After three seasons of the Rose Byrne-led Apple TV+ series, Physical is coming to an end. If you need another great comedy to watch after you finish Physical, here are a couple of other shows with very few seasons that make for a quick watch.
Shrill
Aidy Bryant’s personal project after leaving Saturday Night Live, Shrill was beautifully written, deeply funny, and canceled way too soon. A Hulu original, Bryant explored themes of romance, young adulthood, career advancement, and body positivity in an authentic and meaningful way. Audiences never felt preached at, but rather seen and heard. The show ended after three short seasons, and we would’ve loved just one more.
Shrill is streaming now on Hulu.
Ted Lasso
Unlike many other shows that ended shortly after they began, Ted Lasso was intended to end after three seasons (although Apple TV+ still hasn’t confirmed whether this most recent season is indeed its last, all signs, including the Season 3 finale, point to Ted Lasso saying goodbye to AFC Richmond forever). Ted Lasso was great while it lasted, and though it ended sooner than many would have liked, it opened the door for other warm comedies to air on the streaming service.
Ted Lasso is streaming now on Apple TV+.
Freaks and Geeks
A Judd Apatow classic, Freaks and Geeks didn’t even have a few seasons – it only had one. Since it aired in the days of network television, there are 18 episodes of the show, which is just as long as many shows with two and sometimes three seasons that have aired in the past decade.
Some may argue that had it gone on for longer, Freaks and Geeks wouldn’t be the cult classic that it is, but had the writing and direction been just as sublime in subsequent seasons (and come on, it’s Apatow, so it definitely would’ve been), a second, third, and fourth season would have been just as good as its first.
Freaks and Geeks is streaming now on Hulu.
Arrested Development
(Note for this entry: we are excluding the Netflix seasons, because they pale in comparison to its original three.) Arrested Development first aired on NBC in 2003, and though it’s one of the most clever sitcoms of all time and an absolute master class in running jokes, Arrested Development was canceled after three short seasons.
Again, because it was network television, there are more episodes than you might have anticipated from a three-season run, so watching the show from start to finish would be similar to bingeing a new show today. But that doesn’t make the fact that it was canceled so soon any less infuriating.
Arrested Development is streaming now on Netflix.
Physical is streaming now on Apple TV+.