Top of the Morning (TV series)

''The Morning Show'', also known as ''Morning Wars'' in Australia and Indonesia, is an American drama television series starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. The series premiered on Apple TV+ on November 1, 2019. The series is inspired by Brian Stelter's 2013 book '' Top of the Morning''. The show examines the characters and culture behind a network broadcast morning news program. After allegations of sexual misconduct, the male co-anchor of the program is forced off the show. Aspects of the #MeToo movement are examined from multiple perspectives as more information comes out regarding the misconduct. Subsequent seasons focus on other political topics and current events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, racial inequality, the Capitol insurrection, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The second season premiered on September 17, 2021. In January 2022, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on September 13, 2023. The series was renewed for a fourth season, which is scheduled to premiere on September 17, 2025.

The series has received accolades, including 25Primetime Emmy Award nominations, ten Screen Actors Guild Award nominations and nine Golden Globe Award nominations. Jennifer Aniston and Billy Crudup have received particular acclaim for their performances, with Aniston winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series in 2020 and earning two nominations for Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and Billy Crudup winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2020 and 2024.

Premise

Alex Levy co-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 first season, after her on-air partner of 15 years, Mitch Kessler, is fired amid a sexual misconduct scandal, Alex fights to retain her job as a top news anchor while paired with a new partner, Bradley Jackson, a field reporter whose series of impulsive decisions increasingly threatens the network.

In the second season, the network CEO attempts to convince Alex to return to TMS as the COVID-19 pandemic engulfs the United States and the show itself. Meanwhile, Bradley deals with an identity crisis.

In the third season, the network struggles for viewers for its subscription service and contemplates a takeover by tech titan Paul Marks.

Cast and characters

Main

* Jennifer Aniston as Alexandra "Alex" Levy, co-host of UBA's ''TMS''
* Reese Witherspoon as Bradley Jackson, former ''TMS'' co-host and news anchor at UBA
* Billy Crudup as Cory Ellison, CEO of UBA
* Mark Duplass as Charlie "Chip" Black, executive producer of ''TMS''
* Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Hannah Shoenfeld (season 1), talent booker for ''TMS''
* Néstor Carbonell as Yanko Flores, the meteorologist of ''TMS''
* Karen Pittman as Mia Jordan, a producer at ''TMS''
* Bel Powley as Claire Conway (seasons 1–2), a production assistant at ''TMS''
* Desean Terry as Daniel Henderson (seasons 1–2), co-host of the weekend edition of ''TMS''
* Jack Davenport as Jason Craig (season 1), Alex's ex-husband
* Steve Carell as Mitch Kessler (seasons 1–2), the recently fired co-host of ''The Morning Show''
* Greta Lee as Stella Bak (season 2–present), President of UBA's news division
* Ruairi O'Connor as Ty Fitzgerald (season 2), social media expert at UBA
* Julianna Margulies as Laura Peterson (season 2–3), YDA co-host and former news anchor at UBA who has a relationship with Bradley
* Nicole Beharie as Christine Hunter (season 3–present), a former Olympian and new TMS co-host
* Jon Hamm as Paul Marks (season 3), a tech billionaire who attempts to buy UBA
* Marion Cotillard as Celine Dumont (season 4), a savvy operator from a storied European family
* Jeremy Irons as Martin Levy (season 4), Alex's father
* Aaron Pierre as Miles (season 4)
* William Jackson Harper as Ben (season 4), the network's self-assured and innovative Head of Sports
* Boyd Holbrook as Brodie (season 4), a popular and provocative podcaster and talk show host

Recurring

* Shari Belafonte as Julia
* Victoria Tate as Rena Robinson, Chip's assistant
* Hannah Leder as Isabella
* Joe Marinelli as Donny Spagnoli
* Eli Bildner as Joel Rapkin
* Amber Friendly as Layla Bell
* Tom Irwin as Fred Micklen (seasons 1–2; guest season 3), UBA's president
* Joe Pacheco as Bart Daley
* Janina Gavankar as Alison Namazi (seasons 1–2), co-host of the weekend edition of ''TMS''
* Joe Tippett as Hal Jackson, Bradley's brother
* Michelle Meredith as Lindsey Sherman (seasons 1–2)
* Andrea Bendewald as Valérie (season 1; guest seasons 2–3)
* Marcia Gay Harden as Maggie Brener (season 1; guest seasons 2–3), a reporter and journalist
* Augustus Prew as Sean (season 1; guest season 2)
* Katherine Ko as Dhillon Reece-Smit (season 1)
* Ian Gomez as Greg (season 1)
* Oona Roche as Lizzy Craig (season 1; guest season 2), Alex and Jason's daughter
* David Magidoff as Nicky Brooks (season 1)
* Kate Vernon as Geneva Micklen (season 1)
* Roman Mitichyan as Sam Rudo (season 1)

