“Physical” is set in the idyllic but fragile beach paradise of sunny 1980s San Diego and centers on Sheila Rubin (Byrne), a quietly tortured, seemingly dutiful housewife supporting her smart but controversial husband’s bid for state assembly. But behind closed doors, Sheila has her own darkly funny take on life she rarely lets the world see. She’s also battling a complex set of personal demons relating to her self-image…. that is, until she finds release through the unlikeliest source: the world of aerobics. “When we meet Sheila, she is at a very dark moment in her emotional life,” said Annie Weisman, the series’ creator, writer, and executive producer, in the behind-the-scenes video. “She’s been in the shadows of a really dynamic and charismatic husband and there’s this seed inside her that wants more than that.”
At first hooked on the exercise itself, Sheila’s real road to empowerment comes when she discovers a way to merge this newfound passion with the burgeoning technology of videotape to start a revolutionary business. The series tracks her epic journey from a stifled, overlooked enabler to a powerful, confident economic force, as Sheila transforms into someone we take for granted today (but was entirely radical at the time) — the female lifestyle guru. “A big part of Sheila’s story is her illness with food and it’s an illness that women have that women don’t talk about a lot,” Byrne said in the video. “Everybody has inner voices that we try to temper and with Sheila you get this kind of insight and I love that. It’s like the contrast of these two sides of her. It’s the life of Sheila and her domestic life, putting on a face for everyone, and then the life of her discovering aerobics.” The first three episodes of “Physical” premiered on Apple TV+ Friday, June 18. Subsequent episodes in the 10-episode first season will be released weekly. Check out the exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Apple TV+’s “Physical” below: Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
