Rose Byrne Builds an Aerobics Empire in Apple TV+'s Supremely 80s New Dark Comedy 'Physical'
It starts streaming via Apple TV+ in June.
Maybe viewing old episodes of Aerobics Oz Style helped you stay active during 2020's first long lockdown. Perhaps you've been obsessed with the now-iconic Key & Peele aerobics meltdown sketch for years, as everyone should be. Or, you might've watched the excellent Kirsten Dunst-starring On Becoming a God in Central Florida and got bitten by the water aerobics bug. Whichever fits — or even if none of the above applies to you — leotards, exercise and all things 80s haven't been far from our screens in recent years. And, they'll feature again in a big way in Apple TV+'s new ten-part dark comedy series Physical.
Set in the decade that's always going to be synonymous with leg warmers, Physical sees Rose Byrne make the leap from hanging out with talking CGI rabbits in terrible book-to-screen adaptations to getting hooked on aerobics. She plays Sheila Rubin, a San Diego housewife who has always played her dutiful part as expected, but struggles with her self-image and her sense of self in general. Then, the only form of exercise that TV shows and movies seem to think that anyone did back in the 80s suddenly enters her life.
Cue a journey that brings Sheila success, sees her forge her own path beyond being a wife and mother, and also turns her into a lifestyle guru. As seen in both the first sneak peek last month and the just-dropped new trailer, she obviously won't be posting about her daily life on social media — but this show is set in the peak VHS era, so expect videotapes to play a part in the story.
Physical is set to start streaming on Friday, June 18, and will drop its first three episodes in one hit before releasing the rest weekly afterwards. Naturally, big hair and spandex are set to play a huge part in the supremely 80s-looking series.
Alongside Byrne, the show stars Rory Scovel (I Feel Pretty), Dierdre Friel (Second Act), Della Saba (Ralph Breaks the Internet), Lou Taylor Pucci (American Horror Story), Paul Sparks (The Lovebirds) and Ashley Liao (Fuller House). Desperate Housewives and Suburgatory's Annie Weisman created, wrote and executive produced Physical, and serves as its showrunner, while Cruella's Craig Gillespie, Dead to Me's Liza Johnson and Love Life's Stephanie Laing all enjoy stints in the director's chair.
Check out the latest trailer trailer below:
Physical starts streaming via Apple TV+ on Friday, June 18.
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