Spoilers ahead for the most recent episode of The Morning Show.
Every streaming service has its own hits, and one of the best Apple TV+ shows out there is definitely The Morning Show. Those with an Apple TV+ subscription have been treated to Season 4, and it’s been a wild ride so far. Longtime fans of the show were shocked when the third episode “Tipping Point” featured Bel Powley’s return as Claire Conway. And now the showrunner has explained why this return made sense for this season’s story.
While some folks figure out how to watch The Morning Show Season 4, I had seen the third episode early, prior to interviewing the cast. Keeping quiet on Claire’s return was hard, because I was so happy to see this loose end brought back. Showrunner Charlotte Stoudt spoke with Deadline about how this came about, revealing:
As we were in the room for Season 4, we were noticing all these protest actions by Extinction Rebellion stopping the Broadway show in the middle, throwing paint onto things, blocking traffic in London. I always felt Claire had a real zeal, a rebellious, revolutionary energy.
She’s not wrong. A big reason why Claire left her job as a PA on The Morning Show is because of Hannah’s death, and the way the institution failed her. The last time we saw her she said she was glad Mitch was dead, and hoped Fred would follow suit. That’s definitely the type of energy that Stoudt is describing.
In the first few episodes of The Morning Show Season 4, Reese Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson was contacted by an anonymous source with information about a cover up at UBA going back years. In episode three it was revealed to be Claire, who was using her family money to work with the Extinction Revolt. Later in the same interview, Stoudt explained why this made narrative sense, sharing:
We thought, ’Well, wow, what if she had joined one of those groups because she hadn’t gotten justice for Hannah? What if she was still trying to burn all the institutions down? What if she came into our lives again in that way?’ So she was the perfect carrier for this cover-up story that we wanted to be the centerpiece of the season.
I personally loved seeing Claire back after all this time, and thought it was a great payoff for fans who had watched The Morning Show since back in Season 1. So while newcomer Marion Cotillard joined the cast in Season 4, the show also has ties to its original roots. Only time will tell how this ultimately shakes out this season.
The Morning Show airs new episodes Wednesdays on Apple TV+ as part of the 2025 TV schedule. And with the show’s penchant for covering real-life issues, smart money says the fourth season is going to have plenty of viral moments.