The Morning Show, a star-studded media drama, is returning on Apple TV+ this week. It’s an energetic series about ethical quandaries in TV news, kept alive by events unfolding around us — #MeToo movement, Covid, abortion laws, racial discrimination… above all, it asks whether journalism can win.
Jennifer Aniston stars as Alex, the popular face of UBA network, and rising quickly through the ranks is Reese Witherspoon’s Bradley, the other face of the network. At the top is Billy Crudup’s character Cory, the CEO of the network, which is desperately in need of fresh funds. It sets up the scene for season three in which a brash tech billionaire enters the picture after UBA suffers a hack. Jon Hamm plays Paul Marks and one can’t help but think of Elon Musk, the owner of X, who wants to change the world and make X the centre of critical conversations. No wonder, everything heads towards a clash between the characters and also between capitalism and journalism.
Jon Hamm stars in season three of The Morning Show in the role of a tech billionaire
The person setting the mood every season is Mimi Leder, who is behind hits like Pay It Forward, Deep Impact and Thick as Thieves. She has directed four episodes in season three of The Morning Show (it has been renewed for a fourth season) and is also executive producer of the show. Here’s what she told us over a video call about the new season, which will stream on Apple TV+ starting September 13.
How did you go about visually representing the chaos behind the scene… in the newsroom or in the lives of the people running the newsroom?
I wanted to create chaos and put our characters into darkness. And something we hadn’t seen before on the show… they’re hacked. They’re on air and the lights go out…. We did some testing as to what we wanted them to look and feel like. When I set the tone for the pilot, I looked at what they look on camera; it’s very bright, everything is welcoming. And then when we go into their personal lives, everything’s kind of screwed up and everything has contrast; everything is not so bright, their lives are complicated. This was literally the lights going out, and playing in darkness and fear. I just went all handheld and moved the camera. It was finding those key moments and just rocking and rolling through those hallways, feeling the fear of those characters, feeling the uncertainty of what was happening. Was there a shooter in the building? It was fun. It’s back to my action days. I’m ready to shoot another action movie.
How did you go about finding the other directors for the show? And how do you ensure that their voices are heard but, at the same time, fit into the larger vision of the show?
Reese Witherspoon and Billy Crudup star as members of UBA TV network
We’re a very high-end show and I look for really great directors to direct the episodes. I look for artistes who have great storytelling skills. Of course, I set the tone, I created the pilot, the look of the show, and I am constantly looking to evolve the show… evolve the look of the show, like I added more handheld this season, not just in the chaotic scene of the hack, but in scenes that are small and intimate, because our characters are all on edge. I look at a scene and I feel, well, I think I should shoot this handheld but not shaky-shaky so there’s a little tension. I look for great directors and I don’t want them to reinvent the wheel because we do have a look and feel, but I want them to bring new ideas to the show. And I encourage it because I think it’s important to evolve the story. I don’t want them to come in and start using wide-angle lenses in every close-up. I just want them to be great storytellers, tell the story through the eyes of the characters… represent their POV (point of view). I prep the directors every step of the way. When I’m not directing, I’m producing.
How are you taking the story of Bradley and Alex forward in season three?
They had a particular challenge. They come together this season as allies. And then the theme that I keep talking about: the state of the truth in journalism, and the state of the truth and the lies we tell ourselves. Bradley now has evening news. She’s no longer this naive story… she is now a truth teller. She knows what she needs to do. She has a great apartment. She has got a lot of what she wants. But then we find out the lie that she is holding on to and how it will affect her entire life and her career. Alex comes into the season kind of floating. She has survived Covid and being cancelled. She’s now got a great show called 'Alex Unlimited' where she interviews cultural figures. Alex has got a divorce. Her daughter has chosen to be with her father. And she’s really kind of reinvented herself during Covid but she feels something is desperately missing in her life. She is focused on her work. In the season, she also steps into her truth. Who am I? What do I want? She wants to control and lead the network. She doesn’t trust Cory (CEO of UBA); she thinks Cory is running UBA. So Alex steps into power. What happens between the ladies… when we discover the lies and what is going on between the two, it puts a very uncomfortable divide between these characters. I think these women come together, they fall apart, and then they come together again and do the right thing together.
Billy Crudup as Cory and Jon Hamm as Paul Marks are brilliant. We were expecting a saviour and…. Can you share a bit about how you integrated the character of Paul into the story?
Mimi Leder, director and executive producer, The Morning Show
He’s a very strong character and John is a very strong actor. He’s very tall and handsome. He comes in as this tech billionaire and he forces all the characters to look at themselves. He changes UBA forever. Paul appears as this accelerant and pushes everybody towards the truth. One of our main themes this season revolves around the question ‘what is truth?’ What are the lies we tell ourselves? He walks in as this rich guy, this maverick capitalist; for him money is the answer. We see that Paul is as vulnerable to capitalism and shifts in power as everyone else. He and Billy have this bromance that you love so much. Cory needs money, he needs Paul. The bromance starts happening and we see a shift of power, and the chess game begins between Paul, Alex and Cory. Who’s going to win, who’s going to have control over the future? New billionaires are minted every few days. Are they coming in to disrupt? Is everything about money or is everything about power? We’re a topical show. We’re about journalism and telling the truth. Paul forces everybody to look at the truth. It was fun with all the fighting and the flirting… this triangle of power.
Mathures Paul
