The Morning Show

Even though it is overstuffed, it consistently and intelligently weighs in on hot-button issues and avoids traditional black-and-white commenting or resolutions. .... Overall the show bristles with sharp writing and acting; Aniston anchors the entire production and gives a career-high performance this season.

There’s an appealing, almost nihilistic self-awareness to how unapologetically the series bills itself as a campy confection about sad and stressful things. Four seasons in, it remains shallow, glossy and awfully entertaining. Like the talk shows it apes, which pivot seamlessly from tragedy to puppies, it understands the value of lightness.

The show is ludicrous, but our own reality is equally, if differently, ludicrous (see: professional troll Bari Weiss may soon be in charge of CBS News), and I can’t help but find The Morning Show’s depiction of the twilight of television news compulsively watchable. At the very least, maybe it has something to reveal about what falls through the cracks in a news business built on cults of personality.

Crudup gloriously leans into what the show truly is and watching his performance is an utter delight. .... Strangely, Alex and Bradley don’t have that much screen time together as other plots pull the two main characters apart. Both act in ways that aren’t totally consistent with their characters, but narrative integrity has never really been the show’s strong suit.

Far from the series strongest outing, this is still mildly compelling viewing thanks to a stacked cast and an inherently buzzy setting. It’s already been renewed for Season 5 and we’ll all be back for more — despite ourselves.

AI plays a major role in the season, and it’s probably the most fun. .... Other attempts at tackling real topics are less effective. Bradley is one of the most consistent weak spots on this show, which is not necessarily Witherspoon’s fault. The character is confusing, like no one wants to commit fully to any side of her.

While Alex and Bradley’s arcs suffer, and Cory feels like he’s overstayed his welcome despite Crudup’s natural charm and undeniable charisma, Stella and Mia shine, and Celine and Miles are interesting enough to justify their addition to an already too-packed cast. I was rarely particularly impressed by The Morning Show Season 4, but I was also definitely never bored.

All these actors [Karen Pittman, Greta Lee and Nicole Beharie] are strong, but expect Lee and Beharie, in particular, to be in the Emmys conversation thanks to two grueling scenes in which each character’s world falls apart. .... But the resulting season feels mostly like filler that had me yearning for the episodes in which The Morning Show might finally grapple with the actual biggest threat to news media.

Crudup continues to shine in a career-highlight role as Cory, arguably the most complex and interesting character on the series. Aniston and Witherspoon are excellent actors, but it almost comes across as if they share our feeling that Alex and Bradley are no longer particularly fresh and challenging roles, and have possibly been played out.

Billy Crudup remains the only actor on this series who has a handle on The Morning Show’s slippery, campy tonal swings.

Their [Mia and Chris'] late blooming as full-fledged protagonists feels borrowed from a more methodical, patient kind of show. It’s also not enough to anchor all the madness. “The Morning Show” has always been a compulsively watchable, campy kind of mess. In Season 4, the mess takes center stage.

We’ve held out hope in the past that The Morning Show would control the impulse to spiral into flights of fancy and actually stick to the drama involved in trying to produce credible news shows in this trying media environment, but the fourth season has proven to us that this is not what the show is ever going to be about, and we’re just not into what it is trying to do.

Viewer interest should wane as well, unless you’re a particular breed of actor or particular fan of acting: one who craves big, showy performances and doesn’t tend to care how repetitive they get or if they’re rooted in anything bigger than the seconds in which they’re spoken.