15 Best TV Shows Like The Morning Show

“The Morning Show” quite literally brought Apple TV+ to life, as one of three shows that launched the same day as the streaming heavyweight’s debut. It’s perhaps ironic that one of the first shows of the full-blown streaming era details the goings-on of network television, but “The Morning Show” isn’t afraid of a little — or a whole lot — of dramatic irony and flashy real-world parallels.

The dishy series follows the employees of a long-running news program called The Morning Show. When one of the show’s hosts, Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell), is fired for sexual misconduct, his co-host Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) is left in a lurch. Enter Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon), a tenacious reporter with a rebellious streak. What follows is a biting, hilarious, and frequently bizarre caricature of network TV.

In no other show will you find a delirious COVID-19 live stream that captivates the nation, a shady investigation into the January 6 Capitol riot, and a trip to space in an Elon Musk-esque rocket ship. It’s a difficult task, but we’ve come up with a list of shows that will remind you of “The Morning Show,” whether because of their provocative media settings or juicy workplace drama.

The Freeform series “The Bold Type” is sort of like the Millennial version of “Sex and the City,” looking at 2010s media culture from the perspective of three ambitious young professionals. The New York City-set series follows three best friends who work at Scarlet Magazine, a publication modeled after Cosmo. Jane (Katie Stevens) is a type-A journalist hoping to make a name for herself in the industry. Sutton (Meghann Fahy) begins her career at Scarlet as an assistant but dreams of working in fashion. Kat (Aisha Dee) is an adventurous social media director with an impulsive streak.

“The Bold Type” is less cynical than “The Morning Show,” depicting media as an industry beset with problems, yes, but also a place of possibility. Take Scarlet’s editor-in-chief Jacqueline Carlyle, played by a girlboss-ified Melora Hardin. Though she initially comes off as a Miranda Priestly-type figure, she’s actually a supportive feminist boss and mentor to Jane. “The Bold Type” is an immensely enjoyable show, buoyed by a sense of optimism and good humor yet unafraid to tackle some of the serious issues young women face.

“The Newsroom” has a lot in common with “The Morning Show.” Both series explicitly tackle current political issues, depict the struggles of reporting real news in an increasingly sensationalized media landscape, and feature large ensemble casts operating at full speed. Notably, they’re also both hotly contested series with as many fans as they have haters.

“The Newsroom” isn’t perfect, but it’s still worth checking out if “The Morning Show” is your jam. The Aaron Sorkin-penned HBO series follows staunchly moderate news anchor Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels, who will appear in Season 5 of “The Morning Show”), who goes off the rails while giving a speech about the state of American politics. His ex-girlfriend, MacKenzie McHale (Emily Mortimer), is hired as a producer and brings an entirely new team with her. Will, Mackenzie, and the team are tasked with ushering the network into a new era, foregrounding truth above all else. Their attempts to take the moral high ground don’t go over well with either their bosses or the gossip-hungry public, while complicated office relationships further muddy the waters.

It’s a huge bummer that “UnREAL” remained under the radar for much of its four-season run (perhaps owing to its home on Lifetime), because it’s one of the sharpest industry-based shows we’ve ever seen. Created by “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” alum Marti Noxon and former “Bachelor” producer Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, the series follows the production of a reality dating show called “Everlasting.” Quinn King (Constance Zimmer) is the show’s exacting executive producer, willing to push everyone around her to the brink in order to manufacture drama. TVLine favorite Shiri Appleby plays Rachel Goldberg, her right-hand woman, whom we first meet upon her return to the show after a nervous breakdown.

“UnREAL” is an incredibly misanthropic show, and “The Morning Show” devotees will probably appreciate its devious, sometimes deranged characters. Zimmer delivers an amazing performance as the deliciously depraved Quinn, while Appleby’s Rachel toys with abandoning her moral compass entirely. “UnREAL” lambasts reality television without mocking the people who participate in it, sketching out insatiable characters liable to surprise you at every turn.

