HOLLYWOOD─Many people who know me are well aware the notion of me binge-watching any show is a rare occasion. Why? I just don’t have the time, and if I do have the time it has to be for a series that is so damn good from the start I want to see how the rest of the season plays out. That is what I was treated with while watching the Apple TV series “The Morning Show.” Look for someone who works in the journalism field, you have an idea of how things operate behind the camera, but the way this series captures that mayhem, it is so much fun.
I mean we have some serious star power, and it doesn’t hurt that the series is tackling a major issue in light of the #MeToo Movement to address sexual harassment in the workplace. We have Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell, Reese Witherspoon and Billy Crudup, in very layered, iconic and exceptional roles. Carell is known as a comedy God, but this guy certainly can deliver drama that I don’t think many people ever expected from the guy. As the fallen anchor of one of TV’s popular morning shows, we’re seeing his truths come to light and how he isn’t afraid to call a spade a spade.
What can I say about Aniston? This woman is known for playing America’s sweetheart and the girl next door, so when she tackles a role like Alex Levy, she gets to show her dramatic chops more, drop a few expletives and give us an Aniston we’ve never seen before it’s a ton of fun to watch. Dare I say she plays the character of a b**ch quite well? On the flipside, we have her counterpart played by Reese Witherspoon.
She seems perfect on the outside, but don’t’ cross Bradley Jackson people. She is not afraid to go toe-to-toe with a veteran and to allow her mind to be spoken regardless of the consequences. Witherspoon is that actress who has such a level of versatility that it’s awesome to watch on the small screen versus the big screen, where a layered character can be extracted week to week.
There is also Crudup, who plays Cory Ellison, the corporate honcho who has the wheel for the network at his helm and does WHAT HE wants to ensure the show and the network success. The great thing about “The Morning Show” is that every single player has an angle; everyone wants something and some are willing to go to extreme or excessive lengths to get what they strive for. Cory wants Bradley next to Alex; Alex wants to be able to make that decision herself. There is a game of politics unfolding before our eyes, where it’s obvious there will be winners, there will be losers and when the dust settles it will be a whole new playing field.
Yes, you can make arguments that there is some level of predictability and irony with watching “The Morning Show,” but it’s only a slight glimpse of some of the actual mayhem that some of us can predict actually happened behind the scenes with disgraced “Today” show host Matt Lauer. Am I arguing that Mitch Kessler is a slice of Lauer, not quite, but the mechanisms in place hint at a popular morning host, that’s all I can say?
This first season had a lot of meaty material that just kept me intrigued week after week wondering what will happen next? Now that fans now a season 2 is on the way, I can only imagine what other chaos unfolds after the bombshells that were dropped during the series’ first season finale.
