Apple TV+ has hit another home run when it comes to striking the balance between unflinching drama and dark comedy Physical season 2, which premiered today on the platform. When its first season arrived on the service, many viewers were divided about the stark reality of the material - which depicts an eating disorder in its leading lady - but ultimately recognized showrunner Annie Weisman's (Desperate Housewives) nuanced take on difficult conversations.
Audiences also lauded Rose Byrne's performance, which allows Physical to really connect with her character Sheila (Byrne) even when she's at her worst. Season 2 has already landed her in a different place, with her aerobics tape earning her some success but costing her peace on the home front in her marriage to Danny (Rory Scovel, I Feel Pretty). Between the stress of family life and the demands of her new job competing with past elements she left behind, a spiral might not be too far away.
Screen Rant spoke to Weisman about where Sheila currently finds herself on her journey to emotional wellness, what aspects of her psyche Physical season 2 will explore, and how much fun it is to welcome Murray Bartlett to the cast as another overzealous fitness guru.
Screen Rant: Obviously, I very much root for Sheila and I want her to go on this journey of self-empowerment. She's got more success at the start of season 2, but that doesn't necessarily make her feel better. Can you talk about where she is in her mental health or wellness journey?
Annie Weisman: Sure. It's a great question. At the beginning of season 2, we see her starting to accomplish some of her goals. She's starting to have this video out there; she's starting to build this business as a fitness entrepreneur. But she has not addressed some of the core issues underneath her illness.
I think we see her no longer engaging in this specific kind of secretive behavior of her eating disorder, but because she hasn't really dug in and addressed the core issues behind it, she's replaced it with another destructive and compulsive behavior. So, that pattern is still there.
And that was an important thing we wanted to explore in the season, to really kind of have a more authentic understanding of the lived experience of an eating disorder - which is really that it is about the underlying issues more than it is about the behavior. We have the whole season to really see her dig in and grapple with those core issues., and to experience a real growth and a real recovery.
I love how much you delve into not only Sheila and her inner world, but also the parallel journeys with Bunny and Greta. As Sheila is riding the wave of success, Bunny starts off experiencing the loss of all the things that Sheila's taken from her. Can you talk about her journey this season, and how she's gonna dig herself out of that hole?
Annie Weisman: Without too many spoilers, I will say that in Sheila's journey to success, she's made some enemies. She's done some pretty daring and difficult things, and some damaging things as well - not just to herself, but to others.
As we see her star start to rise, we see some of those mistakes in the past come back to haunt her. And Bunny really does start to rise up and make some noise about how she's been treated by Sheila and exploited by Sheila, so that conflict is one of the big stories of the second season: what she does with that.
Sheila has a lot of vulnerabilities that we know of, because we have access to her and our thoughts, that if she creates an enemy, you know, they can really exploit those vulnerabilities. So we'll see that we'll see that happen this season.
I also love how much we're getting of her family, especially her mother and daughter. It reminds me of diving into generational trauma, and how what is visited on us we are then afraid of visiting on our children. Can you talk about this family dynamic for Sheila in season 2?
Annie Weisman: We get to kind of look at, like you said that these, the generational source of her trauma and disorder. This family event that happens kind of brings her back home, and she's - as we often are when you go back home as an adult - visited by ghosts; metaphoric ghosts of the past.
We'll see her start to be confronted by some of the sources of her trauma, and her relationship to her mother helps her understand how she might be visiting some of this damage on her own daughter as well. We'll see her start to connect some of those dots - and we will as well.
I cannot wait for everyone to watch season 2, and I have to say I love Vinnie Green.
Annie Weisman: Me too. It was just an absolute pleasure to get someone like Murray Bartlett to bring that character to life. He brings a lot of sparkle and joy to this season, and a lot of depth as well.
Physical Season 2 Synopsis
Set in the idyllic but fragile beach paradise of sunny 1980s San Diego, “Physical” is a half-hour dark comedy following Sheila Rubin, 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.
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.
Check out our other Physical interview with stars Rose Byrne & Dierdre Friel.
The first episode of Physical season 2 is currently available to stream on Apple TV+, with subsequent episodes dropping on Fridays.