The Morning Show is a ten-episode series produced by Apple TV which casts Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell. It was inspired by Brian Stelter's book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV and starts with a sexual misconduct scandal involving the lead anchorman of a morning broadcast show in Manhattan.
The genius in this series lies within the layering of the characters. The writers have done a terrific job in reflecting human complexity, and in showing the many facets of their lives, those meant for the world and those that are private.
Jennifer Aniston plays Alex Levy, the co-host of The Morning Show together with her colleague Mitch Kessler, played by Steve Carell. Alex finds herself at a loss when she suddenly hears of the scandal and must face the absence of Kessler by her side. During this time, she must also make herself essential to the network to avoid being fired for turning a blind-eye on the matter.
One of the most interesting themes in the plot is the level of involvement and responsibility each character faces and how they come to view things differently once the scandal comes out in the open.
For the character of Mitch Kessler, it comes as a shock to have woken up one day to find out that the rules of the game had changed. It is only with tragedy that he comes to realize the consequences of his actions and chooses to self-isolate. A staggering scene is when he tries to detach himself from other sexual predators like the character played by Martin Short.
As for Reese Witherspoon's character, Bradley Jackson, she comes as a breath of fresh air in the show and a fighter and truth-teller who seeks to bring the facts to her audience no matter the consequences, without falling short on her brilliant performance.
A thrilling series worth binging, The Morning Show comes at a time where the MeToo movement has changed the world. It will serve as a stepping stone into future shows that seek to report misconducts that were perceived as unimportant and were dismissed in the past. An insight into an industry that is still adjusting to the biggest earthquake of its history.
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