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Video: “The Morning Show” Captures The Eeriness Of Early Pandemic NYC


By

Jen Carlson

Published Sep 16, 2021


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Washington Square Park via drone

 

Courtesy of Apple


By

Jen Carlson

Published Sep 16, 2021


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After the opening credits roll in the first episode of The Morning Show*'*s second season, the camera brings you straight into the heart of New York at the onset of the pandemic.

It's March 2020, and the city appears empty. Over the course of 90 seconds, the cameras (both on a drone, and mounted to a truck) swoop you over the Washington Square Park arch before bringing you for a ride along Fifth Avenue, the West Side Highway, Times Square, and Central Park West, to name a few locations. At the end, you can hear sirens as you catch a glimpse of the Samaritan's Purse field hospital that was briefly set up in Central Park.

The footage, which Apple has agreed to let us share exclusively, is paired with Dean Martin's "Return to Me."

Production for season two of the show began on February 24th, 2020, but was shut down soon after, on March 12th, 2020, just before the city went on "PAUSE." They didn't pick back up again until October, but this footage was filmed prior to that, when the rest of the production was shut down along with much of the city.

The show—which provides a behind-the-scenes look at an early morning television—stars Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Néstor Carbonell, Steve Carell, Karen Pittman and new additions this season, Julianna Margulies and Greta Lee. The second season focuses on the fallout from the MeToo storyline in season one, cancel culture, and the pandemic.

Season two of The Morning Show premieres Friday, September 17th on Apple+.

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The Morning Show

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Jen Carlson

Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


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