It’s unusual in the world of streaming to keep fans in suspense about whether a new series will be returning for a second season.
Yet that’s been the case for “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed,” Apple TV‘s dark comedy thriller starring Tatiana Maslany (“Orphan Black”).
Season 1 wrapped up nearly three months ago, and since then there’s been no word as to whether it will be returning — until now, that is.
Season 2 Confirmed
Finally, the suspense has been broken, with Apple TV announcing it’s picking up “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed” for a second season.
“We are delighted to continue the story of MPG and deeply grateful to Apple and our incredible cast and crew,” series creator and showrunner David J. Rosen said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “This is all pretty amazing for a show whose title came from a spam email.”
Per the official logline, the series “follows newly divorced mom Paula (Maslany) as she falls down a dangerous rabbit hole of blackmail, murder and youth soccer. Convinced she witnessed a crime — while simultaneously struggling through a custody battle and an identity crisis — Paula begins her own investigation, one that could unravel a greater conspiracy while also holding the keys to rebuilding her family and sense of self.”
Production on Season 2 is slated to begin during the first half of 2027.
The ‘Seconds in Life’
While discussing the show at a press event back in May, Rosen outlined his vision for “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed.
“I wanted to write a show about someone who’s going through the seconds in life.” Rosen said, via The Hollywood Reporter.
“Not the firsts. There’s a lot of shows about firsts — first job, first love,” he continued. “But what happens when those things don’t work out, and the existential angst you feel inside? And then try to, you know, dramatize that through a real thriller on the outside. That just was really sort of channeling, like, Hitchcock where a normal person gets pulled in some crazy, abnormal world.”
In the series, Rosen brings viewers into a scenario in which “there are no villains. Everyone wants their own things, you know?”
As for why Maslany felt drawn to “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed,” she said that the story “felt very different” from the other acclaimed series she’s been in.
“I always just follow an instinct that I have, and this had so many questions in it,” she shared. “I felt like I wanted to know more about Paula. I didn’t understand her right away, and that made me love her. And I felt like that sort of ended up being what Paula’s journey is [of] who am I? Am I reinventing myself? And how do build my life up now after everything has been shattered?”
Brandon Flynn, who plays Trevor, the “cam boy” at the center of Paula’s dilemma, agrees with Rosen’s assessment that his character isn’t a typical villain.
“There was a world in which when we started, I didn’t know all the answers to Trevor and how that would unfold,” said Flynn. “My job was really just to show up and play the scene earnestly, which, for the most part, was that he’s a good guy. He’s just listening.”
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Apple TV Thrills Fans By Renewing Dark Comedy — Three Months After First Season Ended