Reese Witherspoon & Jennifer Aniston Cancel Cancellation Culture On 'The Morning Show'

The first season of

The Morning Show

ended with the abrupt broadcast cut-off of the fictional morning magazine around which the series gravitated.

An adjustment chart and a censoring beep on the screens gave way to a final shot, that of the face of a man caught in the middle of Hurricane MeToo.

Isolated and silent, he is aware that the world has stopped tolerating his abusive ways.

With that final image, the series seemed to say goodbye to television host Mitch Kessler (played by Steve Carell) and the form of patriarchy he represents.

But he is still there in his second batch of episodes, which premieres Apple TV + this September 17.

Mitch Kessler (played by Steve Carell), in the final shot of the first season of 'The Morning Show' Apple TV +

The drama, produced by and starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, became in 2019 a precise analysis of the nuances surrounding one of the most powerful and polarized social movements of the century. On his return, he recounts what happened several months after an inconvenient truth crept into the homes of millions of viewers live. This time, issues such as racial and sexual identity and the culture of cancellation, the phenomenon that eliminates from the public sphere those who have engaged in unacceptable behaviors, are at the center of the story.

The protagonist / antagonist who had gone from star presenter to unmasked stalker has not been erased from his plots. “The script asked to continue exploring the character and the possibility of a redemption that everyone deserves. And we just don't cancel human beings on this show, ”says Whiterspoon (New Orleans, 45). “For us it is very important that things are not black or white. In other series, it often happens that those characters who are not exactly the heroes who appear daily in your living room suddenly disappear and are no longer part of the cast. And what about them? Is there no possibility that we will see how they are held responsible for their actions? ”Aniston (Los Angeles, 52 years old) wonders looking at the other half of the screen, during a telematic conversation from California.

“It is interesting to see my character with a different self-awareness.

It's hard for her, but very entertaining for the viewer "

Jennifer Aniston, about Alex Levy, star of 'The Morning Show'

The characters in

The Morning Show

they live in permanent war with themselves. Especially those of these two women. Aniston plays Alex Levy again, the morning star presenter who has been affected by the scandal starring Mitch, the man who for decades was her television better half. He then establishes a complex relationship with his new set partner, Bradley Jackson (Whiterspoon). The few glimpses of sisterhood between the two are buried under a cloak of mistrust. In this new stage, Alex begins a learning process that confronts her with her past mistakes. “He is someone whose turn it is to understand who he has been and who he wants to become in the same place where everything that made his world change happened. It is interesting to see her walking through the same corridors while experiencing a completely different situation,with a different self-consciousness. It's hard for her, but very entertaining for the viewer, ”says the actress.

Bradley Jackson (played by Reese Witherspoon), trying to be America's blonde in the second season of 'The Morning Show.' Apple TV +

Whiterspoon plays a race journalist whom a media group wants to turn into America's new blonde.

She continues to try to discover if it pays to overcome a troubled family past at the cost of surviving amid the toxicity of the powerful television network she works for.

“We see a more insecure Bradley than the one we met in season one.

You have no idea who it is.

And, for some reason, it's not that rare.

I have many friends who are past 40 and still trying to figure out what role they play in this world.

It is interesting to represent on screen that vulnerability that I see so often ”, he confesses.

More information

• 'The Morning Show': manure is the only important thing

The series, which achieved eight nominations for the Emmy in its first year as a contender for these awards, inevitably connects with today, as do productions such as

The Good Fight

or

The Newsroom

. In their plots, which take place at the end of 2019 in this second season, they could not miss the silent threat of the coronavirus, which made them delay the recording of this second installment for a whole year. But the new situation of women in the industry continues to be one of its star issues. Aniston and Whiterspoon, both with experience in both entertainment and corporate business, as producers of large entertainment projects, are moderately satisfied with the positive effect that the MeToo has provided to their different work environments. “Without a doubt, we live in much more transparent situations and there is a much greater awareness, also in matters of race and sexuality. It can be seen in the diversity that exists among the creators of series and films, especially in the platforms of

streaming

more than in the traditional film and television industry.

But that is what happens in our world, that of culture, not in all of society ”, comments the protagonist of

A Very Legal Blonde.

To reflect the change in fiction, a new female character appears, empowered although with her own story of overcoming behind her back.

Julianna Margulies

(The Good Wife)

arrives to play one of UBS's great journalists, “who becomes kind of like the mentor Bradley hasn't found until now,” says Witherspoon.

Mimi Leder, lead director and producer of 'The Morning Show' MARIO ANZUONI / Reuters

Another of the powerful women who help build this Apple TV + fiction does not appear on screen. This is

Mimi Leder

, the director of most of its episodes and a pioneer in the television industry who has worked on

The Leftovers

and

The West Wing of the White House

. With 10 Emmy nominations behind him, he began his career in the nineties, in the mythical

ER

. By then, he was already a benchmark for Aniston. "The sets of

Friends

and

Urgencies

they were very close to each other at Warner's studios in California, where we recorded.

We were kids and she was there doing things long before other women could.

She is a born leader, one of those creators capable of controlling her ego to create a common good.

And he also knows how to listen, which makes everything more creative and that spirit of openness is noticeable in the story we are telling on

The Morning Show ”,

celebrates the actress.

You can follow EL PAÍS TELEVISIÓN on

Twitter

or sign up here to receive

our weekly newsletter

.