The Morning Show
The Morning Show, also known as Morning Wars in Australia and Indonesia,[1][2] is an American drama television series starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell, that premiered on Apple TV+ on November 1, 2019.[3][4] The series is inspired by Brian Stelter's 2013 book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV.[2][5] The show examines the characters and culture behind a network broadcast morning news program. After allegations of sexual misconduct, the male coanchor of the program is forced off the show. Aspects of the #MeToo movement are examined from multiple perspectives, as more and more information comes out regarding said misconduct.
The Morning Show
Alex Levy anchors The Morning Show (TMS), a popular morning news program broadcast from Manhattan on the UBA network, which has excellent viewership ratings and is perceived to have changed the face of American television.
In the second season, the network CEO attempts to convince Alex to return as the COVID-19 pandemic gradually engulfs the United States and the show itself, whilst Bradley deals with an identity crisis.
On November 8, 2017, it was announced that Apple had given the production a series order consisting of two seasons of ten episodes apiece. The series was set to be executive produced by Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Jay Carson, and Michael Ellenberg. Carson was expected to act as a writer and showrunner for the series as well. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of Media Res, Echo Films, and Hello Sunshine.[3][12][13] On April 4, 2018, it was announced that Carson had departed the production over creative differences. He was replaced as executive producer and showrunner by Kerry Ehrin.[14] On July 11, 2018, it was reported that Mimi Leder would serve as a director and executive producer for the series.[15] On October 23, 2018, it was reported that Kristin Hahn and Lauren Levy Neustadter would serve as additional executive producers for the series.[16]
On June 22, 2020, Aniston revealed in a Variety interview with Lisa Kudrow that the show's development began prior to the Me Too movement, but was ultimately reworked to include and partially focus on it.[17]
The show cost $15 million per episode, with Aniston and Witherspoon each earning $2 million per episode, not including producing fees and ownership points.[18] On January 10, 2022, Apple renewed the series for a third season.[7]
During the Apple Special Event, a teaser trailer was released with footage from the series as well as footage from other original series set to premiere on Apple TV+.[36] Furthermore, Aniston, Witherspoon, and Carell were at the event to promote the series.[37] On August 12, 2019, Apple released a first look trailer for the series.[38] It was also revealed that the series would be titled Morning Wars in Australia, in order to distinguish the series from the Australian morning talk show of the same name.[1]
According to TV analytics provider TVision, The Morning Show has been viewed by panel members 5.03 times as much as the average Apple TV+ original series or shows TVision has measured since Apple TV+ launched in November 2019.[46] The series became the second most watched Apple TV+ series after Ted Lasso.[46]
Apple TV+ officially renewed The Morning Show for season 3 in January 2022. The next season will have Charlotte Stroud taking over as showrunner, replacing Ehrin who will continue as a consultant.
Season 2 of The Morning Show starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston premieres on Apple TV+ tonight. Witherspoon and Aniston play competitive, morning TV anchors for a company that's in the midst of a major MeToo scandal. But, to keep the show topical, writers made significant changes so that the pandemic would be part of the narrative.
When the coronavirus hit the U.S., the writing and production of The Morning Show's new season was well underway. The entire season had been "broken," as they say in Hollywood. Kerry Erhin, an executive producer and showrunner of the fictional TV series says, "It's a year of working in a writers' room, breaking down the stories scene by scene."
"I really resisted that for about a day because we had just, you know, broken an entire season," she says, recalling the dreaded moment. "And then after another day, like, it just made sense. It isn't a subject you could avoid, especially doing a show about people covering the news."
Fictional correspondent Daniel Henderson, played by Desean Terry, is the first to raise the pandemic in the newsroom. Terry says this was a case of life and art intersecting. The characters in the TV show faced the same level of uncertainty as the cast did in real life. He says, early in the pandemic, they didn't know exactly how to protect themselves.
