The Morning Show

There's safety in numbers.

They're rational.

They behave.

Put them in order and you can write programs.

You can code.

But shift one element...

and it all falls apart.

The AI, it doesn't work.

I've seen it work.

Not when it's live.

When it's live, it's erratic.

It...

It's terrible with the talent models.

I don't understand.

The demo of me is fine.

AI Alex, AI Chris...

they on the other hand they sound like Hal in A Space Odyssey.

So, your program is a serial killer.

I'm sorry, I've tried everything, but it's not gonna be ready for Paris.

- Stella. - I know.

We spent $250 million.

I raised my hand for you.

I know.

So what do we do?

Take finger puppets to Paris?

We might have to.

That fucking Chris interview. It's all anyone's talking about.

I thought it would kill her.

- Turns out she has nine lives. - What she has is momentum.

She's threatening to boycott the Olympics.

And Paris.

No promos. Nothing.

What about O24?

You mean the 300 members of press waiting for us to fall on our faces?

Yeah, I...

I don't think she's coming.

We promised Olympic talent.

We promised spectacle.

If we go out on that stage with nothing,

they'll nail us to the cross.

I'll talk to Mia.

Stella.

We need a win.

UBN research put her photo

- through facial recognition. - Let me see.

I didn't tell them anything.

These are not her.

Great, so we're nowhere.

It's just kind of crazy to me.

She should be in some database somewhere.

Yeah.

Let's go back to Cory.

- What did he have to say about her? - Well, he doesn't know anything.

He knows less than us.

Are you sure about that? 'Cause...

I mean, his fixer smeared Stockton. You found this photo in his emails--

Okay, what do you want me to say?

Can you just not film me right now?

- Okay. - Please.

Look, I didn't wanna bring this up, but...

- What? - Look, you and Cory have a history.

- So-- - So what are you suggesting?

That I'm compromised?

Or that he's lying to me and I can't tell the difference?

When I point-blank asked him about Stockton,

he didn't even know he was dead.

And if you want to ask him yourself because you don't believe me, that's fine,

but he's never speaking to me again.

- What happened? - It was bad.

- Wait. - It was bad.

All right.

- You okay? - Yeah, yeah. I'm okay.

You should've seen his face.

It just keeps playing in my mind.

He really trusted me, and I...

And then I'm going, "Why am I doing this in the first place?

What is the fucking point?

Am I trying to blow up my life?"

I just... I need this to mean something.

We get so few chances.

I'm with you. I'm with you. Let's find this girl.

Okay. All right, let's do it.

Do you have any ideas?

I mean, there's...

I have a friend at The Times.

He tracked down some poll workers for my doc.

- I could call him. - How soon can you call him?

He...

He's tricky.

Where is Earl?

No one's seen him. He's gone.

All right, what about Fred?

There's gotta be some connection to Martel Chemical.

I thought you said this was the best security firm on the planet?

They tracked down some documents.

Financials, offshore stuff.

You'll have something in a few days.

Did you see the new script pages?

Yeah, I saw 'em and they're great.

And they'd be even better if I had an actor to say the words.

- How's our deal coming? - I'm working on it.

They're coming for your trailer.

That a joke?

'Cause that trailer is the Alamo,

and you're Davy fuckin' Crockett.

You know Team Texas didn't fight to the last man.

The white dudes basically ran away from the Mexicans.

Didn't know that. And not helpful.

I got you those two tickets to Merrily We Roll Along.

Third row, center.

Yeah, third row's too close. I can't use 'em.

You can give 'em away or burn 'em. I don't care.

I gotta go.

When Cory offered me Head of News,

I laughed in his face.

Legacy media,

a corporate tool of the white center-right.

I let him pay for lunch and I walked away.

But he came back,

like a migraine.

He said I could push the stories I cared about.

Drag the doubters, kicking and screaming, into the future.

He told me to burn it down.

Burn anyone who got in my way.

Talent can't have editorial control over the news.

It runs counter to our mission of objective reporting.

- You know that. - Bro Hartman can say

whatever he wants, whenever he wants.

His show isn't news.

I'm sorry, it's a nonstarter.

And as for a producing pod, we don't have the money.

- And no one has cohost approval. - Alex Levy does.

As Vice President of Talent, not as an anchor.

That's a distinction without a difference.

Look. I understand that the response to her interview

has been generally positive.

Yeah, that's an understatement.

I get that you want a better deal.

And I'm open to it.

But not until the current deal is up.

Deal is up now.

Figure it out, or we're gonna go somewhere else.

Would you give us a moment?

Take all the moments you need.

So, what?

Now you're trying to leverage me?

I'm giving you a heads-up.

That's more than you gave me.

You're not getting this deal. I won't give it to you.

- And once Chris realizes that-- - Oh, she's realizing things.

Like, you brought Cory Ellison back in the building.

That's a hell of a move.

And then giving him money and saying there's nothing left for us.

He's making movies. It's different.

You know, I remember when you got this job.

You said you were gonna do it differently, do it right.

And here you are, surrounded by white people

and stepping on women of color to stay in that chair.

You're not one of us.

You never were.

What did Bradley say to you?

You know I had nothing to do with this. This is all Fred.

Well for someone who claims they had nothing to do with the cover-up,

- you doth protest a little too much. - I did not cover up anything.

I am trying to figure out what happened.

Or are you trying to vindicate yourself so that you can get Bradley back?

Wow.

- Wow. - Okay.

You tell me that's not what you're doing.

- That's not what I'm doing. - I don't believe you.

Bradley Jackson is dead to me.

If she was lying in a desert and I had ten gallons of water,

I'd take a shower in front of her before she'd get a fucking sip.

Is that clear?

Yeah, that sounds like someone who doesn't care.

Somebody is fucking with me.

Or I'm... I'm being gas lit or whatever you want to call it.

And Alex, it is driving me fucking crazy.

Yeah. Welcome to life as a woman.

Well, I figured there'd be more orgasms.

Yes. Welcome to life as a woman.

Come on, you were around when I was hired.

Do you remember anything?

Other than Operation Bambi?

When you and Fred tried to get me out of here?

Yeah, yeah. That was...

That was a swing and a miss.

- Big miss. - Alex, please.

Cory, I don't remember. I mean, it was a crazy time.

So much was happening so fast.

Bethanne left. Mitch imploded.

Oh, maybe I can pin it on him.

I do remember something.

White House Correspondents' Dinner.

A lot of network people wheeling and dealing.

Then about a week, two weeks later,

Fred tells us it's you.

And I don't understand that because I was like,

"Why is Fred making the President of Entertainment the Head of News?"

That made absolutely no sense.