Physical

By probing Sheila’s mental health with care, complexity, and humor, we’re offered a fresh new kind of female antihero, one that isn’t just meant to be a compelling character study, but an engrossing exploration of the ways that American empowerment culture continues to fail us all.

It’s through Byrne’s cutting insults and screams buried under her pained smile that Physical truly finds its voice. ... Shelia and her near-constant self-flagellation become Physical’s driving force. It’s a positioning that’s pointedly brilliant.

It’s darkly funny at times but also deals with serious themes in a way that could turn off some viewers. It lacks the universally appealing, feel-good nature of a show like Ted Lasso. ... But it’s also well made, frequently compelling, and features episodes that come in at under 30 minutes.

[Viewers] will get sucked into the story, which after three or four episodes may call out to the viewer the way a bag of free burgers and an empty motel room would to Sheila.

“Physical” flirts with messiness at times (and has to occasionally rely on coincidences to make things fit together), but it’s built on an intriguing and idiosyncratic overlap of fiefdoms and credos. The show’s smartest decision, other than Byrne’s casting, may be its tendency to evoke rather than spoon-feed.

It’s a rocky first season, as creator Annie Weisman tries to figure out which characters matter, and just how hard to push Sheila’s darkness and unlikability. But “Physical,” whose half-hour episodes are at times crafted with an operatic flair, has plenty of potential. It’s abrasive, but it has a dynamic rhythm and a strong core.

No doubt there will be viewers who balk at Sheila’s vitriolic running monologue; nothing is spared from criticism, and no blow is too low. But for anyone who can identify with obsessive thinking tendencies, even in a much milder form, it’s painfully relatable, refreshingly honest, and more than enough to make Sheila’s journey engaging even if she is decidedly lacking in anything that would traditionally be deemed “likable” qualities.

The series’ biggest flaw is the amount of storylines that are packed into its 10 episodes. ... In the end, “Physical” is a showcase for Byrne that will have you jumping even if things feel a bit unbalanced.