The characters in “The Morning Show” live in a hierarchical world ruled by money and power (much like our own), where corporate interests dictate what’s newsworthy. If those kinds of workplace manipulations and the depravity of the wealthy interest you, we’d recommend checking out “Billions,” one of the best Showtime shows of all time. It stars Damian Lewis as Bobby Axelrod, a billionaire hedge fund manager. Paul Giamatti plays Chuck Rhoades, a U.S. attorney determined to put an end to Axelrod’s financial schemes. (Julianna Margulies of “The Morning Show” also guest-stars in Season 5.)

Less of a tale of heroes and villains than it is a treatise on obsession and power plays, this cat-and-mouse game results in collateral damage for everyone around our two protagonists. Axelrod is a ruthless capitalist masquerading as a philanthropist, while Rhoades grows increasingly bitter because of his vendetta against him. The show’s creators used real-life billionaires as inspiration and paid close attention to realism, giving the series a sense of verisimilitude alongside its soapier impulses. You can expect dramatic monologues, witty repartee, and plenty of twists and turns if you give “Billions” a shot.

If the corporate sabotage, biting dialogue, and melodramatic characters are your favorite parts of “The Morning Show,” then your next watch should absolutely be “Succession.” The critically acclaimed HBO series follows the Roy family, who run the media conglomerate Waystar RoyCo. When the family’s patriarch, Logan Roy (Brian Cox), starts having health problems, his greedy, equally undeserving children vie for control of their father’s empire. As Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Shiv (Sarah Snook) repeatedly stab each other in the back, poor Connor (Alan Ruck) isn’t even in the running.

“Succession” is a razor-sharp satire of the rich people who own companies like HBO, but it’s also a great tragedy, as the Roy family tears both each other and themselves apart for the sake of more money than they could ever need. This Shakespearean drama recalls the greed and cruelty of “King Lear” while skewering the selfish, out-of-touch practices of the wealthy. It’s also a chilling look at how power is consolidated in the upper echelons of society, softened by some brilliant one-liners.

As a TV news period piece, “The Newsreader” covers eternally problematic elements of the media industry with a clever dose of hindsight. Set in 1980s Australia, the show follows the hosts and producers of the popular evening news program News at Six. Geoff Walters (Robert Taylor) is a longtime anchor, resentful of changing standards. TV legend Anna Torv plays Geoff’s co-anchor, Helen Norville, who has had to fight tooth and nail to get where she is while quietly struggling with her mental health behind the scenes. Then there’s Dale Jennings (Sam Reid), an ambitious young reporter who becomes Helen’s producer.

“The Newsreader” has plenty to say about how TV news functions in a supposedly democratic society, but it never zooms out at the expense of its characters. Though the show touches on many major events of the ’80s — including the Challenger disaster, Chernobyl, and Princess Diana’s visit to Australia — they mainly serve as backdrops to the characters’ personal lives. Less outrageous than “The Morning Show,” “The Newsreader” nonetheless focuses on some of the same issues, including sexual harassment and sexism in the workplace.

If you need some laughter in your life and love the behind-the-scenes look at media offered by “The Morning Show,” it’s high time you checked out “Call My Agent!” The French series, which is available on Netflix, follows the agents at a Parisian talent agency known as ASK. The show depicts the many difficulties of the job, including managing the needs of demanding actors and hammering out complicated contracts. The agents also face internal conflict, jockeying for power within the agency and competing for the most high-profile clients.

Camille Cottin steals the show as Andréa Martel, a ruthless agent with a mean streak and a surprising domestic situation. Her colleagues include Mathias Barneville (Thibault de Montalembert), a philandering charmer, and old-timer Arlette (Liliane Rovère), who brings her little dog to work. One of the most fun parts of the show is the guest stars; nearly every episode revolves around a client played by actors portraying heightened versions of themselves. They include stars such as Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Huppert, and even Sigourney Weaver. Laugh-out-loud funny and spectacularly dramatic, “Call My Agent!” hits all the right notes.

