The Morning Show - Season 1 (2019)

 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

The Apple TV+ original series The Morning After recently garnered 8 Emmy nominations for its Season 1 which was first telecast in 2019. Having just binge watched this, I can say that this is testament to the quality of the show. Of course 8 nominations is peanuts compared to the 26 for HBO's Watchman and 20 for Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs.Maisel, both of which I have yet to watch. I shall reserve my judgement of which series is better but for now, The Morning Show is my choice as one of the best if not THE best series that came out last year.

There is so much to enjoy and like about The Morning Show. Right from the start, we are thrown into the cut throat world of TV land with a crisis that sees the co-host of the very popular Morning Show being unceremoniously sacked for aligned sexual misconduct. This is stuff straight out of the #MeToo generation and presented with balanced points of views. The script is top notched and both informative as well as funny. But best of all are the wonderful ensemble cast for this gem. Aside from the start power and show stopping performances of its three big name stars - Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell and Reese Witherspoon, we have very strong characters and performances from the supporting cast as well. In fact each supporting character is fleshed out so vividly and given enough screen time and moments to shine to leave an impact. Everybody's favourite girl Jennifer Aniston is superb here and it is simply a joy watching her perform in a major production such as this after all these years. Every episode is laced with juicy dialogue and moves so fast, the viewer feels transported to the breakneck cut throat world of high end TV production. The corruption and constant struggles with what's right and what's wrong is never boring and we are left totally engaged and invested with the characters' lives.

Very few TV series or movies for that matter, can boast of the quality and entertainment value that The Morning Show brings, so this is a real treat for lovers of TV drama that not only entertains but educates us on the workings and pressures of working in a field that most of us would otherwise not have any direct dealings with. This reminds me a bit of how great The Newroom was a couple of years back. While The Morning Show may not be as ambitious or have the wider scope of topics covered in Newsroom, it's focus on The Morning Show is more than enough to keep us engaged.  It's relevance and acute reflection of our world today continues to amaze me even as I write this review, as I read about the current misconduct and abuse scandal involving the Ellen Degeneres talk show. The stories from real life reads like a script direct from The Morning Show! 

I am thrilled that the show has had the recognition it deserves from its multiple Emmy nominations and more importantly, that there will be a Season 2 which will again intertwine current world and American happenings with the lives of the people working for The Morning Show. Can't wait ..