Embrace the Messy Soap Opera That Is The Morning Show Season 4
(Photo: Apple TV+)
Growing up, I loved daytime soap operas. Two in particular—Days of Our Lives and All My Children—made an indelible impression on me. Although I had not watched Days in years (decades? centuries?) when Drake Hogestyn, who played John Black on Days for 38 years, died in 2024, it felt as if a lifelong friend had passed away.
The beauty of soap operas is that you can’t watch for years (decades? centuries?) and pop into the show and within minutes pick up on what is going on. There’s a repetitive and comforting cadence to the often melodramatic characters and over-the-top plot lines.
The third season finale of The Morning Show aired way back in November 2023. I barely remember what I was doing two years ago, let alone what fictional characters were up to. I have a vague recollection that Jon Hamm’s Paul Marks was dastardly. Reese Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson deleted evidence about her brother’s involvement in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Jennifer Aniston’s hair looked terrific, as did Nestor Carbonell’s eyelashes. But, to be honest, it doesn’t matter that the plot lines of the show’s first three seasons are vague. It’s easy to slip right back into the show’s shenanigans.
What I definitely remember about the 30 episodes of the show I’ve watched thus far is that everyone seemed to be under the impression they were doing Very Important Television. The cast, the writers, and the directors all believe they are doing the show we were all expecting when, in March of 2017, AppleTV+ first announced the series as its flagship program for its new streaming service. However, that isn’t the show any of us got. Instead, we got a glorified soap opera.
And I’m not mad about it. Every time I think I’m out, this absolutely silly show pulls me back in. It slips nicely into the “hate to love and love to hate” void left by the departure of HBO Max’s And Just Like That. Even if you have never watched a minute of The Morning Show before, it would not take you long to catch on to what is happening.
What’s missing, however, is that no one involved with the series appears to be in on the joke. Or I should say no one but Billy Crudup, whose network news president Cory Ellison remains the absolute BEST thing about The Morning Show. The second episode of the season ends with a character saying “Jesus Christ!” over Cory’s latest antics, to which he responds, “He is risen,” referring to himself, of course. Crudup knows the show he is on. He understands if you can’t be on the show you thought you were going to be on, love the show you actually are on. A show that unironically calls its fourth season premiere “My Roman Empire.” A show where characters say things like, “My inner straight white guy started clawing its way out.” Crudup gloriously leans into what the show truly is and watching his performance is an utter delight.
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