As it turns out, the TV show was more of a slow burn. After the first few episodes aired, critics started changing their tune. Although no one doubted the talent of its cast and production value, the Apple TV+ standard-bearer eventually turned things around in terms of its narrative. Now that Season 2 has aired, it appears that most critics are loving The Morning Show more.
What’s new in The Morning Show Season 2?
Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon both returned to reprise their roles as Alex Levy and Bradley Jackson in Season 2. Other returning cast members include Steve Carell as Mitch Kessler, Billy Crudup as Cory Ellison, Mark Duplass as Charlie “Chip” Black, and Karen Pittman as Mia Jordan. Season 2 of The Morning Show is also going to bring a set of fresh faces. There’s Juliana Margulies, who will play the role of UBA news anchor Laura Peterson. Greta Lee is also coming in as Stella Bak, UBA’s first female news division president and the youngest in the company’s history. Meanwhile, Hasan Minhaj’s Eric Nomani will replace Alex Levy as Bradley’s co-host of the eponymous. Here are the other recurring characters from Season 1 of The Morning Show who will be in Season 2 as well as some new ones:
Marcia Gay Harden as Maggie Brenner Bel Powley as Claire Conway Néstor Carbonell as Yanko Flores Janina Gavankar as Alison Namazi Victoria Tate as Rena Robinson Joe Marinelli as Donny Spagnoli Will Arnett as Doug Klassen Holland Taylor as Cybil Richards Ruari O’Connor as Ty Fitzgerald
What are the critics saying about Season 2 of The Morning Show?
At the moment, Season 2 holds a 68 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s not necessarily the best, but it appears that the follow-up season has solved several of the issues that critics had with the first one. Here’s a round-up of what reviews have to say about Season 2 of The Morning Show:
The Atlantic
“The Morning Show is a camp masterpiece. Liberated from its previous desire to parse events in a meaningful way, it’s become stranger and more fun.” - Sophie Gilbert
Variety
“The Morning Show’s second season is satisfied with the easiness of shock — of announcing itself, though not communicating much of note, in a blare. But the show it might have been, or might still be, is there, just barely avoiding being drowned out.” - Daniel D’Addario
The Ringer
“The key to The Morning Show might be that faults, however glaring, don’t detract from the bright spots… it’s a goofy mess undergirded by relevant themes-just enough of them to keep you on board even when the show can’t keep itself from flying over…” - Alison Herman
Stuff
“The Morning Show certainly features one of Aniston’s finest performances. For those who don’t know her much outside of Rachel Green or her work with Adam Sandler, this will be a revelation.” - James Croot
Film Companion
“The show for all its faults, is a reflexive capsule of our time. The smug self-importance is organic to what it sets out to achieve.” - Rahul Desai
The Morning Show is better, but it can still improve
If there’s one thing that we can all take away from what the critics have to say about The Morning Show’s latest season, it’s that it could stand to improve. It’s not bad, by any means. The show’s production value is still topnotch and you’ll find very few others that can rival its ensemble cast. Not to mention, the show has found a middle ground between fun and taking things seriously. Unfortunately, for all the good that it does in its second season, The Morning Show still falls short of the expectations of being Apple TV+’s flagship show. It’ll be interesting to see if Apple sees enough from The Morning Show to renew it for a third season. In the meantime, fans can look forward to seeing Aniston return with Adam Sandler in Murder Mystery 2.
