What a strange and rather lovely thing it is to watch an actor you have grown up with for two and a half decades finally come into her kingdom. So it is with Jennifer Aniston who, 25 years after she arrived on our screens in Friends, returns in a TV series for the first time since the hit show ended in 2004.
The Morning Show is a slick, sophisticated venture stuffed with powerhouse performances – Aniston’s foremost among them… Inevitably, there are echoes of Network and Broadcast News in the setting, and in the grappling with the porous borders between news and entertainment, fact and fiction, opinion and propaganda. But everything is rendered fresh and new by the reckoning with the #MeToo era.
As the first foray by new streaming service Apple TV+, it is all the more impressive that there isn’t a weak link in The Morning Show… The script has depth and endless torque and the whole thing is an exhilarating rush that makes room for nuance, thought and – though it’s definitely a drama – humour. Like ageing anchors and not-good guys, established streaming services will no doubt be looking over their shoulders now, and worrying a little more every day.
MacDailyNews Take: When Apple TV+ shows are reviewed by those without an anti-Apple agenda, the reviews are excellent. Read the reviews closely and, in some, you can clearly see the anti-Apple sentiment colors their reviews.
I watched the first 10 minutes of the first episode and I bailed because it was “woke.”
I don’t enjoy TV sports, so I never watch ESPN. You don’t enjoy “woke,” so you won’t watch Apple TV+. The differences are:
First, I don’t post lengthy comments on the Internet condemning people who like the programming I don’t. I don’t see it as my place to criticize taste that differs from mine, or the businesses that cater to tastes other than mine.
Second, nobody is forcing you to pay for Apple TV+. Everyone is watching it free until at least November 7. Nobody will ever force you to pay for their programming. I am being forced to pay for television sports because it is bundled with the services that I do want on every cable system, satellite system, and streaming package that is available to me. I don’t gripe about that to all and sundry because I don’t consider my preferences worth imposing on everyone else.
Its not woke. Believe me I hate woke, but I watched all three (which were great) and will be looking forward for more.
The Morning Show is entertainment crack for men haters. It’s liberal, conservative-hating bias and it’s shameless parallels to Matt Lauer has sealed its fate as a show for women who love to blame men and conservatives for everything they see wrong in the world. Oh, and Aniston looks really old.
“Liberal” means educated, informed, compassionate, empathetic, kind. “Conservative” means the opposite!
Tflint: some of your words aren’t very compassionate, empathetic and kind (and humble).
“Woke” can generally be credited to the left and generally it means, “I’ve got it and you don’t.” “It” means all the things you’ve listed and more…like “enlightened.” Inherent in the word is a lot of hubris.
You are right. Liberals are so informed and educated they require an essay answer (and an HP calculator) for the question “how many genders are there”?
I love HP calculators. My first calculator was an HP-55. I still have it and it still works.
You expected otherwise?
The joke is that all the Peterson-fanbois yowl reflexively: “Woke!”, while the series in reality illuminates the me-too movement from the other side as well – and quite critically! But in order to realize that, one would have had to watch all three episodes …
I’m a guy and thought it was great!
AppleTV+ feels like I’m watching friggin the Oxygen network. Not even exaggerating here. All this wokeville bs is so f*cking boring and insulting. Grow some balls Apple!
I have seen all Apple TV+ content in just two days, and it did not take much time. SEE was completely ridiculous, I skipped after some minutes. Who has approved such a script?
MORNING SHOW was better, but far from great. At least I have seen all three episodes available now. FOR ALL MANKIND got boring after the idea was established. DICKINSON was better for my wife.
So finally I went back to SOUTH PARK on Netflix. Also looking forward to THE CROWN. No idea if Apple will win this race, the start was a little like Maps and iCloud. It only can get better.
Uhhh SEE is literally so epic. In what ways is it ridiculous? Not a fan of deep lore and fantasy? Fine. But it’s smart and compelling with a huge back log of lore. It’s my new favorite series and I’m so happy it’s on AppleTV +
Wall Street Journal writes”Critics listed a litany of complaints about the Jennifer Aniston-led production, calling it “brutally dull” and “boring,” while others took issue its high production price at a reported$15 million an episode. One Rolling Stonereviewer said the show is “a prime example of how throwing money at a problem…isn’t inherently the best way to solve it.” We love you MDN but, as the saying goes “ass holes and elbows”….we all have one.?
I see Jennifer, regrettably, has followed in Courtney’s (Cox) path of “fixing” up her face. Why, oh why? JA seemed to be aging so well and never once had I been distracted by signs of aging. Now, I’m distracted by the Dr.’s involvement.
Apple TV+ is terrible and demeans the entire Apple brand. What a disappointment. The Morning Show is slow, full of F-words, and progressive screeds. Definitely trying to appeal to lefty, freebie America. It is all antithetical to the disciplined products Apple produces. Hope this lack of character and discipline doesn’t bleed into the products.
