Apple TV+'s premier drama series is finally back as The Morning Show returns to our screens after two years away.

The series, which began mostly as an examination of gender dynamics and sexual exploitation in the workplace of a news show, soon evolved into an even more wide-ranging examination of the media industry.

Despite a flurry of awards and plaudits for its stars, however, The Morning Show is fantastic melodrama, delivering campy, heartbreaking and amusing scenes in spades.

The run picks up two years after the events of the preceding season and brings with it some new faces, some returning old ones, and boasts some bigger and somehow even more wild plots to explore.

Now, given news of the show's assured future with a fifth season confirmed, it's worth the investment.

So, strap yourselves in, as the premiere for the fourth season shows, it's only just beginning and here's what you have to watch for...

**Spoiler warning for The Morning Show so far and season 4 episode 1**

10 things we’re excited to see in The Morning Show season 4

1. Women in power

The Morning Show has explored gender imbalances in power throughout the media industry across its previous three seasons, with its first being a riveting examination of a #MeToo reckoning hitting a beloved media institution.

However, with the end of the third season and a huge corporate shake-up, the show’s setting is now overseen by three female leaders in a welcome shake-up to the usual dynamics.

The new season opens in the aftermath of the UBA/NBN merger, and we now have the new media giant UBN dominated by three powerful women: Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston, of course), CEO Stella Bak (the magnetic Greta Lee), and new face Celina Dumont (Oscar winner Marion Cotillard).

Alex has long been caught up in scandal and controversy, but her ability to navigate these and come out stronger and more beloved has been a major calling card for the character. How will Alex deal with these issues, however, now that she’s in charge and the buck will often stop with her?

Elsewhere, work-addicted Stella, who herself suffered under the dangerous tech giant Paul Marks (Jon Hamm), is now the big boss, having stepped out of the shadow of mentor Cory Ellison (Billy Crudup) - but with power comes other weights and dangers.

The premiere also shows that Stella must balance honouring key working relationships with hard business as colleague Mia Jordan (Karen Pittman) waits for her long-deserved promotion to Head of News.

Finally, the new face of Celine, the head of the board of directors of the company and an offspring of a wealthy French dynasty, is an enigmatic new addition to the cast, meaning how she will impact the roles of Alex and Stella is anyone’s guess.

Either way, women are in power in season 4 of The Morning Show; the question is: what do they do with that power?

2. Oscar winner Marion Cotillard in general

Aside from the impact that Celine will bring to the power dynamic, she’s played by Marion Cotillard!

One of France’s most celebrated actresses and an Academy Award winner, Cotillard is one of the most distinguished additions to The Morning Show cast (and this is in a cast full of Hollywood heavyweights).

Whether it is gravitas, tragedy, beguilement or mystery, Cotillard can always bring it in spades, and the fact that she’s such a key player in the fourth season bodes very well for what’s to come.

Though given the last time she played an enigmatic corporate suit - as Miranda Tate/Talia Al Ghul in The Dark Knight Rises - ended in a violent car crash amid a nuclear bomb plot, we hope things don’t get quite so explosive for Celine... but this is The Morning Show after all, the show that put Reese Witherspoon's character in space before Katy Perry ascended to the stars.

Cotillard knows how to roll out the camp, and where is more appropriate than The Morning Show?

However, one story does look set to cause heartache…

3. Stella Bak (Greta Lee) and her messy affair

A major threat to this new trinity of female leaders is a new romance for Stella - with Celine’s charismatic artist husband, Miles, played by rising star Aaron Pierre.

The premiere set up a very sexy rendezvous for the pair in a cocktail bar, in what initially seemed like a fiery first meeting but turned out to be the latest outing for the pair.

Pierre and Lee deliver great chemistry, but the potential fallout from their adulterous affair and the reaction of the enigmatic Celine looks poised to be must-see TV.

Greta Lee has only had more success off the back of her stunning turn in the film Past Lives by Celine Song, so it’s an extra treat to see her back in the fourth run of The Morning Show after being the definite highlight of season 3.

4. Jeremy Irons as Martin Levy

The other most notable addition in the new season has to be legendary thespian Jeremy Irons. And who is he? Why, Jennifer Aniston’s father of course!

The premiere introduces us to Alex’s academic father, Martin Levy (Jeremy Irons), and there’s clearly a lot of water under the bridge between this pair. Martin has a request for Alex to help further his legacy by continuing coverage of his life’s work.

