EESE WITHERSPOON ISN’T ABOUT TO CAUSE A SCENE. BUT SHE IS FREAKING
out a little bit. “Diane Sawyer came to visit and oh my God, it was amazing!” Sit-
ting in a Los Angeles restaurant on a balmy August evening, the Academy Award
winner throws her hands over her face to muffle her excitement. (There will be
no Elle Woods-esque squeal here.) She’s recalling the day that the legendary
broadcast journalist stopped by the set of her upcoming series with Jennifer
Aniston, The Morning Show (Nov. 1). Her face still in her hands, Witherspoon
continues in disbelief: “She sat at the monitor and watched me and Jen read the
news!” The pair have come a long way since trading barbs at Central Perk.
The Morning Show—which marks Aniston’s major return to TV after
Friends ended in 2004, and the pair’s first project together since Wither-
spoon guest-starred on the NBC comedy as Rachel’s spoiled little sister Jill in
2000—takes viewers inside the world of daybreak news. “There’s something
sort of bulletproof about morning shows,” Witherspoon says. “They’re a stal-
wart part of American culture.” After all, every day millions of Americans
wake up and turn on the Today show, or any number of other programs, and
are greeted by familiar faces they trust to deliver the news with just the right
amount of personality. At least that’s the expectation. As you brew your
morning coffee, they update you on the latest from the White House. As you
pick out your clothes for the day, they let you know how the weather is look-
ing. And as you prepare to head out the door, they amuse you with fun
anecdotes about the internet’s buzziest viral video.
“These shows are some of the last programming in the country that still tries
to appeal in Los Angeles and New York and Des Moines and Mississippi,” says