A Seat at the Table (The Morning Show)
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| "A Seat at the Table" | |
|---|---|
| The Morning Show episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 2 |
| Directed by | Mimi Leder |
| Story by | |
| Teleplay by | Kerry Ehrin |
| Cinematography by | Michael Grady |
| Editing by | Carole Kravetz Aykanian |
| Original release date | November 1, 2019 |
| Running time | 55 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"A Seat at the Table" is the second episode of the American drama television series The Morning Show, inspired by Brian Stelter's 2013 book Top of the Morning. The episode was written by series developer Kerry Ehrin from a story co-written by her and Jay Carson, and directed by executive producer Mimi Leder. It was released on Apple TV+ on November 1, 2019, the same day when the service was launched.[1]
The series follows the characters and culture behind a network broadcast morning news program, The Morning Show. After allegations of sexual misconduct, the male co-anchor of the program, Mitch Kessler, is forced off the show. It follows Mitch's co-host, Alex Levy, and a conservative reporter Bradley Jackson, who attracts the attention of the show's producers after a viral video. In the episode, Alex fights to keep her co-host position, while Bradley receives an offer.
The episode received mixed reviews from critics, particularly for its writing and Mitch's characterization, although Jennifer Aniston received high praise for her performance.
Bradley (Reese Witherspoon) meets with Cory (Billy Crudup) for dinner, where he expresses interest in her research. He offers her the chance to secure a field correspondent position at The Morning Show, getting her in contact with Chip (Mark Duplass). However, Chip feels that her ideas and stories do not fit with the show's uplifting nature, leading Bradley to lambast him.
Yanko Flores (Néstor Carbonell), the show's meteorologist, is pursuing a secret relationship with production assistant Claire Conway (Bel Powley); Yanko and Claire are hesitant to reveal their relationship to HR, due to Mitch's recent controversies. TMS's rival show, Your Day America, announces that they have secured an interview with one of Mitch's victims. Hannah (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) decides to visit the victim, Ashley Brown (Ahna O'Reilly), convincing her that conducting the interview at UBA would be more impactful. Mitch (Steve Carell) is informed by his lawyer that he will not receive any more payment from UBA for violating his contract, and he refuses to sell some of his properties to stay afloat. Mitch later tries to schedule meetings with reporters to reveal his side of the story; Chip confronts Mitch at his house, asking him not to continue ruining the image of the show.
Alex (Jennifer Aniston) is in the middle of contract negotiations while temporarily co-hosting the show with Daniel Henderson (Desean Terry), the weekend edition host. Knowing the network needs her to stabilize the show following Mitch's departure, Alex tries to leverage the situation by demanding co-host approval, and she pressures Chip to fight for her terms. Alex later attends a ceremony to receive the Leadership in Journalism Award, where Cory forces Bradley to sit alongside Alex. Alex tells Cory that she will quit if she is not given co-host approval, but Cory is unfazed. When she receives her award, Alex delivers a speech proclaiming that things will change and suddenly announces that Bradley will be her co-host, shocking the staff.
Development
Production
The episode was written by series developer Kerry Ehrin from a story co-written by her and Jay Carson, and directed by executive producer Mimi Leder. This was Ehrin's second writing credit, Carson's second writing credit, and Leder's second directing credit.[2]
Casting
The episode includes a guest appearance by Mindy Kaling. Reese Witherspoon said that she recommended her after previously collaborating with her in many projects, including A Wrinkle in Time. She said, "the part was just perfect for her. We were like, ‘Would you really do this?’ And she was like, ‘Yeah, that sounds like so much fun!’ So she came and played and gave us some of the greatest one-liners."[3]