Alex Levy, Bradley Jackson and the rest of the UBA gang are back for another round of the Apple TV+ drama The Morning Show, where workplace romances and real-world issues go hand-in-messy-hand to provide some titillating and often dark television. Season 3 is set to premiere on Wednesday, September 13, and while that’s exciting news for those with an Apple TV+ subscription, it’s been almost two years since we last saw the television crew in the throes of COVID. Where did we leave things and where will they pick up? Here are five things to keep in mind about The Morning Show Season 3 as it premieres.
The Morning Show Season 3 Premieres September 13 On Apple TV+
The third season of the workplace drama, which Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon both star in and executive produce, is set to drop on Apple TV+ at 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, September 13. After waiting nearly two years — the Season 2 finale was released way back on November 18, 2021 — fans will be happy to know that the premiere will consist of the first two episodes.
Season 3 received a 10-episode order, and after the double premiere, new episodes will be available to stream each Wednesday through the November 8 finale.
How The Morning Show Season 2 Ended
When we last saw Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) she had finally accepted that her affair with Steve Carell’s Mitch Kessler was about to be exposed in a tell-all book, after she spent much of Season 2 trying to prevent that exact occurrence. While traveling to Italy, she contracted COVID, and in a genius (if not desperate) attempt to save both of their careers, Alex and Chip Black (Mark Duplass) broadcast her battle with the virus on the recently launched UBA+, thus making her a sympathetic figure.
Meanwhile, Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon) was in a bit of a love triangle, as she had struck up a romance with Julianna Margulies’ Laura Peterson, and the two looked to escape New York and ride out the pandemic on Laura’s ranch in Montana. Just as Bradley was leaving, however, UBA bigwig Cory Ellison (Billy Crudup) showed up to profess his love for the fiery journalist.
Other UBA employees, including Mia Jordan (Karen Pittman), Stella Bak (Greta Lee) and Yanko Flores (Néstor Carbonell) were left trying to figure out how, exactly, one could run a news organization with everyone in quarantine. Clearly, we’ll be seeing a time jump when Season 3 premieres, however, we don’t know how close to the current day we’ll get, or how relevant these cliffhangers will still be in the new season.
Jon Hamm Joins The Season 3 Cast, And There's A New Showrunner
The main players listed above will all return to The Morning Show Season 3, save for Steve Carell, whose character shockingly died in Season 2. In addition to the familiar faces of UBA, we’ll also be introduced to some new characters.
Mad Men star Jon Hamm is having a TV comeback of sorts, as he joins the fray as big money man Paul Marks. The actor said his storyline with Jennifer Aniston’s Alex will be “juicy,” and I can’t wait to see the sparks fly between the tech billionaire and the ruthless newswoman.
Tig Notaro will also appear in the show’s third season, per Deadline, as Amanda Robinson, Paul Marks’ chief of staff. Nicole Beharie will play newbie UBA staffer Christina Hunter, and Natalie Morales will appear as Stella’s best friend from college.
Possibly the biggest shakeup on The Morning Show’s production was the announcement in January 2022 that Charlotte Stoudt was replacing Kerry Ehrin as showrunner of the drama. Stoudt previously worked on series including Fosse/Verdon, Homeland and House of Cards, and the move was part of an overall multi-year deal between her and Apple TV+. Ehrin, meanwhile, served as a consultant for the upcoming season, while continuing to develop new series for the network.
UBA’s Future Will Be Thrown Into Question And Private Truths Revealed Amid Cyberattack
One of the biggest questions going into Season 3 is which real-world problems are going to be at the center of the UBA drama. The first season discussed the #MeToo movement, opening with Mitch’s firing amid sexual misconduct allegations, and the second season was set in early 2020 at the onset of the pandemic. The third season's preview, which you can view at the top of this page, shows the characters back in the office, not wearing masks, so it’s probably safe to say the worst of COVID has passed. As for what we can expect, Apple’s official synopsis tells us:
In season three of The Morning Show, the stakes are high as the future of the network is thrown into question and loyalties are pushed to the brink when a tech titan takes an interest in UBA. Unexpected alliances form, private truths are weaponized and everyone is forced to confront their core values both in and out of the newsroom.
That’s pretty vague, but we get a little more information from the trailer. It appears Bradley is now anchoring the evening news, as she’s shown in the studio, with a presumably fully recovered Alex still holding down the fort before sunrise. Financial issues seem to still be afoot for the network, and my money’s on a certain Jon Hamm-shaped billionaire to be the knight who rides in to save the day.
Everything is thrown into chaos in the trailer, when the station gets hit by a cyberattack — per Bradley’s somber on-air announcement — and I’m guessing this is where private truths become public knowledge.
The Morning Show Has Already Been Renewed For Season 4
Despite what fate meets the cast of the fictional Morning Show, it seems the network will survive in one form or another to report the news another day. A fourth season of the popular Apple TV+ series was confirmed back in April, with the streamer making the Season 4 announcement at the same time it let viewers know Season 3 would be premiering in the fall. That did little to make the time go faster, but thankfully our long wait is over.
The first two episodes of The Morning Show will be available on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, September 13, and be sure to keep up with all of the other upcoming premieres by taking a peek at our 2023 TV schedule.
