The first full trailer for The Morning Show makes Apple’s upcoming series look a lot more serious than the goofy onstage presentation at Cupertino’s March keynote let on.
The Apple TV+ show, which stars Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell, looks very #MeToo-era. It could prove pretty darn interesting if it lives up to the trailer, which Apple released this morning.
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The Morning Show is based on the non-fiction book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV by CNN host Brian Stelter. The 2013 book focused on Ann Curry replacing Meredith Vieira on morning talk show Today. It also details the rivalry between Good Morning America and the Today show.
The book got OK-to-poor reviews, but Apple’s TV adaptation looks like it only takes the broad strokes and then builds something new. When Cupertino launches its Apple TV+ streaming service this fall, The Morning Show will be one of its highest-profile shows.
See the first The Morning Show trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=0s&v=eA7D4_qU9jo
The first The Morning Show trailer looks quite topical. One plot line involving Carell appears to mirror the firing of Today show host Matt Lauer. While it goes unmentioned in the trailer, the implication seems to be that Carell takes heat for some kind of sexual impropriety.
Still, today’s trailer goes much further than the brief sneak peek Apple released last week. Apple ordered two seasons of The Morning Show for a total of 20 episodes. Aniston and Witherspoon will co-own and co-produce the show.
A statement piece for Apple
I’ve always been a sucker for TV shows and movies about the inner workings of newsrooms. Whether it’s classic 1976 movie Network or Aaron Sorkin’s HBO drama The Newsroom, the news biz offers plenty of opportunities for compelling storytelling.
By launching with something that seems more serious than The Morning Show initially looked, Apple will make a bold statement.
Previous Apple original content has been fluff like Planet of the Apps and Carpool Karaoke. Lightweight programming isn’t necessarily a negative. But it does come with lower stakes.
A timely emotional drama, on the other hand, shows that Apple is serious about gaining prestige. It also lends credence to the idea that Cupertino really wants to win awards with its original shows.
This trailer certainly piqued my interest in The Morning Show. And in an age of way too many streaming content services, that can only be a good thing!
