X
- 2021
- TV-MA
- Apple TV+
- 2021
- TV-MA
- Apple TV+
Summary Set in the 1980s, San Diego housewife Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne) finds direction with the help of aerobics in this dramedy created, written, and executive produced by Annie Weisman.
Created By: Annie Weisman
- 2021
- TV-MA
- Apple TV+
- 2021
- TV-MA
- Apple TV+
Physical
Season 1 Premiere: Jun 18, 2021
63
6.1
Where to Watch
Summary Set in the 1980s, San Diego housewife Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne) finds direction with the help of aerobics in this dramedy created, written, and executive produced by Annie Weisman.
Created By: Annie Weisman
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 29 Critic Reviews
63
59% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
38% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 29 Critic Reviews
63
59% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
38% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
[Rose Byrne] nails the woman’s painful awareness of her true inner ugliness and poignant desperation, often while maintaining a serene facade. It’s a performance that always looks great yet, somehow, never displays an ounce of vanity. Those are just a few impressive aspects of this year’s most observant new sitcom.
It’s darkly funny at times but also deals with serious themes in a way that could turn off some viewers. It lacks the universally appealing, feel-good nature of a show like Ted Lasso. ... But it’s also well made, frequently compelling, and features episodes that come in at under 30 minutes.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 45 User Ratings
6.1
51% Positive
23 Ratings
23 Ratings
29% Mixed
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
20% Negative
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 45 User Ratings
6.1
51% Positive
23 Ratings
23 Ratings
29% Mixed
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
20% Negative
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
“Physical” flirts with messiness at times (and has to occasionally rely on coincidences to make things fit together), but it’s built on an intriguing and idiosyncratic overlap of fiefdoms and credos. The show’s smartest decision, other than Byrne’s casting, may be its tendency to evoke rather than spoon-feed.
The fact that they didn’t get the time they needed to play out the string in a satisfying manner is sad, but does not ultimately detract from what this was: a tremendous character study set in a time when opportunity for people like Rubin came as a country just began to embrace the drug of money that would eventually eat it from the inside.
It leans into the lore of its previous two seasons, a move that feels a little unearned for a show with around 15 hours to its name. This final season is also disjointed, as if they had to stuff multiple seasons of plot and character development into one last set of episodes.
Everyone in the cast does good work with their thinly written characters, who have few redeeming features among them. Not least Byrne, whose commitment makes Sheila credible even in her most vicious or unlikely moments (stealing video equipment from a potential political ally foremost among them). But Physical feels like a wasted opportunity generally.
Byrne’s been handed a lead role but saddled with a rudimentary sketch of a character. Sheila’s pains and compulsions are real and will be relatable to many, but they’re anchored in nothing particular about her. What we see, with unfettered access to Sheila’s inner life, is a person who can’t bear to have a single sincere thought. As a tribute to the ethos of the 1980s, this corrosive irony may in fact be perfectly pitched — but what was unbearable then remains so now.
Production Company:
- Fabrication
- ITV Studios
- Parasox
- Tomorrow Studios
Initial Release Date: Jun 18, 2021
Number of seasons: 3 Seasons
Rating: TV-MA
Awards
California on Location Awards
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
ReFrame
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA)
• 1 Nomination
