The first trailer for Apple’s upcoming original series starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston was released Monday.
“The Morning Show” series is as close as we’ll probably get to an actual talk show hosted by the duo — though who wouldn’t watch that?
Apple TV+ first announced the hourlong drama in 2017 and began filming in Los Angeles last fall. Though the show is set in New York City, production only came to Manhattan in May, nearly two years after being picked up by the streaming service.
The first trailer takes viewers into the "Morning Show" TV studio, where Aniston is leading a somber solo broadcast.
Here’s what we know about the project so far:
Who has joined “The Morning Show” cast?
Steve Carell plays the series’ male lead, Mitch Kessler, a morning show anchor who’s struggling to keep his footing in an evolving industry. The series marks Carell’s first regular TV role since his stint on “The Office.”
“The Morning Show” also marks a significant return for Aniston. She has appeared in numerous films since we bid adieu to “Friends” in 2004, but hasn’t held a long-term TV role.
Witherspoon plays a network newbie, who seems to challenge Aniston’s character.
The series will also star Billy Crudup (“Almost Famous,” “Gypsy”) and actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw (“Black Mirror,” “A Wrinkle in Time”), Bel Powley (“White Boy Rick”), Karen Pittman (“Luke Cage”) and Desean Terry (“Scorpion”).
What is “The Morning Show” about?
Aniston plays a morning anchor who’s paired with a new co-host (Witherspoon) after a scandal sends her co-worker (Carrell) packing. The trailer leaves much to be desired about the scandal, but Carell’s Kessler sure seems to mirror disgraced "Today" host Matt Lauer. "I’m bringing you some sad and upsetting news and while I don’t know the details of the allegations, Mitch Kessler, my co-host, and partner of 15 years, was fired today," Aniston says in the trailer.
The plot focuses on power dynamics in the media industry and gives a glimpse into the behind-the-camera workings of a morning show. “We take an honest look at the complex relationships between women and men in the workplace and we engage in the conversation people are a little too afraid to have unless they are behind closed doors,” Aniston said at the show’s media preview event at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on March 25.
At the event, Witherspoon said the series is a “high-velocity thrill ride in which we pose questions without easy answers and shine a light on the fault lines in our society at this very complicated cultural moment.”
Brian Stelter, the author of the book “Top of the Morning,” about morning TV, is serving as a consultant on the project, while the former head of HBO drama Michael Ellenberg executive producea.
Where is it filming?
Paparazzi spotted Witherspoon, Aniston and Crudup filming “The Morning Show” on May 9 and 10 in Bryant Park.
When will it air?
The series is projected to hit a fall 2019 release. It has already been picked up for two seasons.
