Physical, AppleTV+’s critically acclaimed half-hour drama, has been renewed for a third season. Season 2 concluded barely a week ago. The series follows Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne), a housewife and fitness expert in 1980s San Diego, as she strives against the odds to achieve success in both her professional and personal lives. The second season finale aired on the streaming service on August 5 and left viewers on something of a cliffhanger, with Sheila facing a new issue after the release of her first fitness video.
With the renewal, viewers will get to watch how Sheila handles these new challenges as she strives for professional advancement. Season 2 debuted to rave reviews, scoring a perfect score of 100 on the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. The show’s original narrative, which deals with taboo topics including anorexia and other body image concerns, has garnered high praise. The ensemble cast, spearheaded by Byrne, has also garnered acclaim. Annie Weisman, the show’s creator and showrunner, expressed her excitement at being given the chance to continue telling Sheila’s narrative in tandem with Rose Byrne and the rest of the show’s stellar actors, writers, and production staff.
Weisman said of Byrne, “Rose’s magnificent, humorous, and fearless performance is the north star on our show’s journey of personal empowerment and development in all its synth-pop, sun-baked, spandex-clad beauty in 1980s Southern California.” Furthermore, Weisman thanked AppleTV+ for giving him the chance to tell a narrative that has touched so many others. Weisman said, “The most truly rewarding experience of my career is the response we’ve had from audiences who continue to find and feel noticed by Physical. I’m so thankful to our team at Apple and Tomorrow Studios for making this idea a reality.”
Longtime stand-up comic Rory Scovel plays Byrne’s husband, Danny Rubin, on the episode. Paul Sparks (Boardwalk Empire), Della Saba, Lou Taylor Pucci, Dierdre Friel, and Geoffrey Arend round out the ensemble cast (Madam Secretary). During Season 2, several new characters were introduced, including the phenomenal Murray Bartlett as an aerobics teacher named Vinnie Green. Bartlett, a finalist for an Emmy and winner of a Critics’ Choice Award, is well-known for his work on the HBO satirical series The White Lotus.
A few more are Anna Gunn, Tawny Newsome, and Donny Divanian. Along with Tomorrow Studios’ Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements and Craig Gillespie, Byrne serves as an executive producer on Physical. For the most part, Stephanie Laing has been the show’s director, however, Craig Gillespie, Liza Johnson, and Dan Lazarovits have all filled in on occasion. Both seasons of Physical may be viewed right now on AppleTV+.