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Apple and Netflix are in a bidding war for Jennifer Aniston’s new show

Published Sep 1st, 2017 10:34PM EDT

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For the first time since Friends, Jennifer Aniston is returning to TV with a brand new show about morning TV in New York. Reese Witherspoon, who just got an Emmy nomination for the Big Little Lies HBO TV series, is also starring in the project. What’s more interesting about it is that both Apple and Netflix are bidding for it.

It was The Financial Times who first reported that Apple is bidding on the new drama, with Netflix also being one of the contenders.

Apple recently hired two former top Sony execs to bolster its original TV content plans, with a recent report saying that Apple will invest no less than $1 billion in its own shows this year.

So far, the Cupertino-based tech giant produced two TV shows that received lukewarm reviews. The Planet of the Apps and Carpool Karaoke are shows Apple chose to get its feet wet, but it’ll have to do a lot better than that to really compete against Netflix, HBO, Amazon, Hulu, and everyone else making amazing original streaming content.

The fact that Apple came out in the 11th hour with a pro net neutrality opinion that’s stronger than ever is also a clear indication that the streaming business is a major part of its future business plans.

As for the unnamed Aniston-Witherspoon show, The Hollywood Reporter explains that it’s based on an original idea from former HBO head of drama Michael Ellenberg, while Jay Carson (House of Cards is going to write the script and exec produce.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.