Apple’s push into the world of original programming continues to take shape, as the tech giant confirmed on Wednesday that it has ordered two season of a new original television series from A-list Hollywood stars Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston.
Apple beat out multiple other bidders for the as yet untitled drama series that will star Witherspoon and Aniston and be set in the world of morning TV shows, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Witherspoon will reportedly executive produce the series, as she did with HBO’s award-winning Big Little Lies miniseries earlier this year, while the move represents a return to television for Aniston, who starred on NBC’s Friends for a decade until 2004.
The company said the new series will offer “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.” Apple added that CNN correspondent Brian Stelter will consult on the new series. Stelter’s 2013 non-fiction book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV offered an inside look at longtime morning programs like NBC’s Today show and ABC’s Good Morning America.
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The series order is the latest move from Apple as the company looks to establish its footprint in Hollywood, with Apple reportedly planning to spend $1 billion on original programming in the next year. Apple had been reported to be in talks about a TV project starring Witherspoon and Aniston over the summer, and the company is also working with iconic director Steven Spielberg on a reboot of his 1980s sci-fi and horror anthology series Amazing Stories.
Apple confirmed on Wednesday that the Amazing Stories reboot and the project with Witherspoon and Aniston are the first two scripted projects the company has ordered straight-to-series. Previously, Apple has experimented with unscripted original series, including James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke and the reality show Planet of the Apps, though the company is clearly looking to quickly expand its original programming offerings as it enters a market already stacked with competition from traditional entertainment studios as well as growing streaming players like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.
