After earning a staggering 16 Emmy nominations for its latest installment, The Morning Show season four is prepping for broadcast. The AppleTV+ drama returned to production in early July, according to star Jennifer Aniston. She revealed that information in an Instagram post alongside costars Reese Witherspoon and Tig Notaro, who joined the series last season as chief of staff to Jon Hamm’s tech billionaire.
Aniston’s post also featured a photo of the script for the season’s first episode, titled “My Roman Empire.” The premiere is written by Morning Show showrunner Charlotte Stoudt and Zender Lehmann and will be directed by longtime Morning Show director and executive producer Mimi Leder. Ahead, a look at what’s to come from what Vanity Fair’s Richard Lawson has said “might be the weirdest series on television,” including Oscar-winning new cast members and an AI-centered storyline.
Who is in The Morning Show season four?
Two Academy Award–winning actors have joined the starry ensemble this season. Marion Cotillard, who won best actress in 2008 for La Vie En Rose, will play Celine Dumont, who is described as “a savvy operator from a storied European family.” Jeremy Irons, a best actor Oscar winner for 1990’s Reversal of Fortune, will play Alex’s father, Martin Levy.
They aren’t the only new additions to the cast. The Good Place Emmy nominee William Jackson Harper joins the series as Ben, the network’s head of sports. Boyd Holbrook, who plays Johnny Cash in the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, has been cast as Brodie, described as “a popular and provocative podcaster and talk show host,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. Aaron Pierre, Rachel Marsh, and John Hoogenakker round out the ensemble in recurring roles.
UBA network mainstays Alex Levy (Aniston) and Bradley Jackson (Witherspoon) will return for the fourth season alongside Notaro, Billy Crudup, Greta Lee, Mark Duplass, Karen Pittman, Jon Hamm, Nicole Beharie, Holland Taylor, and Néstor Carbonell.
One major cast member who won’t be returning is Julianna Margulies, who departed the series in June after two seasons as MBN anchor Laura Peterson, whose character was romantically involved with Witherspoon’s in seasons two and three. According to Variety, the Emmy winner was offered a one-episode appearance in the fourth season, which she declined, though their sources also say that Margulies has been asked about interest in returning for a potential season five. Vanity Fair previously reached out to reps for the series and Margulies for comment. Her exit was reportedly planned prior to controversial remarks that Marguiles made on a podcast last year, for which she has since apologized.
What will The Morning Show season four be about?
The Morning Show’s season three finale ended with Alex Levy’s cost-cutting proposal to merge UBA and MBN and prevent Paul Marks from seizing ownership of the fledgling network. Meanwhile, after coming to terms with her romantic feelings for Cory, Bradley turned herself in to authorities for covering up her brother Hal’s (Joe Tippett) participation in the January 6 insurrection. “Everybody keeps asking me if Bradley’s in jail,” Witherspoon said during a panel moderated by Deadline last December, “but I don’t know if I’m in trouble.”
During the same panel, Stoudt shared that, after covering topical storylines such as the #MeToo movement and COVID-19, the series would be delving into issues of AI. “We get into the world of deepfakes and AI and the misinformation in the fog of war that we’re seeing now in the Middle East and stuff,” Stoudt told Deadline. “We’re looking at who we can trust. And can you trust what you’re seeing? Can you trust yourself? Can you trust your news outlet?”
When does The Morning Show season four come out?
Production for the fourth season is already underway—Aniston was recently spotted drenched in oil and surrounded by posters that read “Extinction Revolt” and “Fuel Kills” at what appears to be a scene set at a climate change rally. Witherspoon and Duplass were also seen filming in Central Park over the summer.
While there is no official release date for The Morning Show season four, each of the show’s last three installments were in the fall—in 2019, 2021, and 2023, respectively. At that rate, expect the series’ next season to arrive in the fall of 2025.
This post will be updated.
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