“Freebie America?” We’ll make a note to exclude you from receiving Social Security and Medicare benefits then (not that they are freebies considering we pay into them).
For some reason Apple is keeping it a secret that Steve Carell is in the cast. The marketing promos almost exclusively refer to Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston. Steve Carell was the lead actor in one of the most valuable long run TV series ever and somehow his name must be buried in every story. Likely, he is the only worthwhile part of the equation in this series, that apparently is meant to put men in their place. That is the state of todays pathetic PC culture, where the current Amazon drama, Jack Ryan has performed magic and transformed present day Venezuela into a country run by a right wing nationalist who is opposed by a social justice warrior (aka “socialist”) candidate determined to save the country. In real life Venezuela has been almost completely ruined by 30 years of socialist tyrants who were, ironically, loved by Hollywood’s “social justice warriors” like Sean Penn and George Clooney and Michael Moore. Amazon just can’t handle the truth that socialism destroys everything it touches. And Apple will no doubt do all it can to neuter Steve Carell. Too bad. As I recall, The Office laughed at political correctness and became one of the most loved shows ever.
Kent: Your comment is “spot-on” as the Brits would say. You perfectly phrased everything and produced a fun read. Thank you.
I find it funny to read these comments. I love The Morning Show. Good acting, subtle humor. It has good rhythm. As a man I have no problems with the subject matter. I find it a nuanced show that leads to conversation. See is outrageous. Curiously I find it interesting. Probably because it tries so hard to distance itself from our world. Reminds me a little of watching Mad Max as a kid. For all Mankind is good. I only watched the first episode. I will see where it will go. Strangely enough, I didn’t like Dickinson. I couldn’t watch the whole first episode. All in all, it’s a good start.
Nuanced like a brick to the side of the head.
Brother Thelonious:
Succinct and to the point, as usual! Gave me a good laugh and you’re correct.
I wish Apple would create a gaming studio to build games at least as good as Fortnite for the Mac and iPad.
It really was pretty bad. I showed it to one of my lefty liberal friends and even she said it was insulting to liberals. Though I pointed out that it sounded a lot like her to me.
On the other hand, Amazon Prime has the new season of Jack Ryan. You can watch him single handedly save Venezuela from a fascist socialist dictator that seems to be catatonic most of the time.
They also have this great show called “BLOOD & TREASURE.” It’s a great throw back to Raiders of the Los Ark. It’s like one long Saturday afternoon at the movies romp with popcorn and global excitement with spies and thieves and mystery and romance and secret societies and puzzles and I just didn’t want it to end. Super fantasy with not one stomach turning disgusting bit of “wokeness.” Not a single word of politics.
The kind of stuff there should be more of with your kids. The kind of show you keep your iPad handy for so you can quickly look up facts about Egyptian history and how the art world works.
I work in the film industry. Have for the last 30+ years.So, I’m coming from that angle.
I watched “TMS”. Overall, it has potential. Though, I have to say that I almost threw up in my mouth when that scene with RW at the protest. The way she espoused facts and figures sounded like she was reading straight from Wikipedia. Worse…I had to keep seeing that same scene I’ve and over and over. It was pretty bad. It felt very “agenda”. There were few similar scenes. I don’t want to feel Apples hand in production. It felt like they stepped in and made sure that “message” was conveyed in the script. Oh well. Moving on.
The following two episodes began to show promise. A few nice twists. Let’s see what happens with the remaining episodes.
The sum of the reactions here, including the most predictable ones makes me think Apple once again knows what they’re doing, though It’s likely gonna take them awhile to build up a catalog and increase the pace and number of new offerings….
I am an absolute progressive. I love Reese, Jennifer and Steve. I am the biggest of Apple Fanboys.
This show is painful. I have seen Reese do better acting just about everywhere. Steve Carell is an Academy Award Nominee revered for his dramatic and comedic prowess, and here he feels like a charmless and humorless version of Michael Scott. Jennifer Aniston is doing some of her best work here, however, which is what makes the others performance quality so odd.
I’ll keep watching for now but so far episode one gets one out of five stars from me. No thanks!
(Nothing about this review was written by anyone considered Conservative or Anti-Apple)
Thanks Yoho,
Based on your critique I’ll watch The Morning Show. Even if I gag, I owe it to Apple to see what they’re up to.
J
Hey, don’t complain this show is high entertainment compared to “See”.
Began watching it last night with my partneer. We both felt it was outstanding. I had no idea Jennifer Aniston could act ! Expect Emmy’s for this one
Based on the comments I may end up canceling my free trial to Apple TV+ without having watched an episode, life is too short for PC brainwashing.
Buh-bye. Don’t let evil liberals contaminate your vital bodily fluids!