Is The Morning Show based on a true story? Exploring how the series connects with the real-life scandal

The Morning Show, an unapologetic workplace drama, has been the subject of debate on the features it borrows from reality since its third season premiered on September 13, 2023.

Created by Jay Carson, the show is said to be a partial screen adaptation of the 2013 book by Brian Stelter named Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV. However, there is more to it as the crew has pointed out that the show picks up from the #MeToo movement and allegations surrounding Matt Lauer of NBC’s Today Show.

The neck-to-neck competition between ABC’s Good Morning America and CBS’ This Morning also contributes to the plot that has been growing since the first season was aired on November 1, 2019.

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The Morning Show borrows from real-life events - Details explored

The Green sisters have been close ever since the cult-favorite show Friends. As Jennifer Aniston returns from her long break from television acting, she has paired up with her on-screen sister, Reese Witherspoon, to deliver an Apple TV+ Original inspired by real-life events of workplace misconduct in the media industry.

The official synopsis of The Morning Show provided by Apple TV+ reads:

“The Morning Show” explores the cutthroat world of morning news and the lives of the people who help America wake up in the morning. In season three, the future of the network is thrown into question and loyalties are pushed to the brink when a tech titan takes an interest in UBA. Unexpected alliances form, private truths are weaponized and everyone is forced to confront their core values both in and out of the newsroom."

While The Morning Show is not a direct retelling of the Lauer scandal, the opening episode of the first season reveals that Mitch Kessler, played by Steve Carell, becomes embroiled in a scandal that links him to sexual misconduct at work. The first season takes from the misdeeds of Charlie Rose, Mark Halperin, and Tom Brokaw as well to build a story that is compelling by all means.

The show highlights Lauer's desk's infamous close-door button, which according to NBCUniversal claims is a regular practice in their workplaces. The NBCUniversal facilities team revealed:

"The button is a commonly available feature in executive offices in multiple NBCUniversal facilities to provide an efficient way to close the door without getting up from the desk. The button releases a magnet that holds the door open. It does not lock the door from the inside."

The Morning Show Season 2 moved on to the story with the premise of the COVID-19 pandemic. As news shows struggled to continue production amid a worldwide medical emergency, executive producer Mimi Leder spoke to Town & Country explaining the angle the show took,

"We felt it was important to include Covid in our storytelling, being a news show. And we understood that time period — the beginning — when we were innocent, when we thought 'Covid is something elsewhere, it's in Italy, it's in China, it's not coming here.' We understood that because we lived through it. To do a story that was further into Covid, we felt we couldn't really do honestly, because we had no idea we would be where we are today, still living with it."

The Morning Show's cast and staff, nevertheless, have repeatedly refuted claims that Carell's Mitch is a fictionalized version of Matt Lauer. They have insisted that the persona be based on an archetype that features men like Lauer.

Aniston revealed that she took inspiration from broadcast legend Diane Sawyer as she shadowed her team at her old workplace, Good Morning America. Aniston's character bears a resemblance to Today show anchors Katie Couric and Savannah Guthrie while Reese Witherspoon's Bradley Jackson seems to be an entirely fictionalized character as a whole.

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Tune into Apple TV+ as Episode 4 titled The Green Light airs on September 27, 2023.