“The Morning Show” is all about the drama that unfolds behind closed doors in the production of a television show, including the scandals smoothed over by hardworking PR professionals. For a more politically focused look at those tangled webs of money, power, and deceit, turn your attention to the Shonda Rhimes-penned series “Scandal.” Kerry Washington plays Olivia Pope, a lawyer and political fixer in Washington, D.C. Olivia runs a crisis management firm, helping high-profile figures make problems disappear.

Olivia is very good at her job, and she’s both respected and feared within the political community. But she also has a habit of creating her own problems, such as the small issue of her affair with the President of the United States (Tony Goldwyn). Many of Shonda Rhimes’ most outlandish plots came to life on “Scandal,” and fans of “The Morning Show” will probably appreciate its delightful absurdity. As is true in most of Rhimes’ shows, “Scandal” is held together by a powerhouse performance by its lead, as Washington brings both ferocity and vulnerability to the role.

Like Reese Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson, Kate Wyler of “The Diplomat” is suddenly thrust into the spotlight after years of diligent work behind the scenes. Played by the great Keri Russell, Kate is a level-headed diplomat and an expert on the Middle East. Expecting her next posting to be there, she is surprised by a seemingly frivolous assignment in the United Kingdom. What Kate doesn’t realize is that the higher-ups are testing her for an important political position that would require her to become much more of a public figure. While navigating the trials and tribulations of this new job, Kate also struggles through her marriage to Hal (Rufus Sewell), who’s now unemployed and increasingly restless.

Lighter in tone than Russell’s other political drama, “The Americans,” “The Diplomat” is nonetheless filled with thrilling twists, sharp dialogue, and clever writing from “The West Wing” and “Homeland” veteran Debora Cahn. The show clearly aims to entertain and keep viewers hooked above all else, but it never sacrifices quality in the process.

Though it feels dated in some ways thanks to the changing landscape of TV news, “Murphy Brown” was a forward-thinking show that proved surprisingly prescient about modern political issues and how they intersect with broadcast media. A boldly political sitcom, the series smartly critiqued current affairs in a way that recalls the topical plotlines of “The Morning Show.” Candice Bergen plays the title character, a TV news anchor and investigative journalist. Returning to her job after a stay in rehab, Murphy’s uncompromising approach to the news makes her a popular yet polarizing figure.

Murphy was polarizing in the real world, too. After Murphy became a single mom, Vice President Dan Quayle railed against the show for “mocking the importance of fathers.” The series, famous for commenting on politics in real time, incorporated Quayle’s speech into an episode and doubled down on the importance of Murphy’s experiences with motherhood. Both trailblazing television and a fascinating time capsule, “Murphy Brown” is worth revisiting.

Julianna Margulies surprised viewers of “The Morning Show” when she appeared in Season 2 as Laura Peterson, a journalist who begins a romance with Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon). Fans of “The Morning Show” are likely to get a kick out of “The Good Wife,” in which workplace issues and gender politics are at the center. Margulies plays Alicia Florrick, a former lawyer married to a state’s attorney. When her lying husband gets embroiled in a sex scandal, she goes back to work to support her two kids.

Alicia gets a job as a junior lawyer at Stern, Lockhart & Gardner, where her old friend Will Gardner (Josh Charles) is a named partner. Alicia navigates workplace drama and deals with her husband’s name being dragged through the mud as she brushes up on the law. As the series progresses, it becomes less about Alicia’s status as a “good wife” and more about the politics of practicing law in a corrupt system, as she decides what kind of litigator she wants to become. With searing performances and sharp writing from Robert and Michelle King, “The Good Wife” is all killer, no filler.

