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Season 1 – Physical

Play trailer 2:06 Poster for Season 1 – Physical 2021 Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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64% Tomatometer 50 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Sheila Rubin is a quietly tormented housewife in 1980s San Diego; behind closed doors, she battles extreme personal demons and a vicious inner voice, but things change when she discovers aerobics, sparking a journey toward empowerment and success.
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Physical — Season 1

Physical — Season 1

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Critics Consensus

Not even a magnetic performance from Rose Byrne can save Physical from its exhausting parade of unpleasant characters and plot choices.

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Critics Reviews

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Naomi Fry The New Yorker Even though Physical takes place forty years in the past, it asks a still relevant question: What would it take for a woman to truly be free? Dec 12, 2022 Full Review John Doyle Globe and Mail Outside the context of anything-goes streaming TV, the show would be labelled unwatchable. That's what makes it appallingly compelling. Jun 29, 2021 Full Review Linda Holmes NPR Viewers are going to be hard-pressed to invest in multiple seasons that don't move the Sheila story along, because the other angles the writers are pursuing don't amount to much. Jun 28, 2021 Full Review Alexandra MacAaron Women's Voices for Change Byrne works very hard here. Unfortunately, the show itself doesn’t. Episodes are slow-moving, dull, and redundant. Virtually every character is dislikeable, if not downright despicable. Rated: 5/10 Aug 25, 2022 Full Review Susan Granger www.susangranger.com Caustic and strident, it rarely delves below its sketchy superficiality. Rated: 6/10 Aug 10, 2021 Full Review Angelica Guarino Common Sense Media This '80s-focused dramedy is a welcome addition to the TV's recent narratives starring suburban wives who don't fit within the typical sitcom tropes. Rated: 4/5 Jul 7, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Richard R This show is awful. I forced myself to watch the entire series to get the most out of my free trial to Apple TV+, hoping that the show would get better. It didn't. The main character is a liar, a thief, a nasty person, a terrible mother, a lousy friend, selfish, narcissistic... There are no redeeming characters on this entire show. The only two characters who appear sincere are Bunny and the daughter. When I watch a TV show, I want a reason to care about the characters. This show gave me no reason to care about any of them. Rose Byrne and the other actors made the most of what they could with a terrible plot and awful writing, but in the end, this was just a lousy show that I can't understand how it made it past the pilot. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/16/24 Full Review Lise P I love love love LOOOVE this show. It's my guilty pleasure. The story lines are always surprising and yet relatable. Acting is Mwa! The actors are amazing. Every episode is a treat. Thank you to whoever created this show. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/25/23 Full Review Paul R This show quickly became one of my favorite shows on television. The writing is top notch and the character development is excellent. Sheila Rubin is such an interesting character and watching her inner struggle is captivating to say the least. It's also interesting that your initial perception and opinion of certain characters subtlety shifts as the show progresses. The viewer bases its initial perception of Danny Rubin based mostly off the inner voice of Sheila but at about 6 episodes in you begin to realize that he is actually a really great guy and that Sheila should be lucky to have him. Yes, he makes mistakes like the drug induced beach party but overall he truly loves his wife and kid. The same goes for Bunny and Tyler. Excellent show and I highly recommend it. I am very surprised that any critic would not give this an excellent 5 star review. Thankfully most of them did. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/21/23 Full Review David J Great characters and entertaining story. I didn't really get the ending of the season, but it carried over really well into Season 2 Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/19/23 Full Review John L Apple: Don't blow it. I'm only into Episode 8 of Season 1. The CREATOR of this series will make you MONEY. The last time I watched something this good was Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Fleabag. Annie Weisman has GREAT insight into human relations which appeals to women and most intelligent men. I understand the "Physical" story can play out in 3 seasons but you will let a GREAT thing get away if you don't hire her for another series, WHATEVER THAT SERIES MAY BE. And, so to cater to your more basic instincts: You'll make GOOD money by supporting Annie Weisman and her crew. PLEASE keep me as a customer. HBO is no more. Apple+ TV is where we come for great television. THANK YOU!. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/06/23 Full Review Jason M Such a shame because the show is definitely high quality all around, but the overall lesson of the season is "you can't fight capitalism (aka "corruption") and if you do you'll lose so just embrace it and choose the winning side or your wife will cheat on you". Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Physical — Season 1

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Cast & Crew

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Jun 18, 2021 Let's Do This Thing Sheila discovers aerobics as a new outlet for her body anxiety; her husband, Danny, pursues a calling in politics after bad news about his job. Details Episode 2 Aired Jun 18, 2021 Let's Get Political Desperate for more aerobics, Sheila struggles to get back to Bunny's studio while also helping Danny lock down a much-needed endorsement. Details Episode 3 Aired Jun 18, 2021 Let's Get Down to Business Debt mounting, Sheila decides to teach a class but is tasked with recruiting new students; Danny hunts for enough signatures to get on the ballot. Details Episode 4 Aired Jun 25, 2021 Let's Get This Party Started Danny hires a campaign manager from their past who causes friction with Sheila; Greta opens up about a nagging suspicion in her marriage. Details Episode 5 Aired Jul 2, 2021 Let's Agree to Disagree Sheila teams up with Tyler to show her newfound vision and unearths a disturbing secret; Danny participates in a debate, and Bunny has a visitor. Details Episode 6 Aired Jul 9, 2021 Let's Get It on Tape Sheila films two videos--one for aerobics and one for Danny's campaign--plunging herself deeper into debt and deception. Details Episode 7 Aired Jul 16, 2021 Let's Take This Show on the Road The Rubins head to Los Angeles, where they visit the Logans in hopes of fundraising a party; Breem's demons surface. Details Episode 8 Aired Jul 23, 2021 Let's Not and Say We Did In need of money, Sheila pays an unexpected visit to her parents -- and her past; Greta finally confronts Ernie. Details Episode 9 Aired Jul 30, 2021 Let's Face the Facts Sheila is determined to put aerobics behind her but finds the pull too strong; Tyler contends with an unexpected health condition. Details Episode 10 Aired Aug 6, 2021 Let's Get Together With election day looming, Sheila entertains an intriguing proposition; Bunny's finances and Tyler's health come to a head. Details
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Season Info

Director
Stephanie Laing, Liza Johnson, Craig Gillespie
Creator
Annie Weisman
Executive Producer
Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Annie Weisman, Alexandra Cunningham, John McNamara, Sera Gamble, Rose Byrne, Craig Gillespie, Liza Johnson, Stephanie Liang
Screenwriter
Rosa Handelman, Justin Bonilla, Alexandra Cunningham, Jessica Dickey, Annie Weisman, Lex Edness
Network
Apple TV+
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date
Jun 18, 2021
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