Let’s be real for a second. If you finished that Season 3 finale of The Morning Show, your brain was probably a chaotic mess of "Wait, is UBA actually dead?" and "Did Bradley just blow up her entire life?" It was a lot. Now, the collective internet is collectively holding its breath for The Morning Show Season 4, and honestly, the wait is going to be a test of patience.
Apple TV+ isn't exactly known for rushing their prestige dramas.
We’re looking at a show that thrives on the "ripped from the headlines" vibe, which means the writers are likely scrambling to figure out how to weave the current, messy state of the world into the lives of Alex Levy and Bradley Jackson. It’s tricky. If they write it too fast, it feels dated. If they wait too long, we forget why we cared about the merger in the first place. But given the cliffhangers we were left with—Bradley surrendering to the FBI and the proposed merger with NBN—the stakes have never been higher for the crew at UBA.
When is The Morning Show Season 4 actually coming out?
The short answer? Not as soon as you want.
Historically, this show takes its sweet time. Season 3 wrapped up in late 2023. If you look at the production cycles for high-budget streaming hits, we are firmly in a "two-year gap" era. Showrunner Charlotte Stoudt has hinted in various industry interviews that the writing process is intense because they have to predict what the news cycle will look like eighteen months from now. That’s basically like trying to catch lightning in a bottle while riding a rollercoaster.
Production was rumored to start in mid-2024. If the cameras are rolling through the end of the year, post-production—which is surprisingly heavy for a show that’s mostly people talking in glass offices—takes months. We are likely looking at a mid-to-late 2025 release. Maybe even early 2026 if the editing process gets complicated. It sucks, I know. But quality takes time, and Apple has a lot of money riding on this being their flagship "adult" drama.
The cast shuffle and the Marion Cotillard factor
Here is the biggest piece of news that actually matters: Marion Cotillard is joining the cast. That’s a massive get. She’s playing a character named Celine Dumont, described as a "savvy operator from a storied European family." What does that even mean in the context of a New York newsroom? Well, if UBA is merging or looking for new capital after the Paul Marks (Jon Hamm) disaster, Celine is likely the one holding the checkbook—or the one trying to steal the company for pennies on the dollar.
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As for the regulars, Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon are obviously back. They are the engine. But the real question mark is Julianna Margulies. Reports have circulated that she won’t be returning as Laura Peterson. Honestly, that's a bummer for the Bradley/Laura shippers, but narratively, it makes sense. Their relationship was a beautiful train wreck, and with Bradley facing potential prison time for the January 6th cover-up, Laura—a woman with immense journalistic integrity—couldn’t really stay in that orbit without compromising herself.
- Jennifer Aniston (Alex Levy): Now a mogul. She basically saved the network by nuking the deal.
- Reese Witherspoon (Bradley Jackson): In legal limbo. Is she going to jail?
- Billy Crudup (Cory Ellison): The chaotic heart of the show. He's currently out of a job, which makes him more dangerous than ever.
- Tig Notaro (Amanda Robinson): We need more of her deadpan delivery as the fixer.
Why the Season 3 finale changed everything for Season 4
The finale didn't just end; it imploded. Alex Levy finally stepped into her power, but she did it by betraying the man she supposedly loved. Paul Marks was a visionary, sure, but he was also a surveillance-obsessed creep. By stopping the sale of UBA to Hyperion, Alex essentially forced a merger with NBN.
This changes the entire DNA of The Morning Show Season 4.
UBA is no longer the scrappy (well, rich but struggling) underdog. It’s now part of a mega-conglomerate. Think about the real-world mergers like Warner Bros. Discovery. It’s messy. It’s about layoffs, "synergy," and corporate overlords who don't care about the news. Season 4 will likely focus on the soul of journalism being crushed by a spreadsheet.
