TVLine's Performer Of The Week: Karen Pittman

THE PERFORMER | Karen Pittman

THE SHOW | The Morning Show

THE EPISODE | "Tipping Point" (Oct. 1, 2025)

THE PERFORMANCE | Mia's long-simmering frustration with UBN and its leadership boiled over in dramatic fashion in this week's The Morning Show, giving Karen Pittman the perfect showcase for her considerable range.

Mia's hope that she'd be chosen to lead the network's news division was apparent from the start of the episode, Pittman practicing her character's talking points in a breathy litany as she ran on a treadmill and dressed for her big day. The character, by nature, is always pragmatic and sometimes cynical — toughened by years in TV news production — but Pittman gave us glimpses of her deeply held dream: She wanted the boss role, and she certainly felt she'd earned it.

As Mia's day went downhill, Pittman's performance lit up. First came Alex and Bradley's failure to show up at Mia's official job interview, Pittman's frustrated exhale and flat tone saying all the disappointment that the producer wasn't able to verbalize, especially to Alex. Still, Mia is someone who makes things happen, and Pittman used her time in the elevator to the executive level to show us her character shaking off the blows like a boxer mid-fight. By the time the doors opened, Pittman had put Mia back together again, and she was locked in.

Pittman was on fire during Mia's presentation to Celine and Stella, particularly when Celine challenged her about how life-and-death news is no longer "sexy." The actress made Mia's conviction and commitment to doing her job well into a beacon, something anyone with common sense would want to support and encourage.

Alas, the position eventually went to someone less experienced, which gave Pittman her best scene of the hour. She took Mia on a journey in just a few moments, choking back tears of bitter anger and betrayal as she reminded Stella that it was her idea to go out for the job in the first place. But we have never loved Mia more than when Pittman pulled her together yet again and, without wavering, informed the CEO that she quit — a baller move, pulled off in triumphant fashion by an actress at the top of her craft.

Scroll down to see who got Honorable Mention shout-outs this week...  

On a show as grim and violent as HBO's Task is, we'll take our moments of levity anywhere we can get them, and Alison Oliver gave us a welcome dose of comic relief this week as state trooper Lizzie hit the local bar scene, wincing after a shot of Jaeger and happily singing along when her favorite song came on: Gwen Stefani's "The Sweet Escape." (As a Pennsylvania native, I have to add that the Irish actress' Delco accent has been shockingly spot-on.) Oliver added a subtle touch of melancholy to Lizzie as well, when she marveled at Aleah's sharpshooting skills and confessed to being a bit jealous of her: "I feel like I don't know what my, like, one thing is." Task has been great at reminding us that its cops aren't robotic crime-solvers; they have fears and flaws of their own. Lizzie may not be a perfect cop, but Oliver's endearingly awkward portrayal has reminded us that she's still perfectly human. — Dave Nemetz

Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in the comments!