Millions of Americans have at one point in their lives started their day by getting their hot cup of coffee, turning on the TV, and staring sleepy-eyed at bubbly, bright-eyed correspondents talking about the weather on any number of morning talk shows. The new Apple TV series, THE MORNING SHOW, offers a dramatized account of the behind the scenes lives of those hyper-caffeinated personalities, and the very first teaser features the voices of stars Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell as they discuss the very serious issues behind 6 a.m. journalism.
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Though the actors are not seen in character, we hear them as the camera moves around various parts of the set, cutting from makeup rooms, wardrobe areas and all the way to the fancy set. All three actors are heard sending out sound bites, like Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson saying, “I just deliver the news to America; that’s all I ever wanted to do,” and Carell as Mitch Kessler, “I can feel the people are screaming for an honest conversation.”
Loosely based on the Brian Stelter book, “Top of the Morning,” the series marks the return to TV for both Aniston and Carell, who haven’t had major roles on shows since their days on FRIENDS and THE OFFICE. Apple seems confident in their series – which marks one of the first for their soon-to-be-launched service – as it was signed for a two-season order out of the gate back in 2017 (via Deadline). Directed by Mimi Leder, the series also stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Billy Crudup, Néstor Carbonell, Mark Duplass, Bel Powley and Karen Pittman.
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Given the talent on all sides of the camera, this is certainly one to keep an eye out for on concept alone. That being said, I will have to see a lot more of this before I feel prepared to subscribe to another streaming service. Disney will be unveiling their own service this year, and then there's the matter of all other new channels, like Criterion Channel, HBO GO/NOW, and the new service from Warner Bros. On top of current champs like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, there are just so many impending services that each one will have to really be stepping it up to validate why we should all be paying.
THE MORNING SHOW hits Apple TV this fall.