Apple TV Executive Michelle Lee Elevated To Director Domestic Programming

EXCLUSIVE: Michelle Lee has been promoted to director, domestic programming at Apple TV+. She will continue to report to Matt Cherniss, Apple’s head of scripted development and current programming.

Lee joined Apple on Jan. 1, 2018 as senior creative executive. She was one of the first members of the streamer’s programming team under worldwide video programming heads Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht and started shortly after Apple had greenlighted its first scripted series, The Morning Show, starring, and executive produced by Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.

Lee has been overseeing The Morning Show and another series from Apple’s inaugural slate, anthology comedy Little America, from the start. Both have emerged as major awards contenders for Apple. Among the trophies won by The Morning Show so far are a Female Actor in a Drama Series SAG Award for Jennifer Aniston and Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Critics Choice Award for Billy Crudup. The show also landed three Golden Globe nominations in its first year.

In a senior creative role on Cherniss’ team, Lee will continue to shepherd The Morning Show and Little America — both headed to their second seasons. — as well as the upcoming series Pachinko, Physical, starring Rose Byrne, Brie Larson’s CIA spy drama, and Joseph Gordon Leavitt’s Mr Corman, among others.

The Morning Show explores the cutthroat world of morning news and the lives of the people who help America wake up in the morning. Starring Aniston, Witherspoon and Steve Carell, the drama series is told through the lens of two complicated women working to navigate the minefield of high-octane jobs while facing crises in both their personal and professional lives.

Inspired by the true stories featured in Epic Magazine, Little America goes beyond the headlines to look at the funny, romantic, heartfelt, inspiring and surprising stories of immigrants in America, when they’re more relevant now than ever. It is written and executive produced by Lee Eisenberg, who also serves as showrunner, and executive produced by Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon.

Prior to joining Apple, Lee served as head of development for Jason Katims’ True Jack Prods. and was VP of Television at Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci’s former production company, K/O Paper Products. She began her career as a television executive at the Mark Gordon Company.