'The Morning Show' is Jennifer Aniston's most fitting television comeback since her role as Rachel Green on 'Friends'
Jennifer Aniston became a household name with role as Rachel Green, the spoilt girl coming to terms with reality on the NBC sitcom 'FRIENDS'. After making her big Hollywood debut in the 1993 horror-comedy 'Leprechaun', it was time to weave the same storm she did in the movies, on television and the arc for Rachel Green was the perfect crutch for her to walk along - wowing and amazing us with relatable moments and impeccable fashion for over a decade, before she just disappeared from TV.
We saw her as the dysfunctional mother recovering and coping in the wake of her little son's death in the Academy Award-nominated film 'Cake' - something that allowed us to peek into the intensity of what Aniston could embody in dramatic roles for the screen. And now, seven years after she starred in the 'Bachelor' franchise spin-off 'Burning Love', Aniston is finally returning to TV and what better way to commemorate it than play an accomplished TV news personality on 'The Morning Show', who has to ensure the show goes on, after her co-host (Steve Carell) gets slammed with sexual assault allegations, and subsequently, fired.
That Aniston is a character of extreme caliber is no secret; at the same time, this expertise has been parlayed mostly in films adhering to either strict comedy, or at most the romantic comedy genre. 'Cake' was, in fact, one of the only serious dramas Aniston has appeared in, in the recent past. The story was sad, tragic in fact, and Aniston's character Claire Bennett wasn't the most pleasant person to deal with as she navigated through the guilt and trauma of letting her own son die in an accident while on her watch. The role allowed her to display an entire spectrum of emotions and layers - as she went from being injured to denial, toughening up and pushing people away, and eventually warming up when she comes across another little boy around the same age as her departed son.
The trajectory can be expected to be mirrored in the upcoming Apple TV show, 'The Morning Show'. Aniston plays Alex Levy - host of the eponymous TV segment, who needs to address the world about her co-host's recent firing. The trailer sees Aniston call Carell's character Mitch Kessler her "partner" and suddenly the stakes rise more than just a professional call to take. As Mitch accuses Alex of ruining his life and partaking in extreme decision to sabotage his vast career, Alex's respite comes in the form of a younger journalist played by Reese Witherspoon. And even though the two gorgeous blondes will be reuniting for the first time since they played sisters on 'FRIENDS', Aniston believes that The Morning Show's timing is what will capture viewers' intrigue.
“This role never could’ve come to me any sooner than now,” Aniston has shared in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, noting that the story was highly influenced by the spur of the #MeToo movement, which happened around the same time they went into production. “It’s one of the hardest jobs I’ve had. I knew I was up to the task, but then there was the excavation of all the emotions in order to create this world for this woman. All of her lifelines are falling away. I would walk out of some of those scenes feeling like a manhole cover just came off my back," she added, addressing how a fictional plot was the last thing they wanted to go ahead with when the movement made headlines.
Speaking of headlines, when not wooing fans with her enviable figure at 50, Aniston has made plenty of them with her latest works in Netflix romcoms and more recently, by finally joining Instagram. But not so long ago, we saw her name on publications when in 2018, she divorced husband of two and a half years, Justin Theroux, whom she had been dating since 2011. Following her divorce, Aniston came clean about calling it quits because the two wanted to be happy and their arrangement wasn't aiding the need. Perhaps these sentiments will allow her to portray Alex in a more relatable light, as she too reels in the aftermath of a relationship not working out because they fell out of love.
Alongside starring as the lead, Aniston is also onboard to co-produce the show with Witherspoon, and the latter has already exhibited her stellar expertise in the field with her HBO show, 'Big Little Lies' that she co-produced with Nicole Kidman. And if you ask fans, Aniston couldn't have opted for a more sure shot way to take over the television platform than her upcoming Morning show, which premiered this Friday, November 1, only on Apple TV.