Steve Carell Boards Apple’s Morning Show Drama

Golden Globe Award-winning and Oscar- and Emmy Award-nominated actor Steve Carell (The Big Short, The Office, Foxcatcher) has joined the cast of Apple’s untitled morning show drama.

Carell will play Mitch Kessler, a morning show anchor who is struggling to maintain relevance in a changing media landscape. Executive produced by and starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, the drama begins production next week in Los Angeles.

The series provides an inside look at the lives of the people who help America wake up in the morning, exploring the unique challenges faced by the women and men who carry out this daily televised ritual. It is executive produced by Aniston and Kristin Hahn through Echo Films; Witherspoon and Lauren Levy Neustadter through Hello Sunshine; Michael Ellenberg through Media Res, which also serves as the studio; and two-time Emmy Award-nominated Mimi Leder (On the Basis of Sex, ER, Deep Impact), who will also direct.

The upcoming drama is written and executive produced by Kerry Ehrin (Bates Motel, Friday Night Lights), who serves as showrunner. Brian Stelter consults on the project, with his book Top of the Morning providing additional background material.