Physical

Sheila Rubin is a quietly unhappy housewife in 1980s San Diego, juggling a controlling husband, simmering self-loathing, and a persistent inner critic. When she stumbles into an aerobics class, the physical routine wakes something in her that had been buried for years. The show follows how exercise becomes a focal point for Sheila to reshape her identity, pursue ambition, and push against the expectations around her, while the darker parts of her personality keep complicating progress. Tone swings between sharp comedy and tense drama, and episodes often stage Sheila's fantasies and fears as vivid, sometimes unsettling set pieces without resolving every conflict neatly.

Created by Annie Weisman, Justin Bonilla, and Jackie Li, Physical premiered in 2021 on Apple TV+. Rose Byrne leads the cast as Sheila Rubin, supported by Rory Scovel, Dierdre Friel, and Paul Sparks.

Critical response has been mixed to favorable, reflected in a user vote average of 6.486/10 from 143 votes. Reviewers frequently singled out Byrne's performance and the show's darkly funny voice, while noting uneven pacing across episodes. Recurring themes include body image, the commercialization of self-improvement, marital power dynamics, and the relationship between mental health and ambition.

Physical's stylized 1980s look and its aerobics sequences gained attention, feeding interest in retro fitness aesthetics and sparking online discussion about how period pieces use nostalgia. Sheila's internal monologues and the show’s bold visual choices made certain scenes memorable on social media and in conversations about portrayals of women pushing against limiting roles.

While the series drew notable critical attention and praise for lead performances, it didn't sweep major industry awards. Coverage tended to focus on the show's tone and Byrne's risky, often intense portrayal of a woman trying to reconfigure her life in an era that wasn't set up to make that easy.