There are big changes coming in Season 2 of Physical, the dark comedy set in the sunny fitness scene of 1980s Southern California. Aerobics teacher Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne) is transforming from frustrated housewife to independent businesswoman after successfully launching her first workout video.
“It has really opened up the show. It’s not just about Sheila’s inner demons. It’s about the external battle she has around her,” Byrne says. The first season focused heavily on Sheila’s eating disorder and poor self-image, the result of childhood trauma. Now, she’s working with her onetime nemesis, Greta (Dierdre Friel) to build an empire. A new rival: health/weight loss guru Vinnie Green (Murray Bartlett, The White Lotus).
“There’s a competitive edge in the way they come together, but they quickly realize they’re twin spirits in a way in terms of what they are presenting to the outside world and what they have going on inside,” Bartlett says. “Like Armand, he has a public-facing persona that is at odds with what’s happening in his inner life.”
Ambitious Sheila is also grappling with saving her marriage. She wants to remain loyal to her husband, wannabe politician Danny Rubin (Rory Scovel). It’s not easy. His radical politics leftover from the 1960s “movement” do not extend to his own home, where he expects his wife to play a traditional role. She becomes attracted to someone who couldn’t be further from his opposite.
Physical, Season 2 Premiere, Friday, June 3, Apple TV+