Jennifer Aniston and Apple TV+ Team Up Again for a Gritty New Dramedy
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Five years ago, Apple convinced Jennifer Aniston to return to the small screen, making her one of the highest-paid TV stars in Hollywood, alongside The Morning Show co-star Reese Witherspoon. Now, even as her Apple TV+ debut series is about to kick off its fourth season this fall, Aniston is collaborating with Apple on another Apple TV+ original drama.
Earlier today, Apple announced that Aniston will star and executive produce in a new dramedy, I’m Glad My Mom Died, inspired by the New York Times bestselling memoir of the same name by former child actress Jennette McCurdy.
Aniston will star in the role of the controlling mother, a character akin to Faye Dunaway’s portrayal of Joan Crawford in the 1981 film Mommy Dearest. However, McCurdy’s book offers a more darkly humorous take that will undoubtedly be reflected in the screenplay, as Apple’s press release hints at.
“I’m Glad My Mom Died” is a heartbreaking and hilarious recounting of McCurdy’s struggles as a former child actor while dealing with her overbearing, domineering mother. The dramedy will center on the codependent relationship between an 18-year-old actress in a hit kid’s show, and her narcissistic mother who relishes in her identity as “a starlet’s mother,” set to be played by Aniston.
Apple
Nevertheless, the book deals with some harrowing truths of McCurdy’s experiences as a child star who had an emotionally and psychologically abusive relationship with her mother, including eating disorders and emotional manipulation. In her book, McCurdy, who is best known for her portrayal of Sam Puckett in Nickelodeon’s iCarly and the spinoff series Sam & Cat, recounts these stories with dry wit, sarcasm, and somewhat deadpan humor.
McCurdy will helm the show alongside Ari Katcher, where both will serve as writers, executive producers, and showrunners. This suggests that the show will remain faithful to the source material, although Apple is careful to say it’s “inspired” by the memoir, so some artistic liberties may be taken.
It will also present an even darker role for Jennifer Aniston. That’s a fascinating and somewhat ironic twist for the actress who broke into stardom for her portrayal of Rachel Green in Friends and subsequently found herself typecast as a “girl-next-door” lead in a series of rom-coms.
However, Aniston proved her mettle as a serious dramatic actress on The Morning Show, where her portrayal of lead co-anchor Alex Levy was nothing short of sensational — or, as one film critic put it, “TV so excellent it will make you totally resent Friends.”
While Jennifer Aniston was already an Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe award-winning actress before she joined Apple TV+, she garnered ten more nominations and a prestigious SAG award for The Morning Show, many of which came even before the first season had finished its run.
While the fourth season of The Morning Show has finished production, sources expect Apple’s hit series to be picked up for at least one more season. According to Deadline, this new series won’t impact Aniston’s work on The Morning Show, which she’ll continue to star in and executive produce alongside Reese Witherspoon if it goes into a fifth season. However, with the spacing between seasons of Apple TV+ shows, that may not be too much of a challenge, as it’s likely there will be plenty of time to fit in the production of I’m Glad My Mom Died without too much juggling of schedules.
There’s no word yet on a release date or even who will portray McCurdy’s character, so it’s unlikely we’ll see the new series hit Apple TV+ until at least late 2026.