Alex hardly seems to be jumping for joy at the prospect, and there’s definitely resentment bubbling under the surface here.

Who’s betting it’s all going to explode in signature melodramatic style from Alex Levy? We’ll grab the popcorn and ready ourselves for further insight into Alex’s backstory.

5. What's next for Cory Ellison (Billy Crudup)?

He’s a fan-favourite for a reason. Billy Crudup’s award-winning turn as the delightfully quirky former UBN CEO, Cory Ellison, is set to continue in the fourth run.

The last season ended with Cory exiting UBA and his love for Bradley becoming abundantly clear, but the pair parted ways. Worryingly, it seemed it might have been the end of the road for Cory.

However, he’s back and fully in the realm of film producing in California and in true bombastic Cory style too.

Of course, Cory won’t be out of the thick of the action for long, but how on Earth will he be drawn back into the main story? Well, it seems Alex has an eye to use him in a very specific fashion - an obstacle for Bradley.

Either way, Cory’s inevitable reunion with Bradley will be rewarding and rich with pathos, and we’re sure Crudup will bring a tear to the eye when it does.

6. Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon) is back - but for how long?

One of the wildest plots for the previous season was Bradley conspiring to cover up her brother's involvement in the 6th January 2020 Capitol attack, and it left her compromising her journalistic principles - and the law.

Given that a potential prison sentence was on the cards for intrepid reporter Bradley at the end of the third season, again, the future looked ominous for one of our key players.

However, Bradley was back, teaching and living a quiet life in Virginia until producer Mia returned and asked her to come back and front The Morning Show for a limited time, cynically also to appeal to Republican states and turn away from those Capitol controversies.

While Bradley will return to the fold, we discover that her freedom is really because she cut a deal with the FBI and her leaving for New York and returning to journalism while an informant for the government could cause some conflicts of interest.

In the end, Bradley is coming back, despite Alex's irritation, but this feels like it'll only end in chaos.

Does Bradley have a long-term future at TMS? And what would a potential betrayal of UBN for the FBI mean for Bradley's friendship with Alex?

7. Artificial Intelligence

A major recurring element of the new season that has been much-touted in promotional material and prominent in the premiere is the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the media, and at UBN in particular, with Stella spearheading its use for the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.

The world in 2025 is very much aware of how much change AI is already bringing to many industries, and the media and journalism are among the most fraught now with questions of accuracy, trust and manipulation more glaring than ever.

Now, can the melodramatic and spicy tone of The Morning Show tackle such a weighty new topic with aplomb? You betcha, and it couldn't be more timely.

8. Chris Hunter (Nicole Beharie) enters the spotlight

One of the most dynamic and gifted additions to the show in season 3 was the addition of Miss Juneteenth star Nicole Beharie as former Olympic gold medalist turned TV presenter Christine "Chris" Hunter.

The new episodes finally see Chris ascending to the leading lady of the titular breakfast show at the centre of the series, making her more important than ever and also, hopefully, exploring her personal life even more.

Chris is one of the more fascinating characters in the workplace drama, with a very different life experience for the show to draw from. Let's hope Beharie gets her dues!

9. Where does Clare Conway (Bel Powley) fit in?

Now this is a very mysterious element of the season, but actress Bel Powley was spotted filming scenes with Reese Witherspoon for the season in New York, suggesting a return for Bradley's former assistant, Clare Conway.

Clare was last seen furious with UBA for the treatment of the late Hannah (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who died by suicide in season 1. The character also had a controversial workplace romance with weatherman Yanko Flores (Néstor Carbonell).

Now, Yanko is the anchor of TMS and is in a relationship. Would Clare's return cause any issues?

10. Paul Marks (Jon Hamm) will return...

Another character who many expected to be off the show following his downfall in the season 3 finale and the end of his romantic relationship with Alex was tech giant Paul Marks (Jon Hamm).

An antagonistic figure, but one who had a very real love story with Alex, Marks was a dynamite addition to the ensemble of characters, so it's great to know that we have not seen the last of him.

Apple TV+ confirmed that Hamm will appear in the new season, but in what capacity remains to be seen. Will Paul and Alex reunite as friends or foes?

Hamm, of course, is excellent and boasts fantastic chemistry with Aniston, so fireworks are definitely on the menu.

The Morning Show season 4 airs weekly on Wednesdays on Apple TV+ through to 19th November.

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