The Morning Show Review: A Basic Cup of Coffee in a Fancy Mug

To add a little bit of energy to this review of the first three episodes of Apple TV+’s star-studded flagship series The Morning Show, I’m going to use the metaphor of the cup of coffee most of us drink while watching morning news programs. 

It’s a perfectly fine cup; cream and a little bit of sugar if you want it. Exactly what you expect and nothing more. 

That’s disappointing news to report with the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell at the helm, and considering this is the series Apple has put at the front of the line when introducing Apple TV+.

We deserve an extraordinary cup of coffee. 

Aniston as Alex Levy shines brightest, probably because she’s meant to. She’s the famous woman when the story begins. 

Alex’s co-star Mitch Kessler (Carell) is fired because of sexual assault allegations at the beginning of the series, setting the show-within-the-show up to navigate the crisis post-Harvey Weinstein.

Suddenly, Alex’s career is in jeopardy along with the fate of The Morning Show, but she and Aniston barely miss a beat when it counts. 

Unfortunately for viewers, Alex is rich and cold, so it’s hard to root for her. Aniston is doing her job well. 

In fact, everyone is doing their jobs well enough. So, my general apathy makes it clear to me that the show’s biggest problem is in the scripts. 

The show has had its well-documented behind-the-scenes growing pains. Jay Carson was replaced as showrunner by Kerry Ehrin and only has creator credit.

Perhaps the change in leadership is the reason that the first few episodes are such a bland experience. I’ve only seen the three episodes made available to the media. By the end of The Morning Show Season 1 Episode 3, things seem to be heading in an interesting direction — but I’m not confident enough to use the word exciting. 

I’ve been looking forward to going on this ride since The Morning Show was announced, plus this show is part of a streaming network launch — they should be striving for more than bland. 

If the show borrowed less from real-life scandals and more from imagination, it would be more successful. 

We’ve already lived through Matt Lauer’s demise. No matter what the party line is about the inspiration for the show, it conveniently includes specific details like the button that closes the door from Mitch’s desk. 

Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson is at least rough around the edges, so she’s easier to root for than Alex, but she’s not much more likable. 

Plus, the journey that takes her to The Morning Show is hard to believe.

She’s a conservative-leaning independent reporter who publicly loses it in part over the fate of a coal mine. The 15 minutes of fame she earns on Twitter are extended mostly thanks to the timing of Mitch’s scandal. 

The issue that sets Bradley’s journey in motion may seem like a small detail. But it’s indicative of The Morning Show‘s biggest problem — it never chooses to be polarizing. 

It wants to tell every side of every story, but it’s a TV show about a news program, not an actual news program. 

One guy is in the middle of all three stories, The Morning Show executive producer Charlie “Chip” Black (Mark Duplass).

Chip makes more money than I do, but I would not want to trade places with him. 

He’s everyone’s punching bag. From Alex to Mitch to network executive Cory Ellison — and he’s just trying to keep his show afloat and stay sane while doing so.  

Chip, I can root for. But whether he’ll make it to the end of the season with his emotional health intact is up for debate. 

There is nothing wrong with the acting on The Morning Show. But it’s unclear whether that’s going to be enough to keep the TV show, or the news program within it, on the public’s mind for very long. 

We can only survive on decent coffee for so long. Hopefully, there’s a hidden blend that works well somewhere in Season 1. But we’ll just have to wait and see. Nothing extraordinary comes from begging. 

Are you excited to watch The Morning Show? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Morning Show is available to stream November 1 on Apple TV+.

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