The Morning Show: Seasons 1 & 2: The Compelling Apple TV Drama Finally Gets a Physical Release (Blu-ray)

The Show:

There have been a few shows that have attempted to tell a story set in the world of TV news/journalism, most notably Aaron Sorkin's marvelous "The Newsroom," which had an all-too-short 25-episode run, but there haven't really been any that have tried to focus on something that's usually a lot less serious: Morning Shows, which certainly have their own share of news, but also consist of a wide-variety of segments like cooking, fashion, music, and more.

However, just like the shows that focus on the news, it would have to be about much more than just the show within the show. It would need a remarkable cast of characters & a hefty dose of character drama to make it compelling & engaging, which brings us to Apple TV's "The Morning Show," an incredible, award-winning example of this kind of program done quite well. With the show currently in its fourth season, and still remaining quite popular, Apple & Fifth Season have teamed up to bring the first two seasons to Blu-ray so fans can finally add it to their collections, making now the perfect time to go back to the beginning and see what made it work so well from the get-go.

"The Morning Show" begins with the titular program finding itself in a terrible scandal when one of its lead anchors, Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell), is fired for multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. This leaves the show's other lead anchor, Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston), to host alone for the time being while the search for a new co-anchor begins. Meanwhile, we are introduced to Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon), a reporter who goes viral for her outburst while covering a coal mine protest.

This brings her to the attention of Hannah (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), head booker for The Morning Show, who asks her to be interviewed by Alex. She agrees and is able to hold her own quite well against the formidable Alex, who presses her quite hard. This impresses Network CEO Cory Ellison (Billy Crudup), who thinks she might make a good member of the team, though things go somewhat topsy-turvy when Alex, who is scoffed at when she demands co-host approval, publicly announces Bradley as her new partner on The Morning Show. As the season proceeds, we quickly find that this is but a small part of the drama that unfolds as the various employees of the UBA Network try to keep their morning program from falling apart.

When it comes to "The Morning Show," it really isn't that hard to pin down exactly why the show instantly became popular, and why it's remained so for the past four seasons thus far. For starters, the storylines are quite compelling, injecting the show with a fair amount of character drama as it explores Bradley becoming the new co-anchor, the fallout from the allegations against Mitch, secret affairs between UBA employees, and the intrigue of the power plays conducted by those trying to get ahead, some of which rolls into Season Two, where the COVID pandemic also comes into play. With storylines this engaging, it's hardly a wonder as to why so many people have been tuning in week to week over the last few years.

The other major element that breathes life into the show is the remarkably talented ensemble, which includes Emmy winner Jennifer Aniston, Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon, two-time Emmy winner Billy Crudup, Oscar nominee Steve Carell, and Emmy winner Mark Duplass. Their performances, and the chemistry among the entire cast, make the show all the more captivating, drawing the audience into their intriguing lives and building on the fascinating drama already inherent in the various plot threads. Indeed, without their strong commitment to these roles, the show would not be nearly as engrossing as it is.

In the end, what you get with "The Morning Show" is simply compelling, well-written television, featuring a fair amount of talent both behind and in front of the camera. Morning shows like this may seem incredibly silly from the outside a lot of the time, but in the right creative hands, and with the right cast, it's an idea that can become quite the spellbinding drama, one that shows no signs of slowing down as it heads into what will likely be an equally-incredible fifth season.

Video/Audio:

"The Morning Show: Seasons 1 & 2" comes to Blu-ray in 2.00:1, 1080p High Definition transfers of outstanding quality, with each episode presenting a beautifully clear & crisp picture throughout. Likewise, the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio tracks are fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue & music in excellent quality. Overall, Apple & Fifth Season have done a wonderful job in both departments for the show's physical debut.

Special Features:

None.

Conclusion:

Utilizing its compelling storylines & fantastic ensemble, "The Morning Show" makes for a rather captivating drama that features quite a lot of talent both behind and in front of the camera. The first two seasons being released on Blu-ray may not contain any special features, but they do feature all 20 episodes in fantastic quality, making this an easy recommendation for fans that have been waiting to add this wonderful show to their personal collection.

Score: 4/5

Now available on Blu-ray.

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