The Morning Show has always sought to keep its finger on the pulse and integrate the most pressing topics that real news anchors would be covering. Launching as one of Apple TV+’s flagship shows back in 2019, the first season tackled the #MeToo movement and sexism in the workplace, the second took on COVID and homophobia, and the third touched on everything from racism and January 6th to abortion and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Also, Bradley (Reese Witherspoon) went to outer space with billionaire Paul Marks (John Hamm). You have to respect a show that insists on getting more unhinged every season, and The Morning Show Season 4 reaches And Just Like That levels of mess. Which is to say, if you’re craving sleek soap and don’t mind suspending disbelief, you’ll probably have a pretty good time. If you’re looking for The Morning Show to offer substantive, insightful commentary on social issues and global politics, you’re going to want to bang your head against a wall.
What Is ‘The Morning Show’ Season 4 About?

Reese Witherspoon as Bradley Jackson and Mark Duplass as Chip Black in The Morning Show Season 4
Image via Apple TV+

The Morning Show Season 4 picks up nearly two years after the explosive Season 3 finale, which saw Bradley turn herself in to the FBI for covering up her brother Hal’s (Joe Tippett) involvement in the insurrection. She’s in West Virginia, where she’s teaching at a community college and being monitored by the feds, but honestly, she seems to be doing pretty well. However, when she gets an anonymous tip that the network has covered up an environmental crisis, she finds herself pulled back into the fray — and takes Chip (Mark Duplass) with her. The timing couldn’t be more perfect, as Stella (Greta Lee) and Mia (Karen Pittman) simultaneously decide they need a red-state-friendly face on The Morning Show again. Alex’s outlook looked a little sunnier at the end of Season 3, as she proved herself by pitching a merger between UBA and NBN. Though she did have to betray her boyfriend (the aforementioned space billionaire) in the process, and she’s clearly still not entirely over the breakup. Oh, and they acquired an obnoxious right-wing podcaster named Bro Hartman (Boyd Holbrook), who incessantly flirts with Alex. To make matters even more complicated, she finds herself in hot water with the government after helping an Iranian Olympian and her father defect from Iran, as well as her critical law professor father (Jeremy Irons) after contributing to an unflattering story about him. Because this is The Morning Show, there are about a billion other storylines at play as well. Stella, now CEO, is struggling to juggle her affair with board president Celine’s (a delightfully ruthless Marion Cotillard) husband, Miles (Aaron Pierre), and get UBN’s controversial AI tools up and running in time for the Olympics. Mia is growing frustrated that she hasn’t been promoted to the head of the news division yet, despite being promised the position. Chris (Nicole Beharie) is trying to balance motherhood, her career, and capitalizing on her status as a gold medalist as Paris approaches. After being canceled, Cory (Billy Crudup) is off in LA working in movies, and Yanko (Nestor Carbonell) is considering proposing to his girlfriend. Frustratingly, several episodes go by without the series touching on these subplots because there’s simply too much to explore every week.
Alex and Bradley Shouldn’t Be the Leads of ‘The Morning Show’ Anymore

Jennifer Aniston as Alex Levy in The Morning Show Season 4
Image via Apple TV+

It’s truly baffling that The Morning Show is at its weakest when focusing on its two leads, but Alex and Bradley’s arcs are by far the most nonsensical and uninteresting. The Iranian defection and environmental cover-up storylines both feel like bizarre choices, made more out of convenience to fulfill a buzzword quota than anything. While a lot of time is spent on each of these plots, the show never delves into either topic particularly deeply. Alex and Bradley’s specific emotional connections to the causes are never quite clear, either, which lends a sense of randomness and inauthenticity. It’s difficult to find the stakes. The romantic direction the show also goes in with Aniston and Witherspoon’s characters is downright insulting. The fact that the show seems to seriously want its audience to invest in these new couples without offering any real nuance or critique about the toxic and borderline dangerous behavior embedded in them is particularly disappointing, considering the show’s roots in grappling with the #MeToo movement. While every character is problematic in their own way, the entire point is that they all lie, cheat, blackmail, extort, backstab, etc. I have no problem with that! In fact, I love a complex, morally grey character and can even get behind “problematic” ships. But instead of being fun and juicy, these flings end up feeling vaguely depressing and like a massive disservice to Alex and Bradley as characters. The fact that we rarely get the two of them interacting in any meaningful way is salt in the wound. The show tries to give Aniston something meaty to work with when it comes to the relationship with her father, but the writing is so unsubtle and predictable that not even its powerhouse performers can save it. And don’t even get me started on the Cory Goes to Hollywood storyline, which is essentially just a duller, blander version of The Studio. You’ve already done this, Apple TV+ — and you’ve done it much, much better.
Greta Lee and Karen Pittman Are the Standouts of ‘The Morning Show’ Season 4

Stella and Mia were the standouts of Season 3, and they continue to be the most compelling characters in Season 4, thanks in no small part to the performances behind them. Even when Stella’s storyline gets a bit corny (and believe me, around the mid-season mark, things veer into rather ridiculous territory), Lee somehow manages to effectively sell it. Stella is now on top, but she’s also on the verge of self-sabotage. The season does a nice job showing her desperately clinging to the power she fought so hard to get — and grappling with what she had to do to get there, including her less-than-stellar treatment of Mia. Speaking of Mia, she just might be the MVP of the entire season as she fully realizes her worth, finds her power, and takes control of her destiny. Arguably the most competent character in the entire show, Pittman plays her with an irresistible blend of fed-up determination, well-earned confidence, and disarming humility. I found myself excited every time she appeared onscreen and thrilled that the series finally gives her the spotlight she has always deserved. Lee and Pittman have a delicious chemistry, playing off each other exceptionally well and helping to fill the void that the lack of focus on Alex and Bradley’s dynamic left behind. Stella and Mia can empathize with and see through one another in a way nobody else can, which makes them powerful allies and lethal enemies, though the love and respect at the core of their relationship is refreshing and beautiful. Pittman and Beharie’s dynamic is rich as well, though Chris’ storyline this season — while it has its satisfying moments — feels a little sloppily thrown together. The Morning Show has always been a mixed, overstuffed bag, combining riveting and genuinely moving moments with choices so absurd you have to wonder how they were ever greenlit, and Season 4 is no different. While Alex and Bradley’s arcs suffer, and Cory feels like he’s overstayed his welcome despite Crudup’s natural charm and undeniable charisma, Stella and Mia shine, and Celine and Miles are interesting enough to justify their addition to an already too-packed cast. I was rarely particularly impressed by The Morning Show Season 4, but I was also definitely never bored. Sometimes, that’s enough.