‘The Morning Show’ Season 3: Bradley and Corey Love — Billy Crudup

Sounds like UBA’s human resources department can stand down.

When TVLine recently chatted with Billy Crudup about Apple TV+’s retro-futuristic dramedy Hello Tomorrow!, we couldn’t help but ask about his other series at the streamer, The Morning Show. Specifically: What will come of Cory’s chaotic, really poorly timed declaration of love to Bradley at the end of the Season 2 finale?

If you need a refresher: Cory decided to blurt out his feelings as he helped a worried Bradley (played by Reese Witherspoon) search for her missing brother at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I love you,” Cory said, then wavered a little, then seemed to double down as he declared, “I want that recorded in the annals of time. I don’t know what’s going to happen, OK? Now the universe knows I said that. I really love you. I love you.” Before Bradley could utter a response or react in any meaningful manner, her phone rang with news of her brother; if Bradley and Cory discussed the awkward moment afterward, the audience didn’t see it.

After the episode, Witherspoon told TVLine that despite Bradley and Cory’s “incredible chemistry,” there’s also their workplace dynamic “where he’s always her boss.” (And that’s even before you consider that Bradley also found a romantic Season 2 connection with Julianna Margulies’ Laura.)

Now, per Crudup, it seems like the series’ upcoming third season will not contain an epic romance for the network exec and his employee. “He declared his love, and I think it was not returned,” he said. “So, they’re in the clear, HR-wise, for the opening of Season 3.” But just because Cory’s declaration didn’t go anywhere doesn’t mean it’ll go away, either. “Like any good tension moment, the writers, they keep coming back to it,” Crudup said. “So, there’ll be lots more opportunities for a failure on Cory’s part!”

He added that the show will have a time-jump (“a bit of a gap”) between the events of the Season 2 finale and Season 3 premiere. “Like, we miss some of the pandemic, and then some of it’s told in flashback,” he said, laughing as he joked about the streamer’s constraints on talking about what’s ahead. “I think I’m able to say that? Probably not. This could be the end of my career.” — With reporting by Matt Webb Mitovich