in Apple TV+ Series 'Physical'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  10. ^ Petski, Denise (January 11, 2021). "'Physical': Geoffrey Arend Joins Rose Byrne & Rory Scovel In Apple Dramedy". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  11. ^ Petski, Denise (April 1, 2021). "Ian Gomez Joins 'Physical'; 'A.P. Bio' Casts Hayley Marie Norman". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  12. ^ Petski, Denise (October 12, 2022). "Zooey Deschanel Joins Rose Byrne In Season 3 Of Apple's 'Physical'". Deadline Hollywood.
  13. ^ Grobar, Matt (April 27, 2021). "'Physical' Trailer: Rose Byrne Stars As Housewife Leading A Double Life In Apple TV+ Dramedy, Debuting Globally On June 18". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  14. ^ "Physical: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  15. ^ "Physical: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  16. ^ Oliver Kaever (June 18, 2021). "Nur das Äußere zählt". Spiegel. At 16:34: "Die giftige Gesellschaftssatire »Physical« macht sich über Körperkult und Konsumgier her, dass es eine wahre Freude ist. Amerikanische Kritiker waren eher erschreckt – völlig zu Unrecht."
  17. ^ "Physical: Season 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 9, 2022.