Physical (TV series) explained

Genre:
Creator:Annie Weisman
Narrated:Rose Byrne
Composer:Isabella Summers
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:3
Num Episodes:30
Runtime:23–34 minutes
Network:Apple TV+

Physical is an American comedy-drama television series created by Annie Weisman. The series 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. In August 2022, the series was renewed for a third season. In May 2023, it was announced that the third season would be the final season and would premiere on August 2, 2023.

Premise

Set in 1980s San Diego, Physical is a dark comedy following Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne) through her journey of self-discovery via aerobics.[1]

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Episodes

Season 3 (2023)

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.[2] 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. The series is a half-hour long and consists of ten episodes.[3]

On August 4, 2021, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a second season.[4] On August 11, 2022, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a third season.[5]

Casting

In January 2020, Rose Byrne was reported as headlining Physical. 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.[6] Geoffrey Arend joined the cast in January 2021, with Ian Gomez joining in April 2021.[7] [8] In October 2022, Zooey Deschanel joined the cast for the third season.[9]

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.[10] The second season premiered on June 3, 2022.[11] The third and final season was released on August 2, 2023.[12]

Reception

On Rotten 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:

On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[13]

German online magazine Spiegel was delighted and pointed out the difference between American and European reception:

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:

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:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Physical . live. 2021-03-11 . Apple TV+ Press . en-US . 2021-02-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210227033118/https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/physical/ .
  2. Web site: Andreeva. Nellie. January 29, 2020. Rose Byrne To Star In Apple 1980s Dramedy Series 'Physical' From Annie Weisman. live. March 11, 2021. Deadline Hollywood. en-US. March 4, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200304002507/https://deadline.com/2020/01/rose-byrne-star-apple-dramedy-physical-annie-weisman-series-1202845808/.
  3. Web site: Strause. Jackie. February 19, 2021. Rose Byrne Talks "Groundbreaking" Lifestyle Guru in Apple TV+ Series 'Physical'. live. March 11, 2021. The Hollywood Reporter. en. March 11, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210311173851/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/rose-byrne-talks-groundbreaking-lifestyle-guru-in-apple-tv-series-physical.
  4. Web site: D'Alessandro. Anthony. August 4, 2021. Rose Byrne Dramedy 'Physical' Renewed For Season 2 By AppleTV+. August 4, 2021. Deadline Hollywood. en-US.
  5. Web site: Petski. Denise. August 11, 2022. 'Physical' Renewed For Season 3 At Apple TV+. August 11, 2021. Deadline Hollywood. en-US.
  6. Web site: Otterson. Joe. December 9, 2020. Rose Byrne Apple Dramedy Series 'Physical' Adds Six to Cast. live. March 11, 2021. Variety. en-US. February 17, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210217235958/https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/rose-byrne-apple-series-physical-cast-1234849572/.
  7. Web site: Petski. Denise. January 11, 2021. 'Physical': Geoffrey Arend Joins Rose Byrne & Rory Scovel In Apple Dramedy. live. March 11, 2021. Deadline Hollywood. en-US. January 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210126142104/https://deadline.com/2021/01/physical-geoffrey-arend-rose-byrne-rory-scovel-apple-dramedy-1234671425/.
  8. Web site: Petski. Denise. April 1, 2021. Ian Gomez Joins 'Physical'; 'A.P. Bio' Casts Hayley Marie Norman. April 1, 2021. Deadline Hollywood. en-US.
  9. Web site: Zooey Deschanel Joins Rose Byrne In Season 3 Of Apple's 'Physical'. Deadline Hollywood. Petski. Denise. October 12, 2022.
  10. Web site: 'Physical' Trailer: Rose Byrne Stars As Housewife Leading A Double Life In Apple TV+ Dramedy, Debuting Globally On June 18. Deadline Hollywood. Matt. Grobar. April 27, 2021. April 27, 2021. April 27, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210427141850/https://deadline.com/video/physical-trailer-apple-tv-plus-dramedy-rose-byrne-annie-weisman-june-18/. live.
  11. Web site: Rose Byrne Gets Physical in Season 2 With Murray Bartlett — See First Photos, Get Apple TV+ Premiere Date. TVLine. Matt Webb. Mitovich. April 5, 2022. April 5, 2022.
  12. Web site: 'Physical': Rose Byrne-Led Apple TV+ Series To End With Season 3; Premiere Date Set. Deadline Hollywood. Rosy. Cordero. Nellie. Andreeva. May 17, 2023. May 17, 2023.
  13. Physical. physical. tv. 1. 2021-07-08 .

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