* Theo Iyer as Kyle (seasons 2–3), Cory's assistant
* Choni Francis as RJ Smith (seasons 2–3)
* Tara Karsian as Gayle Berman (seasons 2–3)
* Holland Taylor as Cybil Reynolds (seasons 2–3), a seasoned board member of UBA
* Valeria Golino as Paola Lambruschini (season 2), a documentarian who befriends Mitch in Italy
* Markus Flanagan as Gerald Drummond (season 2; guest seasons 1, 3)
* Aflamu Johnson as Aflamu (season 2; guest season 3)
* Hasan Minhaj as Eric Nomani (season 2), Bradley's new co-host
* Patrick Bristow as Gordon (season 2)
* Katie Aselton as Madeleine (season 2), Chip's girlfriend

* Jack Conley as Earl (season 3; guest season 2)
* Tig Notaro as Amanda Robinson (season 3)
* Stephen Fry as Leonard Cromwell (season 3)
* Clive Standen as Andre Ford (season 3)
* Natalie Morales as Kate Danton (season 3)

Guest

* Mindy Kaling as Audra Khatri (seasons 1–3), a rival morning news anchor
* Embeth Davidtz as Paige Kessler (seasons 1–2), Mitch's ex-wife
* Mark Harelik as Richard (seasons 1–2)
* Martin Short as Dick Lundry (seasons 1–2), a disgraced movie director
* Will Arnett as Doug Klassen (seasons 2–3)
* Meredith Scott Lynn as Linda (seasons 2–3)

Season 1

* Adina Porter as Sarah Gravele
* Brett Butler as Sandy Jackson
* Philip Anthony-Rodriguez as Gabriel
* Fred Melamed as Neal Altman
* Ahna O'Reilly as Ashley Brown
* Natalia Warner as Cecily
* Andrew Leeds as Alan
* John Marshall Jones as Noah
* Zuri Hall as herself
* Kelly Clarkson as herself
* Kelly Sullivan as Vicki Manderly
* David Morse as Mr. Jackson
* Julian Morris as Andrew
* Cheyenne Jackson as himself
* Robert Cicchini as Robert
* Mike O'Malley as Tim Eavers
* Romy Rosemont as Sheila Lutkin
* Brian Bowen Smith as photographer
* Paul Guilfoyle as Reid
* Ethan Cohn as Jared
* Dana Davis as Christine
* Maria Sharapova as herself
* Hayes MacArthur as Marlon Tate

Season 2

* Dave Foley as Peter Bullard
* Kathy Najimy as Sylvia Portman
* James Urbaniak as Backstage Manager
* David Bowe as Clyde Canter
* Patrick Fabian as Jeff
* Foo Fighters as Themselves
* David Paymer as Mr. Shoenfeld
* Brian Stelter as Carl Richardson

Season 3

* Alano Miller as Marcus Hunter
* Maria Canals-Barrera as Mercedes
* Ilia Volok as Pavlo
* Andrew Patrick Ralston as Elmer
* Esther Perel as Herself
* June Diane Raphael as Eagle News Anchor
* Retta as Herself
* Fortune Feimster as Herself
* Brent Bailey as Zach
* Sasha Alexander as Salma
* T.V. Carpio as Emma
* Daniel Kash as Seth
* Samantha Sloyan as Cheryl
* Lindsay Duncan as Martha, Cory's mother
* Eyal Podell as Larry Pane
* Shannon Woodward as Jess Bennett
* Elizabeth Perkins as Elena Daniels
* Joanne Baron as Brenda Litchfield

Episodes

Season 1 (2019)

Season 2 (2021)

Season 3 (2023)

Season 4

Production

Development

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. 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. On July 11, 2018, it was reported that Mimi Leder would serve as a director and executive producer for the series. On October 23, 2018, it was reported that Kristin Hahn and Lauren Levy Neustadter would serve as additional executive producers for the series.

