The Morning Show Season-Premiere Recap: The More Things Change

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I’m starting to think *The Morning Show* isn’t trying to be a serious drama anymore, and that’s a good thing! It’s fully embraced being over-the-top and delightfully chaotic. Honestly, it’s gotten *better* that way. The new season immediately throws Alex Levy into a crazy situation, and everyone just accepts it – someone even claims she might have started World War III with no one questioning it! It’s fantastic. The show is back, and it’s leaning into the drama.

It’s been two years since we last visited UBA, and a lot has changed. The network is no longer called UBA; it’s now UBN. This is because of a merger Alex proposed to prevent her wealthy (and somewhat questionable) boyfriend, Paul Marks, from taking over the struggling network. Unfortunately, the merger also led to many layoffs and buyouts as UBA and NBN combined and streamlined their operations.

Remember Cory Ellison, the former CEO of UBA? She was forced out after Paul leaked a story about her inappropriate behavior with Bradley as a way to get back at her. Stella Bak then took over as the head of UBN. Stella is now working closely with the new board head, Celine (Marion Cotillard is perfect in the role!), who is a force to be reckoned with. For example, she was furious she had to endure unpleasant conditions to secure the Olympics contract for UBN, and she’s confidently rebranding a certain colorful phrase as her own. Basically, Celine is like Regina George, and it’s incredibly entertaining. Meanwhile, Mia continues to run TMS, but she’s increasingly frustrated that Stella hasn’t kept her two-year-old promise to promote her to Director of the News Division.

Alex is incredibly busy! She hosts a streaming show called *Alex Unfiltered*, fills in as an anchor on *TMS*, manages UBN’s talent (which includes making difficult firing decisions), and is heavily involved in the network’s merger. Seriously, how does she find the time? As she prepares to interview Iranian fencer Roya and her father Arsham ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, things take a dramatic turn. When Arsham passes Alex a note revealing their desire to defect, she panics and creates a distraction during the interview. She ultimately pulls the fire alarm, allowing Roya and Arsham to escape in her car. A major car accident follows, but surprisingly goes unreported. Soon after, Roya and Arsham are being interviewed by the State Department. UBN discovers that Arsham is actually a nuclear scientist, and the team realizes Alex’s impulsive actions might have created an international crisis. They’re even more worried, however, about the potential loss of their contract with the IOC, which could spell the end of the network. It seems season four of *The Morning Show* is showing us that despite all the changes, some things never really change.

Oh, Alex is already in trouble, and things have barely started! It’s quite a situation. Stella and Mia are now trying to save the Olympics coverage contract, which means keeping Alex away from it. Although Alex is upset about being sidelined, she’s more focused on Roya and her father’s safety. She’s so worried, she does something she previously said she wouldn’t: she reaches out to her own father.

We’re introduced to Martin Levy, a Yale law professor who’s a major source of Alex’s insecurities. He’s incredibly dismissive of her career, calling it superficial, and acts like it’s beneath him – he can’t even remember Mitch Kessler’s name. When Alex seeks his advice on a State Department matter, drawing on his experience with defectors, he shuts her down, saying it’s not her concern. He immediately follows this by announcing he’s about to become Dean and needs her help with a profile in a student magazine. Jeremy Irons plays him with a wonderfully unpleasant charm, and I’m eager to see a larger conflict develop between his character and Jennifer Aniston’s.

Okay, so things are getting messy at the network. Alex is dealing with some personal stuff and is being pulled from the pre-Olympics coverage, which throws Mia and Stella into a bit of a panic. Stella, in classic Stella fashion, *demands* Chris Hunter step in to do Alex’s athlete interviews, meaning he’ll be on the road for two months. That leaves a hole at the anchor desk, and honestly, their solution is baffling. They’ve decided Bradley Jackson is the only one who can fill in! It’s wild because, let’s be real, Bradley was never exactly a star anchor. Are they all forgetting something? It’s a total twist! But it’s also pretty transparent – Stella and Mia are excited to have someone who appeals to a wider audience, a “red-state-friendly face,” during the election year. Stella thinks the January 6th stuff is shifting things, and she sees this as a win. Honestly, if she knew what was coming in 2025, she might not be so confident! It’s like that CEO chair just makes people crave drama and want to make big pronouncements. It’s just… a lot.

