The Morning Show starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon came out in 2019, and the show didn’t gain too much attention before its release especially since people believed it would shy away from addressing controversial topics. These days, Hollywood tries to incorporate themes from the real world possibly to help educate the masses regarding certain touchy subjects.
However, the assumptions about The Morning Show were laid to rest when the cast and crew addressed what the series would be based on during a press conference. It turns out, that the series wasn’t necessarily supposed to portray the storyline that we all know of, but real-world issues ended up redirecting the story’s entire trajectory.
The Me Too movement inspired a major change in Jennifer Aniston’s The Morning Show
While rumors regarding The Morning Show shying away from real-world issues flooded the internet ahead of its release, the Me Too movement took the industry by storm. The movement protested against se*ual harassment, assault, and abuse in the workplace particularly.
The Morning Show, whose storyline primarily focuses on these issues was initially supposed to be based around the intricacies of New York’s media and morning talk shows with the writers keeping relatively family-friendly. But things changed after the Me Too movement conspired.
During a press conference ahead of the show’s release, Jennifer Aniston along with Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell, producers Kerry Ehrin, Michael Ellenberg, and director Mimi Leder took some time to address the themes the show would follow. According to Indie Wire, Aniston said,
The show existed before #MeToo happened. The show was always going to be pulling a curtain [back] on the New York media world and the morning talk shows. Once #MeToo happened, the conversation drastically changed and we just incorporated it.
Aniston also added that the crew wanted the show to be “raw, honest, vulnerable, messy, and not black-and-white,” and evidently, the last-minute change ultimately helped engage a larger audience. Unfortunately, the original showrunner, Jimmy Carson left citing creative differences shortly after the Me Too movement unfolded.
The Morning Show will return for Season 4 thanks to its overwhelming success
Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon ought to be proud of the work they’ve put into delivering an impactful story on The Morning Show. The Apple TV+ series proudly boasts an impressive 8.2/10 rating on IMDb and an above-average 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
According to ELLE, Apple announced the renewal of the show in April 2023 and that production only began in July 2024. Aniston also shared a post on Instagram updating fans on Season 4’s progress as well.
It was stated that The Morning Show will feature most of its main cast including Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Greta Lee, and Nicole Beharie along with its two main leads, Aniston and Witherspoon. But Julianna Margulies won’t be returning as Witherspoon’s on-screen love interest.
Unfortunately, there isn’t any major indication as to where to show will pick up from what conspired during Season 3. However, Charlotte Stoudt (showrunner) suggests that fans should expect a massive time jump, again (via ELLE).
The Morning Show can be streamed on Apple TV+.
