| Physical | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Annie Weisman |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Rose Byrne |
| Composer | Isabella Summers |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 30 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Running time | 23–34 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Apple TV+ |
| Release | June 18, 2021 (2021-06-18) – September 27, 2023 (2023-09-27) |
Physical is an Americancomedy-drama television series created by Annie Weisman. The series premiered onApple TV+ on June 18, 2021. In August 2021, the series was renewed for a second season ahead of its first season finale, which premiered in June 2022.[1][2] In August 2022, the series was renewed for a third season.[3] The third and final season premiered in August 2023.[4]
Set in 1980sSan Diego,Physical is adark comedy following Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne) through her journey ofself-discovery viaaerobics.[5]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 10 | June 18, 2021 (2021-06-18) | August 6, 2021 (2021-08-06) | |
| 2 | 10 | June 3, 2022 (2022-06-03) | August 5, 2022 (2022-08-05) | |
| 3 | 10 | August 2, 2023 (2023-08-02) | September 27, 2023 (2023-09-27) | |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Let's Do This Thing" | Craig Gillespie | Annie Weisman | June 18, 2021 (2021-06-18) |
| 2 | 2 | "Let's Get Political" | Liza Johnson | Annie Weisman | June 18, 2021 (2021-06-18) |
| 3 | 3 | "Let's Get Down To Business" | Stephanie Laing | Rosa Handelman | June 18, 2021 (2021-06-18) |
| 4 | 4 | "Let's Get This Party Started" | Liza Johnson | Jessica Dickey | June 25, 2021 (2021-06-25) |
| 5 | 5 | "Let's Agree to Disagree" | Stephanie Laing | Alexandra Cunningham | July 2, 2021 (2021-07-02) |
| 6 | 6 | "Let's Get It on Tape" | Stephanie Laing | Lex Edness | July 9, 2021 (2021-07-09) |
| 7 | 7 | "Let's Take This Show on the Road" | Stephanie Laing | Annie Weisman | July 16, 2021 (2021-07-16) |
| 8 | 8 | "Let's Not and Say We Did" | Stephanie Laing | Justin Bonilla | July 23, 2021 (2021-07-23) |
| 9 | 9 | "Let's Face the Facts" | Stephanie Laing | Rosa Handelman | July 30, 2021 (2021-07-30) |
| 10 | 10 | "Let's Get Together" | Liza Johnson, Stephanie Laing | Annie Weisman | August 6, 2021 (2021-08-06) |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Don't You Want Me" | Stephanie Laing | Annie Weisman | June 3, 2022 (2022-06-03) |
| 12 | 2 | "Don't You Ever Stop" | Stephanie Laing | Rachel Caris Love | June 10, 2022 (2022-06-10) |
| 13 | 3 | "Don't You Go Far" | Dan Lazarovits | Jessica Dickey | June 17, 2022 (2022-06-17) |
| 14 | 4 | "Don't You Know" | Dan Lazarovits | K.C. Scott | June 24, 2022 (2022-06-24) |
| 15 | 5 | "Don't You Want to Watch" | Stephanie Laing | Justin Bonilla | July 1, 2022 (2022-07-01) |
| 16 | 6 | "Don't You Have Enough" | Stephanie Laing | Jackie Li | July 8, 2022 (2022-07-08) |
| 17 | 7 | "Don't Try This at Home" | Stephanie Laing | Coleman Herbert | July 15, 2022 (2022-07-15) |
| 18 | 8 | "Don't You Run and Hide" | Stephanie Laing | Rosa Handelman | July 22, 2022 (2022-07-22) |
| 19 | 9 | "Don't You Want to Get Better" | Stephanie Laing | Coleman Herbert | July 29, 2022 (2022-07-29) |
| 20 | 10 | "Don't You Say It's Over" | Stephanie Laing | Story by : Annie Weisman & Erika A. Schleich Teleplay by : Annie Weisman | August 5, 2022 (2022-08-05) |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 1 | "Like a Whole New Woman" | Stephanie Laing | Annie Weisman | August 2, 2023 (2023-08-02) |
| 22 | 2 | "Like a Bitch" | Stephanie Laing | Coleman Herbert | August 2, 2023 (2023-08-02) |
| 23 | 3 | "Like It's on Fire" | Stephanie Laing | K.C. Scott | August 9, 2023 (2023-08-09) |
| 24 | 4 | "Like a Rocket" | Stephanie Laing | Yael Green | August 16, 2023 (2023-08-16) |
| 25 | 5 | "Like Crazy" | Stephanie Laing | Boo Killebrew | August 23, 2023 (2023-08-23) |
| 26 | 6 | "Like You Mean It" | Stephanie Laing | Coleman Herbert | August 30, 2023 (2023-08-30) |
| 27 | 7 | "Like No One's Watching" | Stephanie Laing | Yael Green & K.C. Scott | September 6, 2023 (2023-09-06) |
| 28 | 8 | "Like a Mouse" | Stephanie Laing | Boo Killebrew | September 13, 2023 (2023-09-13) |
| 29 | 9 | "Like We Never Left" | Annie Weisman | Coleman Herbert | September 20, 2023 (2023-09-20) |
| 30 | 10 | "Like a Prayer" | Stephanie Laing | Annie Weisman | September 27, 2023 (2023-09-27) |
In January 2020, it was reported thatApple was nearing a series order forPhysical, created and written by Annie Weisman, withTomorrow Studios set to produce.[6] In December 2020,Craig Gillespie,Liza Johnson, andStephanie Laing were announced as directors for the series, with Gillespie set to direct the pilot episode.[7] The series is a half-hour long and consists of ten episodes.[8]
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]
In January 2020,Rose Byrne was reported as headliningPhysical.[6] In December 2020, it was announced that Byrne was playing the role of Sheila Rubin, withPaul Sparks,Rory Scovel,Lou Taylor Pucci, Della Saba, Dierdre Friel, andAshley Liao joining the cast.[7]Geoffrey Arend joined the cast in January 2021, withIan Gomez joining in April 2021.[9][10] In October 2022,Zooey Deschanel joined the cast for the third season.[11]
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.[citation needed]
The series premiered on June 18, 2021, onApple TV + globally with the first three episodes available immediately and the rest debuting on a weekly basis, every Friday.[12] The second season premiered on June 3, 2022.[2] The third and final season was released on August 2, 2023.[4]
OnMetacritic, it has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[13]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 65% based on 51 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.40/10. The website's critical consensus reads:
"Not even a magnetic performance from Rose Byrne can savePhysical from its exhausting parade of unpleasant characters and plot choices."[14]
However German magazineSpiegel praised the show for maintaining its satirical take on shallow consumerism beyond the initial episodes, noting that it "thankfully doesn't develop into the edifying but mendacious self-empowerment drama that convention would demand, and some critics apparently expected," and suggested that this may have been the reason for the poor ratings from American reviewers.[15]
The second season has an approval rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 11 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads:
"Rose Byrne's blood, sweat, and tears are finally given a worthy bedrock asPhysical finds its gyrating groove in this much-improved sophomore season."[16]
The third and final season has an approval rating of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 14 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads:
"Physical packs it in with a final season that, much like a good workout, is bracing but pays off with a satisfying endorphin rush."[17]
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.'
