TV Review: The Morning Show

October 31st 2019, 12:00pm

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

PLOT: After her longtime co-host is accused of sexual misconduct, a veteran morning show host (Jennifer Aniston) fights to secure her position despite network interference. Along the way, she finds a potential ally/ adversary in a combative journalist (Reese Witherspoon) whose latest outburst has gone viral.

REVIEW: “The Morning Show” is Apple TV +’s big entrée into premium, awards-calibre drama. It didn’t come cheap, with a rumored $15 million an hour budget – making it one of the most expensive TV shows of all time. Clearly, no expense had been spared, with them luring Jennifer Aniston back to TV for the first time since “Friends”, getting Reese Witherspoon to make it her follow-up to “Big Little Lies”, and filling its supporting cast with actors who are big enough to carry their own series, including Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Billy Crudup and Mark Duplass. They even roped in Steve Carell for what’s (apparently) a one-season arc. If you earned Emmy’s based on how much you spend, “The Morning Show” would be a front runner.

While the early reviews have been largely brutal, the fact is “The Morning Show” isn’t bad. Far from it. It’s just not what it arguably should be, although let's not forget, one of the best shows currently on TV, “Succession”, took about half a season to kick into high gear. This happens with episodic TV more than people seem to think. However, as it stands it can’t be denied that “The Morning Show” is suffering from an uneven tone and writing that seeks to tackle hot button issues, but does so without any edge whatsoever. Everyone will be buzzing about how Steve Carell is playing a version of Matt Lauer, but so far, he’s nowhere near as toxic. He’s a scumbag in a very ordinary way here, although to be sure it’s not a nuanced portrayal, with his reaction to his downfall being one of rage at the way he perceives himself as being persecuted, which is wearing thin. If he’s this loathsome, then why is he a lead?

Of everyone, this seems to be Aniston’s show, with even Witherspoon taking something of a backseat in the early episodes, although Apple only made a few episodes available for review. She’s well cast as the veteran morning show host, and it wouldn’t be hard to imagine someone like her having possibly excelled as a talk show host had her career gone a different route. Her dramatic chops are rock solid here, although, at least in the early episodes, you never really get a sense of what makes her tick. Witherspoon is playing a sharp-tongued, occasionally abrasive journalist, and is well cast, although so far the role feels a little thin compared to her other recent work, like “Big Little Lies” and WILD. Her big moment, where she dressed down a violent protestor at a demonstration, feels way too overwritten to be an off-the-cuff rant, like imitation Aaron Sorkin.

Another major issue is how two-dimensional the supporting cast is so far, with heavyweight talents being wasted in inconsequential roles. Mark Duplass is the two-faced producer who’s easily cowed by network brass and not at all an ally to either female lead, making him seem like a red herring about to happen (surely he’d be somewhat conflicted about the network’s plan to throw Aniston under the bus once her contract is up?). Billy Crudup fares better because at least he’s playing a guy who’s not trying to be anything other than a snake, and if any of the male cast is going to make an impression here, it’ll be him.

Worst of all though is the way “The Morning Show” utterly wastes the talents of two of their supporting actresses, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Bel Powley. Mbatha-Raw deserves her show at this point and having her play fifth or sixth fiddle to Aniston/Witherspoon/Carell/Crudup and even Duplass feels like a cheat. She’s the slick content booker who, so far, has had so little development you wonder why someone of her caliber was pursued in the first place, as anyone could have played it. The same goes for Powley, the star of THE DIARY OF A TEENAGED GIRL, who is virtually playing a bit part, although at least a potential story line with Nestor Carbonelli’s dim weatherman is being teased.

All that said, I’m still somewhat compelled to watch “The Morning Show” because, while it’s not very good at this point, I believe it could easily turn around and become rock solid once it finds its footing. Certainly, there’s enough talent on the screen to make something worthwhile, but it needs sharper writing, with less pussyfooting around heavy-duty subjects like #MeToo. It feels like Apple is trying to make “The Morning Show” safe, but the fact is, very little really good TV is safe.