Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed
Apple TV | Release Date: May 20, 2026
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
RogerEbert.comKaiya ShunyataMay 20, 2026
Season 1 Review: The star power in the series is undeniable, but the true hero of the show is its craft, which allows the series to stake its claim as the most fascinating thriller of the year. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)Kathryn VanArendonkMay 28, 2026
Season 1 Review: Many things work in Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed’s favor, distinguishing it from some of the duller comps in the past several years. (Apple TV’s leaden The Last Thing He Told Me immediately comes to mind.) Maslany is the first and most crucial. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMay 22, 2026
Season 1 Review: ”Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed,” a 10-episode series on Apple TV created by David Rosen, is messy — the sloppy joe of streaming. And it is a lot of fun. The plot spills all over the side of the bun, into your lap and onto the floor. You’ll never enjoy cleaning up more. Read full review
80
TheWrapMatthew CreithMay 20, 2026
Season 1 Review: The series initially presents itself as a dark comedy, but it quickly turns into a cat-and-mouse game with enough twists and turns to make the casual viewer dizzy — but hardly ever bored. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterAngie HanMay 20, 2026
Season 1 Review: While Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed might not be the most enjoyment I’ve ever derived from a TV show, its addictive combination of light comedy, unpredictable twists and sharp character work — all anchored by Tatiana Maslany’s fearless-as-usual lead performance — add up to one hell of a good time. Read full review
80
TimeJudy BermanMay 20, 2026
Season 1 Review: Maslany is the dynamic center of a story that twists in unexpected directions, giving Paula enough intelligence, warmth, and edginess to make her character cohere. Around her, Rosen builds an ensemble out of well-matched duos, drawn in enough detail to give the series potential beyond its first season. Read full review
80
The GuardianLucy ManganMay 20, 2026
Season 1 Review: It’s a sure-footed and completely bingeable thriller with an edge of unpredictability that holds you doubly fast to your seat. Read full review
75
The Travers TakePeter TraversMay 22, 2026
Season 1 Review: Tatiana Maslany is the acting superpower behind this terrific, twisty crime thriller comedy about parenthood and the freedom to be pervy. Read full review
75
The Mercury NewsRandy MyersMay 22, 2026
Season 1 Review: Amateur sleuthing takes Paula to unexpected places, leading to a denouement that doesn’t entirely tie everything up but makes us crave a second season so we could spend more quality time with a flawed, likeable character you can’t help but fall in love with. Read full review
75
TVLineDave NemetzMay 20, 2026
Season 1 Review: Apple TV's quirky thriller "Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed" taps into star Tatiana Maslany's considerable skills, expertly mixing laughs with heart-pounding twists. Read full review
75
IndieWireBen TraversMay 20, 2026
Season 1 Review: The overall execution is solid (everything makes way more sense than recent “average folks do crime” shows like “Big Mistakes” and “Imperfect Women.”), the cast is charming (shout-out to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ son, Charlie Hall, for escaping Ryan Murphy-land), and the parallels between Paula’s experience and our own prove unmistakable, persuasive, and cathartic. Read full review
75
The PlaylistAlly JohnsonMay 20, 2026
Season 1 Review: With an intensive story, an intriguing mystery at the heart of it, and a performance that reminds us of Maslany’s immense caliber of talent, the show solidifies itself as a must-watch. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubBrian TallericoMay 20, 2026
Season 1 Review: The pieces of its puzzle—involving a single mom and a murder mystery that begins online—don’t all fit together perfectly, but it’s hard to care too much about an abundance of coincidences and lucky timing on a show this well-paced, wonderfully performed, and unpredictable. Read full review
70
The AtlanticSophie GilbertMay 20, 2026
Season 1 Review: Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed seems more interested in the dramatic potential of intimate deceit. What is storytelling if not its own scam, its own manipulation of our confidences and expectations? In this case, the trick is an intriguing one, but you may have some doubts. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert LloydMay 20, 2026
Season 1 Review: Tatiana Maslany is the best reason to watch “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed,” a new thriller premiering Wednesday on Apple TV, and since there is a lot of her in it, across 10 episodes, you can take that as a recommendation, of a sort. Read full review
70
IGNMatt FowlerMay 20, 2026
Season 1 Review: Strong performances, particularly from Tatiana Maslany and a delightfully ominous Murray Bartlett, help assuage Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed's streaming bloat and handful of inauthentic impediments. Read full review
70
ColliderEmily BernardMay 20, 2026
Season 1 Review: While the main mystery at hand may sometimes feel unnecessarily complex, it ultimately serves as an entertaining escape that will leave you wishing Season 2 were around the corner. Read full review
60
DeciderJoel KellerMay 20, 2026
Season 1 Review: If you go into Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed with the right mindset, and not look for it to be a true dark comedy, then Maslany’s performance and the complex psychological thriller plot is satisfying. If you want it to be funnier, you might not get what you wish for. Read full review
60
VarietyAlison HermanMay 20, 2026
Season 1 Review: Her [Tatiana Maslany's] performance alone can’t fully obscure the gaps that peek through whenever “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed” pauses its headlong sprint through the New York underworld long enough to catch its breath. Read full review
55
The Daily BeastNick SchagerMay 20, 2026
Season 1 Review: Busy without being steamy, and off-the-wall without being funny, it fails to deliver what its title promises. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineMichael SavioMay 20, 2026
Season 1 Review: Maslany’s performance can’t overcome the unfinished, hodgepodge quality of how Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed integrates its generic elements with its more substantive ambitions. Read full review
40
Radio TimesJack SealeMay 20, 2026
Season 1 Review: Tatiana Maslany’s ability is not in question, but here it goes to waste. Read full review
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