It was back in 2019 when audiences were first introduced to The Morning Show on Apple TV+, and now three seasons later, this popular drama series has evolved into something truly groundbreaking.
Starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, Hello Sunshine’s The Morning Show has unapologetically brought to light the inner-workings of the television news business, corporate greed, sexual misconduct, and so much more. Now with new episodes from its third season available to stream, The Morning Show continues to effectively address real issues and major news events that have shaped our world lately, including American politics and the ongoing debate over female reproductive rights, through its impeccable writing and its rather unrivaled group of powerhouse actors.
In season two, The Morning Show showcased how a television news division and its entire production team learned to pivot during the Covid-19 pandemic. This season, much of the story focuses around a big tech billionaire and leader in space exploration (played by a perfectly cast Jon Hamm) showing interest in buying the fictional media company, UBA. Though Hamm’s character Paul Marks is far more charming and personable than Elon Musk, the intentional comparison to the X/Twitter, SpaceX and Tesla corporate titan is indisputable.
Aniston and Witherspoon continue to command every scene they are in as the outspoken news leaders Alex Levy and Bradley Jackson, but the beauty surrounding season three is that the series feels even more like a true ensemble storytelling than ever before. Yes, the actors Billy Crudup and Mark Duplass return with more of their excellent performances, but it is the other female actors on The Morning Show this season that get their time to really shine, with even more thoughtful and central storylines.
Karen Pittman, who is currently doing “double-duty” while starring on the And Just Like That series on Max, returns as morning show producer Mia Jordan. Though she often captivated the screen during the first two seasons, the story arc that her character receives in this third season allows Pittman to really showcase the incredible range that she embodies as an actor, which will allow The Morning Show viewers to better understand who and why Mia is the way that she is.
Greta Lee continues to play Stella Bak, a network leader at UBA. This season, her character experiences even more of the pressures of being in her executive-level position and having to professionally maneuver around “the boys club” business dealings that still exist, in order to land the deal and get the job done on her own. Coming off of the success of her starring performance in the critically-acclaimed A24 film Past Lives, Lee continues to show us all that she is one to watch in Hollywood right now.
Julianna Margulies returns as veteran news personality Laura Peterson, who is also an off-and-on love interest with Witherspoon’s character. What Margulies continues to provide to this series and these storylines as Laura is a real sanity check for viewers, amongst much of the chaos that surrounds the lives of these high-profile characters. Known previously for her starring roles on The Good Wife and ER, Margulies brings an elevated level of class and a sincere vulnerability to The Morning Show, playing a quite fascinating character who refreshingly knows exactly who she is.
The most intriguing addition to this evolving The Morning Show cast is Nicole Beharie in season three. Perhaps known to many for her praised performance on the series Sleepy Hollow, Beharie now plays Christina Hunter, Olympic gold medalist-turned-rising media star at UBA. As the new season plays out, Christina is forced to deal with and confront head-on the the types of racism still occurring within the modern workplace. Beharie shines in performing her character’s greatest strengths, her setbacks and everything in-between.
The most fascinating part of Aniston and Witherspoon continuing to lead this impressive cast of actors, not just on-camera but as executive producers as well, is that as much as we have come to know these Hollywood stars over the past few decades, they both continue to surprise us with the depths they can and are willing to go in becoming Alex and Bradley, to tell these important stories with a strong sense of authenticity.
In season three, expect The Morning Show to tell even more gripping stories surrounding the Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and other impactful world news. When some series begin to lack originality and the element of surprise a few seasons in, The Morning Show has found a way to keep its overall narrative feeling fresh and purposeful, which is why it remains one of the boldest series on television today.
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