And then there’s Bradley. She turned herself in. That is a huge narrative pivot. We’ve spent three seasons watching her try to be the "truth-teller" while hiding a massive, illegal lie about her brother’s involvement in the Capitol riot. Watching a lead character potentially navigate a legal trial or even a short stint in federal prison is a bold move for a show that usually lives in high-rise penthouses.
Dealing with the AI and Deepfake elephant in the room
You can bet your house that The Morning Show Season 4 is going to tackle AI.
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Season 3 touched on the hack and data privacy, but 2024 and 2025 have been the years of Generative AI. How does a newsroom prove what’s real when deepfakes are everywhere? Stella Bak (Greta Lee) is the tech-forward character, and seeing her navigate a world where news anchors can be replaced by digital avatars seems like a natural progression for the scripts.
The show has always been a mirror to our anxieties. Season 1 was #MeToo. Season 2 was COVID-19. Season 3 was the death of privacy and the billionaire space race. Season 4? It’s almost certainly going to be about the erosion of truth and the "post-fact" era of media.
The Cory Ellison problem
Can we talk about Cory for a second? Billy Crudup plays him with this vibrating, manic energy that makes you want to hug him and call the police at the same time. At the end of last season, he was basically ousted. He’s the man who built the modern UBA, and now he’s on the outside looking in.
A "unemployed" Cory Ellison is a fascinating prospect.
Does he start his own rival network? Does he crawl back to Alex? Or does he find a way to manipulate the NBN merger from the shadows? The dynamic between Cory and Bradley has always been the show's secret weapon—that weird, platonic-but-not-really, trauma-bonded friendship. If she’s in legal trouble, he’s the only one crazy enough to try to "fix" it in a way that probably makes everything ten times worse.
Real-world influences we expect to see
The writers' room, led by Stoudt, usually looks at the major cultural shifts happening during production. Because the show has already been renewed through Season 4, they have the luxury of planning a long arc.
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- The Election Cycle: Even if they don't mirror a specific election, the polarization of the audience is a recurring theme.
- Streaming Collapse: The reality that streaming isn't the gold mine everyone thought it was.
- The Rise of Citizen Journalism: How TikTok and independent creators are eating the lunch of legacy media like The Morning Show.
Actionable steps for fans: How to stay updated
The wait is long, so you have to be smart about how you track updates. Don't fall for those "fan-made" trailers on YouTube that use AI to stitch together old clips of Jennifer Aniston looking sad; they’re fake and a waste of time.
- Watch the Emmy circuits: The cast is almost always nominated. Interviews during the red carpets in late 2024 and early 2025 will be the primary source for "just started filming" or "we're halfway through" updates.
- Follow the trades: Keep an eye on The Hollywood Reporter or Variety for "Production Weekly" updates. This is where real casting news (like the Marion Cotillard announcement) breaks first.
- Re-watch Season 1 and 3: Skip Season 2 if you're short on time (it was a bit of a COVID-era mess), but the parallels between the pilot and the Season 3 finale are actually pretty brilliant once you see them back-to-back.
- Check Apple’s Press Site: Apple TV+ is very controlled with their PR. When a real teaser drops, it will appear on their official "Press" room site before it hits most news blogs.
The bottom line is that The Morning Show Season 4 is shifting from a show about "internal drama" to a show about "existential survival." The characters we love are no longer just fighting for a time slot; they are fighting for their freedom and the right to exist in a world that might not want traditional news anymore. It’s going to be cynical, expensive-looking, and probably a little bit ridiculous.
And honestly? I can't wait.
Next Steps for the Savvy Viewer
To prepare for the premiere, verify your Apple TV+ subscription status around Q3 2025, as that is when the marketing blitz will likely trigger price adjustments or promotional bundles. Additionally, follow showrunner Charlotte Stoudt on social media platforms or via industry newsletters; her insights into the writing process often provide the most accurate timeline for when the UBA cameras will actually start rolling again. Keep an eye out for set photos from New York City—specifically around the Lincoln Center area—which usually signal that filming is in its final stages.