THE MORNING SHOW Season 4 Review

Review

Apple TV’s newsroom soap opera The Morning Show returns to screens this week for its fourth season. Continuing its tradition of stories set in the recent past the series finds itself tackling the Olympics as well as the impending presidential elections. But arriving in 2024 poses other problems for showrunner Charlotte Stoudt, as defending journalistic integrity becomes an unexpectedly personal fight for a network already struggling with its own credibility. Get ready to roll up your sleeves because it’s about to get serious…

For the purposes of this review I was given access to nine of the ten episodes in The Morning Show season 4. I have yet to see the season finale.

There’s always been something incredibly compelling about watching The Morning Show. From day one of Apple TV+ the series has been able to capture audience and media attention, using its platform to drive important conversations through its reflective approach to real-world storytelling. Every season has offered viewers an insightful approach to newsroom politics whether it be tackling #MeToo head on, or navigating the growing complexity of a global pandemic. Season 4 is no different, only now the battle appears to be for the truth itself as the world finds itself embroiled in so-called “fake news”.

We could be here all day if we start to debate what is ‘truth’ – and that’s exactly the rabbit hole The Morning Show season 4 wants to tumble down. It’s a question we’re confronted with daily on social media, where big corporations fill 24-hour newsfeeds with global conflicts and financial fears, while countless ‘truth seekers’ on X provide so-called ‘real’ news to counteract mainstream headlines. Who can audiences really believe? Are shadowy forces truly pulling the strings behind the news? These are the questions swirling around UBN’s newsroom as they find themselves not just reporting the news, but defending their right to define what news even is.

Following her integral part in bringing about the merger, Alex (Jennifer Aniston) is now head of talent at UBN. Season 4 capitalises on her struggles to keep the show fresh for another year. It’s through Alex that the audience experiences the discovery of how far right and extremist ideologies are impacting traditional news media. Her status as veteran broadcaster becomes a perfect plot device through which to explore the rapidly changing landscape, perfectly serving season 4’s various storylines. There’s a new potential love interest in Brodie (Boyd Holbrook), a right wing podcaster hired by the network. There’s also the introduction of her father, Martin (Jeremy Irons), with whom she has an incredibly strained relationship.

Life is looking even more bleak for poor Bradley (Reese Witherspoon). Following her entanglement with the FBI, season 4 picks up with Bradley teaching in West Virginia. She’s almost completely retreated from life in the public eye until Mia (Karen Pittman) turns up on her doorstep. The offer to return to hosting duties on The Morning Show arrives at a curious time. It coincides with a mysterious source reaching out with details on a coverup potentially involving executives at UBN. It positions Bradley at the opening of an irresistible rabbit hole, giving the series the opportunity to explore conspiracy theories versus investigative journalism.

What makes The Morning Show work is how it lets these women genuinely age and evolve. After three seasons, Alex and Bradley aren’t the same people – they carry the weight of every decision, every compromise and every victory. When Paul Marks (Jon Hamm) returns to complicate Alex’s newfound stability, or when Bradley faces the ongoing consequences of covering up Hal’s involvement in January 6th, these aren’t just plot devices. They’re the natural result of who these women have become through their experiences. It’s this authentic sense of growth – and the way trauma and success both leave their marks – that gives the show’s exploration of women in media its emotional weight.

The Morning Show is kept on track by its charismatic and likeable cast. Aniston and Witherspoon don’t miss a beat despite the two year gap between seasons. Bradley is somehow more powerful in her absence from the screen, though her presence when on it is undeniable. Whilst Aniston is nothing short of a powerhouse, particularly given Alex’s new found place within UBN. What season 4 lacks in partnering the two on screen it makes up for by giving them multiple other strong performers to bounce off.

That strength of character leads to a number of compelling subplots for The Morning Show’s supporting cast in season 4. It really invests its time in to Mia, Stella (Greta Lee) and Chris (Nicole Beharie). All three have their status quo from season 3 upended by situations around them. Whether it’s romantic subplots, family drama or professional hurdles, each is given ample time to develop across the season. The Olympic setting, the invention of A.I. and a race to become the new head of news are all key to exploring season 4’s key themes. All three actors give raw, emotional performances which throughly ground the season. As has always been the case it’s these human stories which evokes a strong connection for the audience.

Not even Cory (Billy Crudup) is immune to tragedy this season. Crudup, already a multi-award winner for the role, swings for the fences again this season. Much of Cory’s plot lines remain outside of the newsroom at UBN with him now working as a theatrical producer. But that makes his story no less compelling to watch. More than ever he seems to be spiralling out of control due to his family circumstances. Only now it’s in new and very unexpected, yet deeply personal, ways rather than his usual professional manipulation.

Making a huge impression this season is Marion Cotillard who joins the cast as Celine Dumont. Celine is the new head of the network. Hailing from a rich French family, at first she represents a potential new moustache-twirling antagonist at UBN. But as her relationship with husband Miles (Aaron Pierre) is explored and complex family connections become clearer there’s a healthy injection of ambiguity. It’s likely Celine, just like all these other complex characters, is a victim of the very powerful system they find themselves part of.

The Morning Show has always juggled personal and professional drama effectively, but season 4 pushes that balance towards its limits. The flirtation with conspiracy theories, fake news, and right-wing ideologies already expand the show’s scope significantly. When the series then veers into espionage territory – even just for several key scenes – it risks losing viewers who signed up for a newsroom drama, not a thriller. The show handles these tonal shifts with surprising confidence, but the sheer ambition of cramming workplace politics, family trauma, and a spy-movie setpiece into ten episodes will inevitably feel like too much for some in the audience.

But even in its most absurd moments the series is intrinsically likeable and watchable. It’s soap-like quality often allowing its more outlandish flights of fancy to feel at home. It neatly challenges so many difficult and timely issues this season that I hope it can stick the landing with its finale. Once again we reach the end of the season with an uncertain future for the series. But if season 4 becomes the full stop in Alex and Bradley’s stories it certainly can pride itself for boundless ambition.

Verdict

The Morning Show season 4 tackles fake news and conspiracy theories with its most ambitious storytelling yet, but risks losing viewers as it veers further from newsroom drama. Potential tonal whiplash aside, stellar performances from Aniston and Witherspoon keep this polarising but undeniably compelling season on track.

⭐⭐⭐⭐