One of the most underrated feel-good shows of its era, TV Land’s “Younger” transforms a classic rom-com farce into a surprisingly insightful, seven-season-long TV series. Created by “Sex and the City” and “Emily in Paris” mastermind Darren Star, “Younger” stars Sutton Foster as Liza Miller, a 40-year-old woman in need of a job. Faced with the ageism of the American workplace, Liza concocts a harebrained scheme: she pretends to be 26 in order to get a job in publishing. She pulls it off, and her coworkers include Kelsey (Hilary Duff), who actually is in her 20s; Lauren (Molly Bernard), an oddball publicist; and her tough boss Diana (Miriam Shor).

“Younger” uses this wacky premise as a jumping-off point for zany humor, a titillating love triangle, and some truly compelling workplace intrigue. The show is lighthearted, but keeps an eye on character development and builds believable relationships between its protagonists. Foster nails the performance, leaning into the kooky elements of the show while making Liza feel accessible. The show’s supporting cast, which includes Debi Mazar as Liza’s artist friend, is equally delightful.

If the cutthroat world of business and the cost of ambition intrigue you, then “Industry” is the perfect show to add to your queue. Like HBO’s more popular series, “Succession,” “Industry” details the corrosive tide of capitalism, how this system of exploitation only begets more soulless greed. But unlike the characters in “Succession” — and, in many ways, “The Morning Show” — the protagonists of “Industry” haven’t yet made it to the upper echelons of the ultra-wealthy. Instead, their insatiable thirst for the power, money, and opportunity they don’t have serves as the show’s driving force.

In the show’s first season, our intrepid young (anti)heroes are a group of recent graduates working at an investment bank in London. Harper (Myha’la), a cunning American without a college degree, and Yasmin (Marisa Abela), a wealthy young woman desperate for approval, emerge as the show’s leads. Their relationship is far too complex to be contained by the term “frenemies,” but it will have to do. By Season 4, the series wisely expands beyond the bounds of its original premise, exploring what growth and success actually mean for these ruthless characters.

“The Morning Show” takes a rather bitter look at TV news, and if you’re looking for something with a more cheery bent, feast your eyes on “Sports Night,” an underrated comedy from Aaron Sorkin. “Sports Night” aired before Sorkin’s flagship series “The West Wing,” but it features many of the Sorkin-isms that show made famous: witty, rapid-fire dialogue, frequent walk-and-talks, and a group of people striving to do their best work amid difficult circumstances. With an optimistic disposition that reminds us of “Ted Lasso,” “Sports Night” is a feel-good comedy that asks pointed questions about the state of journalism.

The series is led by Peter Krause and Josh Charles, who play Casey and Dan, co-anchors of a sports news show. The supporting cast includes Felicity Huffman, Joshua Malina, Sabrina Lloyd, and Robert Guillaume. Krause and Charles have terrific chemistry and hilarious banter, while the show’s found-family dynamic makes for a genuinely cozy watch. Though it was a critics’ darling, “Sports Night” was never a ratings hit and was sadly canceled after its second season. Even so, it remains an underrated gem and one of the greatest two-season shows of all time.

“As the Crow Flies” is one of the best Turkish TV shows streaming on Netflix right now, and it’s worth watching for fans of twisty journalism dramas. Our protagonist is Asli Tuna (Miray Daner), an ambitious journalism student with a talent for manipulation and an unsettling habit of stalking people she admires. She has her sights set on Lale Kiran (Birce Akalay), one of the nation’s most popular news anchors. She worms her way into Lale’s life by secretly getting hired as an intern and slowly picking off Lale’s closest allies. At the same time, Asli launches a social media campaign to get Lale canceled.

Though it’s not the most subtle of shows, it’s full of twists and turns that will have you wondering just how far Asli will go to achieve her goals. And what exactly are her goals? These are the kinds of questions that make it hard to stop watching “As the Crow Flies” once you hit play. More of a stalker-thriller in the vein of “Single White Female” than a biting critique of the media industry, the show takes big swings and doesn’t skimp on the melodrama.