TV Recap: ‘The Morning Show,’ Season 2, Episode 1: My Least Favorite Year

The first season of Apple TV+’s The Morning Show was nominated for seven Emmys last year, winning just one for Billy Crudup’s supporting turn. The show, headlined by Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrell, was positioned to be the streamers big series entry into the streaming wars, but the reception around The Morning Show, never really seemed as big as the streamer may have hoped (that’s just a matter of perception, not any hard data). It appears their popularity would come later with Ted Lasso.

Season one of The Morning Show was about the ins-and-outs of producing a morning news and entertainment show – like a Today Show – and all the drama that comes behind the scenes. Aniston stars as veteran co-host Alex Levy, who had to navigate the show in the wake of a MeToo scandal, involving her co-host Mitch Kessler (Carell). As the network tried to do damage control and find a new co-host, Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson came on the scene.

As a refresher, the first season ended with Alex going off on the network on air, saying she is culpable for staying silent about the many misdeeds that were swept under the rug and in front of her very eyes. The first episode of the new season picks up right where the previous season left off, as the network, once again, tries to do damage control. Fast-forward a bit, Alex has stepped away from the show and is writing her memoirs and Bradley is trying to find her new role at the show. Crudup’s slimy-but-entertaining executive Cory Ellison continues to pull the strings.

The Morning Show was a messy, but entertaining, first season (which won Aniston a SAG award for her performance), trying to capitalize on current conversations. It seems the new season is going to do just the same because it ends counting down to 2020. There’s hope for a new year and new beginnings. And, well…