These days, finding a show to watch is an ironic blend of option paralysis and butting up against the consequences of exhaustive binging — that is to say, there are still plenty of choices, but sometimes it feels like the surefire picks are all behind me. Along comes Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, which had me at Tatiana Maslany and Jake Johnson, but developed into something even more perfectly to my taste.
In what is easily her best role since Orphan Black, Maslany stars as Paula Sanders, a fact checker in New York whose chaotic life is a mess. She’s in the midst of a messy divorce with the vindictive Karl (Johnson), which involves a custody battle for her daughter Hazel (Nola Wallace), whose affections are increasingly being vied for by Karl’s new girlfriend Mallory (Jessy Hodges). Between work, domestic responsibility, emotional struggles, and legal battles, Paula doesn’t have much time for herself, which leads her to get involved with an attractive, empathetic camboy named Trevor (Brandon Flynn). In between online-sex sessions, Paula develops such a strong rapport with Trevor that he becomes something of a confidante, which she desperately needs in these trying times. Then, on one of their dates, Trevor is violently assaulted and kidnapped. Paula dutifully reports this to the police, but jaded detective Sofia Gonzalez (a delightful Dolly de Leon) warns her off getting involved, as it’s likely a scam. Paula attempts to heed the advice, but ultimately the ransom demands evolve into blackmail that may threaten to derail Paula’s custody fight. With the police unhelpful and her story increasingly wild and unlikely, Paula sinks deeper into a mystery that ends up having a far broader reach than she ever imagined.
It might have been enough for Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed to provide a suitable vehicle for Maslany, who sinks her teeth into the juicy role of Paula with her usual flair — something that hasn’t quite happened enough since she absolutely killed it on Orphan Black. But the show layers on one home-run element after another, starting with Johnson (who puts a contemptuous spin on his customary comic mastery) and Hodges (who makes a nice mark as Karl’s subtly devious new squeeze). But the casting coups continue: de Leon’s ultra-competent but cynical Detective Gonzalez could easily carry her own show, especially with Jon Michael Hill riding shotgun as her lazy, funny partner Baxter. Then there’s Paula’s work life, where she finds unexpected allies in Rudy (Charlie Hall) and Geri (Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg), both first-rate as snarky coworkers who get vicariously invested in Paula’s hot-mess drama. Bonuses come in the form of Murray Bartlett, who brings the villainous menace, and Raymond Lee, who effortlessly builds chemistry with Maslany as a sanctuary of romantic interest. A plethora of great personalities, in other words, but they’re also spun together in an inventive series of comic-mystery escalations that take the title-inspiring point of attack in increasingly unexpected directions, broadening Paula’s personal problems into wild conspiracy-thriller territory.
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed loses a few points for its open-ended finale — which opts for cliffhanger set-up rather than true resolution — and for the fact that its concept runs the risk of being unsustainable in the long term. If it does get renewed, will it struggle (à la The Flight Attendant or Search Party) to extend its escalations convincingly, or will it grow and morph brilliantly (like, say, Barry). Either way, the mix of wit and frantic suspense should resonate with fans of those kinds of comic mysteries, and so long as Maslany is leading the way, consider me dialed in.
