The Morning Show season 2 spoilers follow.
Launched in 2019, Apple TV+ drama series The Morning Show offers a glimpse of all the back-stabbing, betrayal, egos and twisted relationships that go on behind the scenes of a successful New York morning TV show.
The first season introduced us to co-hosts and old friends Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) and Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell), whose relationship imploded when Mitch was fired for sexual misconduct.
Alex also had to deal with the arrival of reporter – and possible Mitch replacement – Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon), and the machinations of TV network CEO Cory Ellison (Billy Crudup).
The second season ended with everyone's job on the line due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, and relationships – including Alex's with producer/friend Chip, Bradley's with girlfriend Laura, and Bradley's with infatuated boss Cory – under strain, so there is plenty of scope for a third season.
The Morning Show season 3 potential release date: When will it air?
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The first season of The Morning Show aired on Apple TV+ from November 2019, while the second season, set and filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic, premiered almost two years later, in September 2021.
It was announced in January 2022 that the show had been renewed for a third season.
"It's been thrilling to watch The Morning Show go from strength to strength over the past two seasons, exploring topical storylines that have resonated with audiences around the world while also being incredibly addictive and entertaining," said Matt Cherniss, head of programming for Apple TV+.
"We're excited to see where Charlotte [Stoudt, the new showrunner] takes these extraordinary characters in season three and to watch the magic that Jennifer, Reese and our awe-inspiring cast continue to bring to the captivating world of morning television."
It looks like there will be almost as long a wait for season three as for the previous season – in June this year star Jennifer Aniston told The Cut that filming on the new season would start in two and a half months. That means production is likely to start in September, so we're unlikely to see new episodes until at least early 2023.
The Morning Show season 3 cast: Who's in it?
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Well, there is one cast member who definitely won't be coming back (unless there are flashbacks, of course) and that is Steve Carell, whose character Mitch Kessler drove off an Italian hillside road to his death in season two.
However, his presence is likely to still be felt, as his girlfriend Paola Lambruschini (Valeria Golino) has the confessional documentary he made before his death, and at the end of season 2 she was still unsure what to do with it.
The Morning Show's two biggest stars, Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, who are also executive producers on the series, will be returning, and they could likely be joined by the following main cast members:
- Billy Crudup (Cory Ellison)
- Julianna Margulies (Laura Peterson)
- Greta Lee (Stella Bak)
- Desean Terry (Daniel Henderson)
- Mark Duplass (Charlie Black, aka Chip)
- Nestor Carbonell (Yanko Flores)
- Karen Pittman (Mia Jordan)
- Ruairi O'Connor (Ty Fitzgerald)
Recurring cast members who could also potentially return include Hasan Minhaj as Eric, Holland Taylor as UBA chair Cybill Richards, Marcia Gay Harden as Maggie Brener, or Janina Gavankar as Alison Namazi. And could Bel Powley, who went from main cast to guest appearances as Claire Conway in the second season, also return for season three?
Kerry Ehrin, who was showrunner on seasons one and two of the drama, has also hinted to Deadline that Valeria Golino could return as Paola in The Morning Show's third season – especially after *that* season two finale cliffhanger.
Of course, we'll know more about who'll definitely be back once production officially gets going.
The Morning Show season 3 plot: What will happen?
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The second season, set in March 2020, ended with Alex's career in jeopardy after her affair with former co-host Mitch was exposed in Maggie's tell-all book. Battling COVID, Alex reunited with producer pal Chip and he helped her go on air from her home to talk about the story in the wake of being 'cancelled' following the book’s publication.
Mimi Leder, who directed the season two finale, told The Hollywood Reporter: "Alex goes on a very important journey where she questions: Is she still relevant? She was so fearful of Maggie's book, like it's really going to hurt her existence. She was a very fearful person at the start of the season and she really goes on a journey of self-discovery.
"For the end sequence, we wanted it to feel more like a prayer than a pronouncement. That it was Alex saying: 'This is what I hope for, this is what I wish for, this is what I want it to be'."
Bradley, meanwhile, had been searching for her brother with boss Cory (who thought it was the perfect time to tell Bradley he was in love with her), and found him in a New York hospital surrounded by COVID-19 patients.
Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Witherspoon hinted that we might see more of Bradley's family life in the next season.
"She's a character who comes from a pretty complicated past that she still hasn't really reconciled," she said. "Her relationship with her brother is really complex and I'm really interested in what the next step would be with her and her brother, because it's such a big piece of her life. Your siblings can really define you, and either help or torpedo you."
In the final episode of season two, Bradley was also trying to decide whether to flee the city and set up home in Montana with her girlfriend, TV reporter Laura Peterson, as New York went into lockdown and the Morning Show team planned to work remotely during the pandemic.
While the third season could pick up directly after the events of season two, season 1 and 2 showrunner Kerry Ehrin (who will be a consultant on season 3) has hinted that there may be a time jump between the second season and the third.
In The Hollywood Reporter interview about the series, she said: "You could [jump into the future]. You could go backwards. It's such an interesting little universe. You really can put it anywhere in time, and I think the challenge of the show is coming up with that big subject."
Meanwhile, in an interview with Deadline, Ehrin chatted about what she hoped for in a new season.
"I definitely want to see more of Bradley and Laura," she said. "I feel like Alex has come to a place from the first time since the pilot of accepting who she is and facing her worst fears, and I want to see how the phoenix rises from the ashes for her, and learning how to have a full life and be present and loving."
The Morning Show season 3 trailer: When can I watch it?
As the third season has not yet started filming, it is unlikely we will see any footage or a trailer until the end of 2022 or early 2023. But watch this space as we will bring you all The Morning Show updates when they happen.
The Morning Show seasons 1-2 are now streaming worldwide on Apple TV+.
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Freelance film & TV writer, Digital Spy
Critic and writer Jo Berry has been writing about TV and movies since she began her career at Time Out aged 18. A regular on BBC Radio, Jo has written for titles including Empire, Maxim, Radio Times, OK!, The Guardian and Grazia, is the author of books including Chick Flicks and The Parents’ Guide to Kids’ Movies.
She is also the editor of website Movies4Kids. In her career, Jo has interviewed well-known names including Beyonce, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Kiefer Sutherland, Tom Cruise and all the Avengers, spent many an hour crushed in the press areas of award show red carpets. Jo is also a self-proclaimed expert on Outlander and Brassic, and completely agrees that Die Hard is a Christmas movie.
