Spoilers below.
What’s next for the morning show? For a series that literally began its latest season IN SPACE, the possibilities are endless. Season 3 went from the outer layers of earth’s atmosphere to the bowels of the Capitol on January 6th—all while navigating the network’s pending sale to an Elon Musk-like billionaire, Paul Marks (Jon Hamm). The series, which began as a reflection of the Me Too movement, continued to rip from headlines, this latest season being the overrun of Roe vs. Wade, and the current state of media. In the end, Alex is making power moves, Bradley is about to do time, and UBA is heading into a drastically different direction than we thought. So, where to now?
When will The Morning Show season 4 premiere?
It’s still too soon to say. Apple announced the renewal back on April 30, months before season 3 was even released.
Upon the finale, showrunner Charlotte Stoudt told The Hollywood Reporter that they’re still working on the scripts. “We just started the season four room, it’s literally such early days,” she said.
Who will be in the cast?
We’re expecting to see more of stars Jennifer Aniston (Alex) and Reese Witherspoon (Bradley), as well as Billy Crudup (Cory), Mark Duplass (Chip), Nestor Carbonell (Yanko), Karen Pittman (Mia), Greta Lee (Stella), and Nicole Beharie (Chris).
With the new direction UBA takes at the end of the season it’s possible Julianna Margulies’ Laura Peterson will also return. However, it’s unlikely we’ll see more of Jon Hamm’s billionaire Paul Marks, or his fixer Amanda (Tig Notaro), given their exit in the finale.
Apple has yet to announce any new casting decisions.
What would The Morning Show season 4 be about?
At the end of season 3, Bradley, now resigned, and her brother Hal turn themselves in to the FBI to account for his assault of a police officer during the January 6th insurrection and her withholding evidence. That leaves a big question for the state of the series’ leading pair: How will the show handle Alex and Bradley being apart? (Even more than they did this past season?)
And then of course, there’s the merger: Storied media conglomerates UBA and NBN will join forces in a massive deal that somehow turned out to be more beneficial than selling to billionaire Paul Marks. (Who surveilled journalists and lied to NASA.) But as Mia and Stella hint in the control room, this new chapter is going to lead to a lot of changes in both companies: in leadership, talent, and staffs. With two major companies coming together, projects and rolls will double up. Will we see intense competition arise between anchors and producers between companies? Whose jobs are at stake?
“I think mergers are always messy, whether they’re personal or corporate,” Charlotte Stoudt told Deadline. “So, it’s always fun to play with that. Whether that story is the story is a question we’re wrestling with right now. There are all sorts of things to talk about. We’re also trying to reflect the world…how many streamers can there be? People getting laid off, that sort of stuff. So we also just want to reflect what’s actually happening in the media world. Some people are doing very well, some people are doing less well. It’s like the Wild West.”
The showrunner also hinted that season 4 could begin with another time jump: “I think you probably have to have some kind of time jump, because it takes so long to write and shoot and post the show,” she told THR. “You don’t want to get too far behind in real time, in terms of the era we’re playing and when people are watching it. But I think those time jumps, actually, are great. Because they allow for really surprising reveals at the top of the season. It’s a little bit of: ‘How did they get there? Wait, he’s doing what? Those two are together?!’ I think just on a sheer deliciousness of story, you can have a lot of fun with this big cast.”
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she’s listening to Lorde right now.