Cover art by @melaniemroth on Instagram
by Frankie Fanelli
This review covers a series rated TV-MA and may not be appropriate for all readers.
The Morning Show is a new release from Apple TV+, a streaming service that just launched on November 1. Along with competing with other streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, it also made the bold move of launching the same month as Disney+, an undoubtedly formidable competitor, which launched a few weeks later on November 12.
The Morning Show offers up a star-studded cast, starring Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, and Steve Carell, just to name a few. It is an extremely honest drama that offers up a look into the modern workplace through the eyes of the people that help you wake up in the morning: the hosts and crew of a network morning show.
The initial plotpoint of the show is that The Morning Show has just been rocked by a sexual misconduct scandal, and Alex Levy (Aniston) must now learn to deal with the firing of her on-air partner of 15 years Mitch Kessler (Carell), and the waves it made in her own life while also figuring out how to handle it on air and in the eyes of the public. Meanwhile Bradley Jackson (Witherspoon), a desperate West Virginia news reporter known for her fiery temper, was covering the reopening of a much contested coal mine when a signature outburst was caught on a stranger’s cell phone and launched her into viral fame. This grabbed the attention of the staff at The Morning Show and the result is a reluctant partnership between Levy and Jackson.
Production value itself is amazing, which makes sense according to the rumors that were swirling saying that each episode was reported to cost as much as $15 million (though these have been disputed by some of the show runners). Everything from the sets to the costuming is spot on, and the acting itself is impeccable. The dialogue is never artificial or cringey, and even the could-be boring workplace jargon is easy to keep up with and always seems necessary. However, this is likely attributed to the cast of actors who are no stranger to the screen, even Aniston and Carell who are both TV actors turned movie stars because, let’s be honest, television these days is often on-par with the movies as far as entertainment value, quality, and production costs go, it seems.
Undoubtedly, the show is topical. It covers a lot of the subjects that dominate headlines today and have been for the past few years: everything from sexual misconduct in the workplace to climate change to the #MeToo movement. While these waters can be dangerous to tread, The Morning Show does so tastefully while maintaining the show’s entertainment value and without coming off as tacky or as simply trying to please the masses in the opinions and situations they offer up.
While I had heard talk of this show and how good it was, I can honestly say that Apple TV+ definitely didn’t disappoint with The Morning Show, one of its first releases, and I’m excited to see what else the platform has in store for us.
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