Over the course of three seasons spread over six years, the star-studded, glossy, addictively entertaining albeit extravagantly logic-bending Apple TV+ prestige vehicle “The Morning Show” has been mostly successful in ping-ponging between substantive commentary on real-world issues and events such as the #MeToo movement, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Roe v. Wade overturn and the January 6th attack on the Capitol—and sudsy melodrama about rules-breaking journalists who become the news far too often. As someone who has co-anchored a morning TV show in Chicago and has spent more than a few years as a contributor to other news/information programs (not to mention a certain movie review show), I’ve been thoroughly entertained by the juicy performances and the glam settings and the cliffhanger plot developments. Even when there are times when the series is no more realistic about network television than “WKRP in Cincinnati” was about local Top 40 rock radio.
Season 4 of “The Morning Show” sees a couple of Oscar winners (Jeremy Irons and Marion Cotillard) joining an enormously talented, if sometimes overcrowded, cast, led by linchpins Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, and Billy Crudup. As always, it’s a visually arresting show, with great-looking characters forever stepping out on wraparound balconies with breathtaking views of Manhattan, and expensive-looking set pieces involving a large-scale protest on the streets of New York City, as well as some exquisitely choreographed cloak-and-dagger stuff transpiring during a Puccini opera recital. Alas, by the time we get to that latter sequence, “TMS” has taken so many ludicrous and often ham-handed turns that the entire vehicle has flown off a cliff. It’s only a matter of time before the whole thing comes crashing down in a heap of self-important nonsense.
The problems for Season 4 begin with the way Season 3 ended, effectively sending the three main characters and one major guest star in separate directions. When we last saw Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson, she was about to come clean with the feds about covering up her brother’s assault on a police officer during the Capitol riots. Crudup’s Cory Ellison was seeing his time as UBA network’s CEO come to an end. At the same time, Aniston’s Alex Levy had double-crossed her billionaire tech boyfriend, Paul Marks (Jon Hamm), by engineering a deal where UBA would merge with rival network NBN. Cut to two years later, and all four have indeed gone their separate ways—so how do we get Bradley, Alex, Cory, and even Paul back in each other’s lives? Through a series of hastily developed plot machinations that feel utterly contrived. (They also found a way to have Mark Duplass’ passionate producer Chip Black return to the action. Duplass is once again electric as the closest thing to a moral compass in this ethical shark tank.)
Season 4 is set in late spring/early summer of 2024. The upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris are an early focal point, with UBA pinning its financial hopes on its coverage of the Games, which will include a major AI component. (Timely!) It’s another example of “The Morning Show” tapping into real-world events as dramatic source material—but curiously enough, there is almost zero mention of the 2024 presidential election, which, of course, was the story of that summer. The premiere episode centers on an international incident in which Alex once again finds herself on the other side of the news—but that story thread is pushed to the side in subsequent chapters, which focus on quandaries in which various characters make some truly dubious choices when it comes to steamy hookups and long-term affairs, bend journalistic ethics, and break the law. (“Do I need to recuse myself from [a particular story]?” Bradley asks Alex at one point, and I all but screamed, “YES, BRADLEY. YES YOU DO.”)
The sublime Marion Cotillard is all withering glances and backroom dealings as one Celine Dumont (sounds like a Marx Brothers foil), a scion of a prominent European family dynasty who has become president of the UBA board and is scheming for even more power. To its credit, “TMS” shines a spotlight on the unique difficulties faced by a number of female minority characters, including Greta Lee’s Stella Bak, president of the UBA News Division; Karen Pittman’s Mia Jordan, the producer who keeps bumping up against the glass ceiling; and Nicole Beharie’s Christina Hunter, the former Olympic gold medalist turned rising star anchor. (All three actors are outstanding, knocking it out of the park in their respective showcase moments.“The Morning Show” is BIG on emotionally charged, often confessional monologues.)
In a subplot that seems designed primarily to provide material for Emmy reels, the great Irons parachutes in as Alex’s estranged father, an esteemed law school lecturer who has never bothered to hide his disappointment in her career choices. This does lead to one magnificent scene where she has it out with her father, though it has little to do with the pressing matters at hand.
Then there’s Boyd Holbrook’s Brodie “Bro” Harman, a hugely popular podcaster/live streamer who is part of the UBA-UBN merger, much to Alex’s dismay. He’s a writer’s room combo/platter of Joe Rogan and Alex Jones, e.g., “The American sperm count’s dropping faster than Biden’s poll numbers. That’s why you need to head over to my website and order a tub of Bro Greens. My own personal daily supplement to get those T levels on track, to get you back in the sack.” Time and again, when “Bro” says something outrageous, Alex stomps her feet and curses him out. Ooooh, he’s the worst! This guy might have been an edgy character…in 2015.
Crudup continues to shine in a career-highlight role as Cory, arguably the most complex and interesting character on the series. Aniston and Witherspoon are excellent actors, but it almost comes across as if they share our feeling that Alex and Bradley are no longer particularly fresh and challenging roles, and have possibly been played out. Just prior to the premiere episode of Season 4, Apple TV+ announced that “The Morning Show” will be renewed for a fifth season, and I’m all for that. Here’s hoping everybody regroups, takes one big last swing, and figures out a way to sunset the series on an uptick.
Season 4 of “The Morning Show” premieres September 17th on Apple TV+. Nine of 10 episodes were made available for review.
