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May 18, 2026 
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A surprising new comedic thriller
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| Tatiana Maslany in a scene from "Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed." Apple TV |
Dear Watchers,
The scene feels familiar: On a video call, a woman complains about life to her male bestie, describing custody battles with her ex-husband and the challenges of starting over. Their interaction is warm, friendly. Then the conversation turns. They start removing their clothes. Trevor (Brandon Flynn) is a sex worker, and Paula (Tatiana Maslany) is his customer. Their hour is nearly up.
From the beginning, “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed,” a new comedic thriller from Apple TV, premiering on Wednesday, keeps you guessing.
Aside from paying for online sex, Paula seems like any other down-on-her-luck divorced woman trying to rebuild her identity while maintaining a connection to her 8-year-old daughter. But soon she gets caught up in a blackmailing scheme that devolves into murder and mayhem.
Still, life must go on: While she is tracking down clues like a practiced gumshoe, she is also grinding for a promotion at work, coaching her daughter’s soccer team and cozying up to the P.T.A. moms. And her job — fact-checking articles for a second-tier magazine — may soon be replaced by A.I.
In less capable hands, the result might feel disjointed, but Maslany’s performance anchors it. Like Maslany’s “Orphan Black” characters, Paula inhabits a space between completely overwhelmed and deadly — if sometimes accidentally — competent. But no matter how many questionable choices Paula makes, Maslany makes you root for her.
She is also backed by a solid supporting cast. Jake Johnson, as Paula’s ex Karl, plays a variant of the well-meaning but ineffectual lugs he has portrayed in shows like “New Girl.” Dolly de Leon is terrific as the sardonic cop Detective Gonzalez, to whom Paula turns for help. (In another nod to the times, Gonzalez may have an online sports gambling problem.) And Raymond Lee shows up briefly as the dreamy, divorced dad who coaches soccer with Paula.
The show stumbles a bit with its villains, some of whom feel one-note. Karl’s current partner, Mallory (Jessy Hodges), is the classic Evil Stepmother, scheming to shut Paula out of her daughter’s life. Shadowy figures hunt Paula with seemingly limitless resources and greed.
“Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed” shouldn’t work: It is over-the-top and overstuffed with ideas. But if, like Paula, you let yourself be carried along by its currents, you might discover the show offers quite a bit of pleasure.
Also this week
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| Alfred Molina in “The Boroughs,” a new series executive produced by the creators of “Stranger Things.” Netflix |
- The two-part docuseries “The Nightmare Upstairs: What Happened to Ty and Bryn,” which tells the story of a harrowing custody dispute, debuts on Tuesday, on Hulu.
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- “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War,” a made-for-TV film based on the series starring John Krasinski, premieres Wednesday, on Amazon.
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- A supernatural story set in a retirement village, “The Boroughs,” executive produced by the Duffer Brothers, arrives Thursday, on Netflix. The ensemble cast includes Geena Davis, Alfred Molina, Clarke Peters, Bill Pullman and Alfre Woodard.
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- “Mating Season,” a raunchy new animated series from the creators of “Big Mouth,” debuts Friday, on Netflix.
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