Bringing Bradley back to TMS feels unnecessary, but many are likely focused on her past involvement with the January 6th investigation. Remember the awkward cover of “Three Little Birds” when she and her brother, Hal, turned themselves in? Hal is currently in prison, and Bradley avoided charges by providing the FBI with information on Paul Marks – a deal that kept her name out of the news. Only a few people know about her involvement with the January 6th video. Everyone at UBN, except Alex, believes she left to escape the fallout from her brother’s sentencing and the story about her relationship with Cory. She’s still on federal parole, but she’s doing well, teaching journalism at a community college in West Virginia. And, thankfully, she hasn’t dyed her hair brown again.

Mia travels to West Virginia to try and convince Bradley in person, but he refuses. She decides she won’t return there. However, that night, she receives a mysterious message from someone who knows Bradley turned her down. This person urgently needs Bradley to return to UBN, revealing a major cover-up involving a chemical plant poisoning an entire town. They send disturbing evidence: videos of birds falling from the sky, a report detailing birth defects, and footage of a child with blackened gums. People are dying, and someone at UBN suppressed the story. They believe Bradley is the only one who can expose the truth. Bradley repeatedly asks the sender to identify themselves, but gets no answer. She informs her FBI contact, who reacts coldly, and is warned that any dishonesty could jeopardize her agreement to avoid prison – a warning that feels like a foreshadowing of things to come. Ultimately, she travels to New York City.

She’s genuinely happy to be back at work, but things get tense when she meets with Alex. The conversation is incredibly awkward, starting with Alex quickly filling both their glasses with wine and immediately criticizing Bradley for reporting the news. Alex admits she overstepped boundaries and fears the fallout if the truth comes out, as the network is already struggling. While Alex has a point, Bradley rightly points out the hypocrisy, given Alex’s own history of unethical behavior. Bradley also accuses Alex of being more concerned with protecting her own reputation. She even reminds Alex that she chose not to report damaging information about Paul Marks. It’s clear Alex favors some people over others. While I appreciate the on-screen camaraderie, *The Morning Show* is always more compelling when Alex and Bradley are clashing. And that’s just how I see it.

Alex won’t let Bradley waltz back into UBN without a confrontation. When their initial talk doesn’t go well, Alex calls for help from Cory Ellison. Cory’s currently struggling in Los Angeles to get his film – a modern take on *Chinatown* – made. His leading actress left due to a difficult work environment, people are still wary of him because of the Bradley Jackson scandal (though he was cleared in the investigation), and he’s quickly running out of both time and money. He’s even lost his ability to talk his way out of trouble. It’s a far cry from his former power. But then Alex calls with a surprising update: Bradley is coming back. “We’re long overdue for a chat, don’t you think?” she asks.

In Other News!

This is the kind of dramatic storyline I love! Stella is having a passionate affair with Miles, and there’s a lot of intense chemistry – he enjoys watching her flirtatiously eat cake while making eye contact with him before they become intimate. The real twist? Miles is married… to Celine.

Everyone’s excited about Chip – a documentary he made is getting a lot of attention at the Cannes Film Festival, which is really bothering Alex.

Stella is really excited to bring AI technology to UBN, even if it means appealing to audiences who believe in misinformation. This tech can replicate any news anchor’s voice in over 40 languages, allowing UBN to reach a worldwide audience. It’s both unsettling and funny that even Alex Levy supports this idea, and it seems inevitable that it will cause major problems down the line.

The show *The Morning Show* brilliantly named its popular podcast host ‘Bro’ Hamilton – it’s a perfect touch and needs no further explanation.

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2025-09-17 10:56