Lizzy Caplan will be the next celebrity to breathe in The Morning Show‘s Emmy-winning gas leak. Joining the fifth season of what The A.V. Club calls “one of the most insane shows in recent times,” Caplan will play what every morning news operation needs: a passionate and uncompromising Broadway theater director named Gwen. It’s unclear if she’ll be a guest star or a recurring player on the series, but she’s in fine company. In addition to Caplan, Apple is also bringing in Jeff Daniels, Reneé Rapp, Jesse Williams, and Sean Hayes. No word if Daniels will be reprising the role of The Newsroom‘s Will McAvoy.
In the past few years, The Morning Show has brought the real-world horrors of MeToo, COVID, and January 6 into its orbit, generating a ripped-from-the-headlines alternate universe. Last season, Reese Witherspoon’s character, Bradley Jackson, even skirted federal prosecution for her complicity in the January 6 insurrection—ultimately, she would’ve been pardoned, but that’s beside the point. Season four dealt with media mergers and AI, so given the news that they’re bringing in a theater director, we’re going to guess that season five will focus on those damn Pitt fans who keep interrupting Isa Briones in Just In Time.
Apple released The Morning Show‘s fourth season last fall, so it has yet to receive any Emmy nominations. But, in 2024, its third season locked numerous nods, including Outstanding Drama Series. Caplan is setting herself up for success here because season three landed multiple nominations in acting categories. Stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon were both nominated for Best Lead Actress, and Nicole Beharie, Greta Lee, Karen Pittman, and Holland Taylor all received nods for Supporting Actress, accounting for four of the six nominees who lost to Elizabeth Debicki’s Princess Diana on The Crown. Despite the preponderance of nominations, only Billy Crudup went home with a trophy, beating fellow Morning Show players Jon Hamm and Mark Duplass, for Best Supporting Actor. Should the series follow trends set by the previous season, the next season should land on Apple TV this November.