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.

The show cost $15 million per episode, with Aniston and Witherspoon each earning $2 million per episode, not including producing fees and ownership points. On January 10, 2022, Apple renewed the series for a third season.

On May 1, 2023, Apple renewed the series for a fourth season.

Casting

Alongside the initial series announcement, it was confirmed that Aniston and Witherspoon had been cast in the series' lead roles. In October 2018, it was announced that Steve Carell, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Billy Crudup, Néstor Carbonell and Mark Duplass had been cast in series regular roles. On November 7, 2018, it was reported that Bel Powley, Karen Pittman, and Desean Terry had joined the main cast of the series.

On October 9, 2020, Greta Lee and Ruairi O'Connor officially joined the second season as regular characters. On November 13, 2020, Hasan Minhaj was also announced as a new cast member. On December 3, 2020, Julianna Margulies announced she joined the second season of the series. In August 2022, it was announced that Jon Hamm and Nicole Beharie had joined the main cast for the third season, with Tig Notaro joining in a recurring role.

Filming

Principal photography for the first season commenced on October 31, 2018, at the James Oviatt Building in Los Angeles. Filming continued in Los Angeles until filming started in New York City on May 9, 2019. Production on the first season also concluded that May, after seven months of filming.

Production on the second season began on February 24, 2020. On March 12, 2020, Apple TV+ halted production on the series due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The second season resumed filming on October 19, 2020. Between February and March 2021, Steve Carell, Jennifer Aniston, Mark Duplass, and Hannah Leder were spotted in Los Angeles filming the second season. On May 18, 2021, filming for season two concluded.

Production on the third season began on August 16, 2022, and it was announced on February 11, 2023, that the season's filming had wrapped up.

Production on the fourth season began on July 8, 2024, and wrapped on December 5, 2024.

Release

After the Apple Special Event of March 25, 2019, Witherspoon announced on Instagram that the series would premiere in the fall of 2019. It premiered on Apple TV+ on November 1, 2019. In January 2021, Apple announced that the second season would premiere in 2021. The second season premiered on September 17, 2021. The third season premiered on September 13, 2023. On May 28, 2025, it was announced that the fourth season is slated to premiere on September 17, 2025.

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+. Furthermore, Aniston, Witherspoon, and Carell were at the event to promote the series. On August 12, 2019, Apple released a first look trailer for the series. 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.

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes it received an overall score of 67%, and an overall score of 62 on Metacritic.

For first season of ''The Morning Show'', the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 61% approval rating, based on 106 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Flashy, but somewhat frivolous, ''The Morning Show'' often feels more like a vanity project than the hard-hitting drama it aspires to be—but there is pleasure to be had in watching Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon give it their all." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 61 out of 100 based on reviews from 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

The second season of the series received a 67% from Rotten Tomatoes based on 51 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "''The Morning Shows second season has a slew of stupendous performances—but too many characters attempting to address too many hot-button issues makes it hard to know what any of them are actually trying to say." At Metacritic, the website gave the second season a 60 out of 100, based on 25 reviews.

The third season of the series received a 75% from Rotten Tomatoes based on 93 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Leaning into its soapier elements while bolstering an already star-studded cast with some welcome additions, ''The Morning Show'' upgrades from a shaky prestige program into an addictive guilty pleasure." At Metacritic, the website gave the third season a 65 out of 100, based on 30 reviews.

Richard Roeper of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' gave a positive review and wrote: "''The Morning Show'' doesn't have the cinematic gravitas of the Showtime series '' The Loudest Voice'' or the Aaron Sorkin poetry of HBO's '' The Newsroom''. It's more along the lines of the solid but underachieving '' Sports Night'' TV series from the late 1990s."

Audience viewership

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. The series became the second-most watched Apple TV+ series after ''Ted Lasso''.

In December 2023, Deadline reported after the third season was released, the show became Apple TV+'s most watched series.

Accolades

Notes

References

External links

* – official site
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morning Show (American TV series), The
2019 American television series debuts
2010s American workplace drama television series
2020s American workplace drama television series
2010s American satirical television series
2020s American satirical television series
2010s American LGBTQ-related drama television series
2020s American LGBTQ-related drama television series
American English-language television shows
Serial drama television series
Television series about journalism
Television series about television
Television shows about the COVID-19 pandemic
Apple TV+ original programming
Television productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Television shows based on non-fiction books