Katie Couric reveals what she thinks of ‘The Morning Show’

There was a lot riding on Jennifer Aniston’s big return to TV with The Morning Show, but the series seemed to have it all. A salacious premise that touched on the #MeToo movement, fabulous co-stars in Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell, and a reported $2 million per episode payday that should have had her laughing all the way to the bank no matter how much people liked it. One thing the drama, which revolves around a daily talk show, never got though? A Katie Couric endorsement. And considering Aniston’s character, Alex Levy, is reportedly based on Couric, that’s the kind of feedback people tend to care about.That’s probably why folks are listening extra closely now that the 63-year-old journalist is finally spilling tea on her own viewing experience of the series and what she really thought of the final product. As it turns out, this is a woman who knows how to choose her words carefully. (Quelle surprise given her amazing resume.)[video_embed id='1818994']RELATED: Jennifer Aniston reveals why morning shows are so popular[/video_embed]“I have so many thoughts… I thought some of it was really interesting, and I think the long-term impact and the serious devastation that results from certain behaviours was quite well represented, or quite well conveyed in that,” Couric told Danny Pellegrino on his podcast recently. “I think Jennifer Aniston is great. … I wish they had made her more charismatic because I think you need a certain ebullience to pull off a show like that.”Wait, so does that mean Couric liked it or hated it? Wasn’t the point of the Alex character to be a woman hardened by the circumstances in which she was placed? Is anyone else reaching for a dictionary to look up the word “ebullience?” Unfortunately Couric pretty much left it at that, because she wants people to read her thoughts in full when she releases her new memoir in 2021. For real.That’s what she said on the podcast, adding, “I thought it was really interesting to watch… It was very interesting for me to watch, I’ll just leave it at that.” Sly move on her part, no? It’s definitely one way to stay in the conversation while plugging your own project.Meanwhile The Morning Show was previously scheduled to film its second season this summer, but schedules everywhere are on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. The first season, which dropped last November, was based on CNN host Brian Stelter’s book Top of the Morning, which was rumoured to be about Couric, Matt Lauer, and other morning show players. The series itself was (now kind of famously) sold to Apple TV on just an outline, and then the Time’s Up movement hit and the writers went back to the drawing board to better reflect the current reality.To prepare for the role that landed her a SAG Award and a Golden Globe nomination, Aniston spent some time with Diane Sawyer but says that she modelled her character on “all” of the daytime journalists, according to Variety. “I think it’s an incredible moment. Look, there are unsung voices, unsung talent that has yet to be discovered. Our eye is now on that prize. You have to make people think it’s not a choice anymore. This is actually the new normal, as it should be,” she said. “And I think it’s going to get better and better. Our show has six female producers. As a woman who has been in this business for 30 years, it’s been great and it’s been tough. And now here we are.”[video_embed id='-1']BEFORE YOU GO: Watch Katharine McPhee adorably hijack David Foster's performance[/video_embed]