Paula (Tatiana Maslany of Orphan Black), a mom newly divorced from Karl (played by Jake Johnson of New Girl), is just beginning to get her life together. When she witnesses a violent crime during a session with her camboy/confidant, she suddenly finds herself caught in a perilous web of blackmail, murder, and youth soccer. Executive produced by Film alum Simon Kinberg '03, Apple TV's latest dark comedy Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed has received positive reviews from The Hollywood Reporter, Collider, and Vulture.
Vulture critic Kathryn VanArendonk praised the show for its skillful use of a once-ubiquitous, now neglected TV trope: the detective with a quirky day job. Paula's career as a fact-checker makes her more than an overworked mom caught in implausible drama—it makes her a natural detective.
"Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed can't rely on one crucial piece of information to drive all of its suspense; instead, it goes the much more challenging route of giving everyone as much information as possible," said VanArendonk. "The show is forced to find other, more interesting ways to yank Paula's life apart at the seams, and throughout it all she has to keep showing up at her day job, marking up manuscripts in red pencil."
Alongside stellar acting and writing, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed benefits from Kinberg's expertise as an established producer, director, and screenwriter who has worked on franchises such as X-Men, Deadpool, and Star Wars Rebels. One of Hollywood's most prolific filmmakers, Kinberg produced Academy Award-nominated films Cinderella and The Martian, which also won two Golden Globes, including Best Picture. Kinberg's Columbia thesis became the script for his original film, the iconic Mr. and Mrs. Smith, starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
Now streaming, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed's series finale is out on Apple TV on July 15, 2026. Join the likes of master of suspense Stephen King, who took to social media to laud the show: "It's like Hitchcock came back to do it one more time."
