After an almost two-year hiatus, “The Morning Show” made a triumphant return this week with a cosmic twist, leaving viewers with mixed feelings about the new direction under the stewardship of the show’s new producer, Charlotte Stoudt.
The second season’s events unfolded amid the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Jennifer Aniston’s character, Alex, contracted the virus after traveling to Italy to visit Steve Carell’s character, Mitch, who has since passed away. Meanwhile, Reese Witherspoon’s character, Bradley, was on a quest to find her missing brother.
Fast forward to the third season, which kicks off two years later in 2022, with the pandemic in the rearview mirror. The season opener introduced a new A-list addition to the cast, Jon Hamm, who portrays a billionaire named Paul Marks, bearing a striking resemblance to real-life entrepreneur Elon Musk in some aspects.
One commonality between the two is their fascination with space exploration. In light of UBA, the central news organization in the series, facing financial difficulties, Paul extends a staggering $40 billion offer to buy the company. In a surprising turn, Alex agrees to accompany him on his rocket ship into space as part of the deal.
However, the storyline takes an unexpected twist when Alex decides to chase a major news story, leaving Bradley to step into her shoes as a passenger on the rocket alongside Billy Crudup’s character, Cory, and Paul. This shift towards a space adventure is further emphasized by the fact that Mimi Leder, the episode’s director and series executive producer, had previously directed the 1998 sci-fi drama “Deep Impact,” which also featured a space journey.
As the episode unfolds, a successful trip to space encounters complications with the live camera feed, leading into the second episode. This episode involves a cyberattack on the station, resulting in the leaking of personal emails and texts from station employees. Notably, one of these leaks exposes Bradley’s affair with Julianna Margulies’ character, Laura.
This shift in the show’s focus, from workplace sexual harassment (centered around Steve Carell’s character in the earlier seasons) and the global pandemic, to space travel and a mid-2000s-style cyberattack, has generated a range of reactions from viewers on social media. Some viewers are in awe of the unexpected turn of events, while others wholeheartedly embrace the new direction. However, there are those who express concerns that the storyline may be veering into the realm of unrealistic or cheesy.
The third season of “The Morning Show” will continue to release episodes weekly on AppleTV+, concluding with the tenth episode on November 8. Earlier this year, the series was renewed for a fourth season, indicating a continued journey for the show’s evolving narrative.