This was the second time The Morning Show cast and crew had to rework episodes because of real world events. Originally inspired by Brian Stelter's 2013 book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV, Apple TV's fictional series always intended to look at the on and off-screen relationships in the competitive world of morning TV news, including how women are treated. Season 1 episodes had been largely mapped out when the bombshell reporting on Harvey Weinstein led to take-downs of other media figures including NBC's morning anchor Matt Lauer. Michael Ellenberg says, while it wasn't a "wholesale rewrite," changes were made to put sexual misconduct into sharper focus.
Other new cast members include Tig Notaro as Amanda Robinson, the chief of staff to Marks; Natalie Morales as Stella's best friend from Stanford where they were part of a start-up incubator run by Marks; and Nicole Beharie as Christina Hunter, a charismatic and competitive millennial who joins the morning team as a new anchor, who knows how to work hard, play hard and spill the tea with some irreverence.
Currently wrapping up production -- with much of cast seen filming around NYC -- season 3 will be led by executive producer and showrunner Charlotte Stoudt, who has taken over for creator Kerry Ehrin. Mimi Leder is expected to return as director and executive producer.
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Charlotte Stoudt is Season 3 executive producer and showrunner under a multi-year overall deal with Apple TV+. Executive producers include Michael Ellenberg through Media Res, Aniston and Kristin Hahn through Echo Films, and Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter through Hello Sunshine. Mimi Leder serves as executive producer and director.
Welcome to our favorite day of the week! Elvis noticed something interesting about his husband Alex?!?! The show plays a FESTIVE round of 'Family Feud'. Coasterboy Josh and Elvis set rules for their dinner date so they can come into work tomorrow! Our listener Megan came to visit to talk about stage 4 cancer and how she's living her life!
Mimi Leder, an executive director for Apple's "The Morning Show" who also directed several episodes including the pilot, told Business Insider that reports of the show's extravagant budget are "way overblown."
Parents need to know that The Morning Show is a drama about a morning television talk show that's shaken up when one of the hosts is accused of sexual misconduct and fired, leaving his former co-host to sink or swim. We don't see the sexual misconduct, but we do hear about it, with the accused defending his actions as simple extramarital affairs with consenting adults, and others characterizing his actions as coercion and abuse of power. The issue is explored in a nuanced way, with sympathetic characters on each side. Characters also flirt, kiss, and talk about sex, sometimes in a vulgar way. They also drink during or after difficult situations, clearly using alcohol to cope, and get sloppy and clumsy after imbibing. One character smokes a cigarette. Language is frequent: "f--k," "s--t," "a--hole," "bitch," and "hell." Characters are complex and imperfect, and the subject matter is mature, with storylines taking on sexism, politics, fame, the obligations of a public position, and the nature of journalism in general and televised journalism in particular. Characters show courage and perseverance, but messages can be mixed, like when a strong woman is discounted because of her age.
A generation of TV watchers has grown up watching Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) and Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell) on THE MORNING SHOW. So when news breaks that multiple women have accused Mitch of sexual misconduct, he's fired from the show, leaving Alex devastated and without a co-host (and Mitch ready to fight the charges). At the same time, Alex learns that network executives, led by Cory Ellison (Billy Crudup), have been trying to replace her for years, and a strong contender for her job is her new co-host, bold conservative TV journalist Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon).
With its propulsive energy and a ripped-from-the-headlines premise that gives viewers the sense that they're getting a peek behind closed doors, this glossy drama demands attention. Though The Morning Show insiders are on the record as saying the show is not the Matt Lauer story, it's hard not to read into the storyline and wonder just what parts are inspired by real-life situations. It certainly doesn't hurt to have such five-star talent both in front of the camera. Jennifer Anniston is steely and relatable as a venerable anchor who feels her crown starting to slip, Reese Witherspoon is fiery as a colleague on the rise, and perhaps only an actor as lovable as Steve Carell could make the errant Mitch appealing and sympathetic. These characters click, with us and with each other, and they make you care about the people who are caught in a maelstrom of competing interests. 041b061a72