When it comes to TV, 2021 is shaping up to be a pretty good year.

From brand new seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale and Line Of Duty to the hotly anticipated debut of new shows including Nine Perfect Strangers and the BBC adaptation of Conversations With Friends, there’s plenty to look forward to.

And although a release date is yet to be confirmed, it’s looking like we might have another brilliant show to add to our ‘2021 in TV’ list – The Morning Show season two. Although, as we said, we haven’t heard anything definite about when we can expect the show – which stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon – to return, according to Deadline, the show went back into production in the middle of October after delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Back in November 2019, before production on the show was delayed, the series’ showrunner Kerry Ehrin told Variety that the show was scheduled to be written, filmed and be ready to air by the following November. With this in mind, it seems likely that we’ll see The Morning Show season two return to our screens sometime in 2021, especially considering that the second season has already been written (…and rewritten, more on that later).

So, alongside a rumoured release date, what else do we know about The Morning Show season two? From new additions to the cast to script rewrites, here’s everything we know about the return of Apple TV+’s hit show. 

Who will star in The Morning Show season 2?

In season two of The Morning Show, we’re set to see a number of new cast members join the already star-studded line-up.

Most recently, it was announced that The Good Wife star Julianna Marguiles will be joining the cast as UBA news anchor Laura Peterson, a role which will see her star alongside returning cast members Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, who play talk show host Alex Levy and field reporter Bradley Jackson respectively.

Also joining the line-up will be Russian Doll star Greta Lee and The Spanish Princess’ Ruari O’Connor. Lee will play Stella Blak, a “young, ambitious leader of an online media company that caters to a millennial and Gen Z audience,” while O’Connor will play a YouTube star called Ty Fitzgerald. Comedian Hasan Minhaj will also appear as Eric, a “charismatic, rising star who joins The Morning Show team”. 

Alongside these new additions to the cast, most of the cast from season one will be returning, including Steve Carell as Mitch Kessler and Billy Crudup as Cory Ellison. Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, Bel Powley, Karen Pittman and Desean Terry will also reprise their roles.  

The only series one regular not returning for season two will be Gugu Mbatha-Raw, because of events which unfolded in season one. 

What will The Morning Show season 2 be about?

Although filming for The Morning Show season two’s first two episodes was reportedly already underway when the coronavirus pandemic hit, the show was set to head in a slightly different direction when filming resumed in October.

According to Mark Duplass, who stars as Charlie Black, executive producer of The Morning Show, the scripts for season two have been rewritten since production first started in order to give them a more topical focus.

Speaking to Deadline in August, Duplass explained: “I know that they’re also rewriting, which is crazy because that’s what happened in the first season. They had a whole set of scripts and they rewrote everything to include the #MeToo movement, and now we’ve got another, larger global phenomenon to deal with. I don’t know what they’re doing, but I know they’re rewriting.”

In a later interview, again with Deadline, Aniston confirmed that the show would be incorporating the pandemic “in a way that is so exciting”.

Aniston explained: “I’m not calling COVID exciting by any stretch of the imagination, but in terms of where season one ended, because the covers were being pulled on the network. Alex has a breakdown/breakthrough on live television, and for whatever reason, it’s like complete awareness, like she just popped into reality and was like ‘what the fuck?’”

Reflecting on the end of season one, which saw her character Alex expose the sexual misconduct and toxic culture at the UBA network live on air, Aniston explained why she thinks it will be so interesting to see Alex deal with the pandemic and the isolation which has come with it. 

“It’s really interesting to see the direction that this pandemic has taken her with season two, because I believe what we all have taken away from these months in quarantine, and the state of the world as it exists right now, is a lot of contemplation, and a lot of excavation, and a lot of inward work,” she pointed out. “It feels like there’s an upgrade taking place.”

Alongside the pandemic storyline, it’s likely we’ll see Steve Carell’s character Mitch Kessler continue to deal with the repercussions of the sexual misconduct allegations against him – whether or not he comes to accept what he’s done.

As The Morning Show’s showrunner Kerry Ehrin previously told The Hollywood Reporter, season two is “like a huge building fell on everybody and it’s about escaping from the wreckage”. 

Where can you watch The Morning Show season 2?

The Morning Show airs exclusively on Apple TV+, so you’ll need to sign-up for a subscription if you want to catch a glimpse of the cast in action.

If you’ve yet to watch season one of The Morning Show, it’s available to stream on the platform now. 

However, there are ways to give the service a go before you buy – not only does the service offer users a seven-day free trial to get them started (after which you pay £4.99 a month), you can also get a free year of Apple TV+ when you purchase an eligible Apple device and activate the subscription within 90 days, so make sure to check that out if you’re receiving any new devices this Christmas. 

Although we don’t have an official release date or a trailer to get excited about yet, we can’t wait to see what’s to come from season two of The Morning Show. 

Plus, we’ll be updating this space with more news when it comes, so keep your eyes peeled. 

Images: Apple TV+