Created by David Rosen (Us & Them, Citadel), this series follows divorced mom and fastidious magazine fact checker Paula Saunders (Tatiana Maslany) as she becomes involved in murder and blackmail connected to webcam boy Trevor (Brandon Flynn). (10 33-to-40-min. episodes)
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed
What’s it rated? TV-MA
What’s it worth, Anna? Full price
What’s it worth, Glen? Full price
Where’s it showing? Apple TV
Glen: This series doesn’t conclude until July 15, so we’re only a bit more than halfway through, but if you’re not on board with it yet, I highly recommend it. It’s a super engaging black comedy, and Tatiana Maslany as Paula Saunders is terrific. She’s a divorced mom to Hazel (Nola Wallace), and her ex-husband, Karl (Jake Johnson), is threatening to sue for full custody. Karl and his new wife, Mallory (Jessy Hodges), are also contemplating a move to the other side of the country. Meanwhile at work, Paula’s boss, Suzie Tell (Tara Summers), is trying to get her to cut corners in her fact checking, and her co-workers—Rudy (Charlie Hall) and Geri (Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg)—are less than supportive but very funny. And to top it off, Trevor, the webcam boy Paula has been interacting with online, is blackmailing her and giving Karl the information he needs to cut her out of Hazel’s life. The first episode is a doozy, and if you’re not immediately hooked, I’ll be surprised.
Anna: I hadn’t really heard anything about this series until it was already rolling, but boy, has it delivered. I’m getting Pluribus vibes without the body snatching. It’s slick and the main character in it, Paula, like Carol from Pluribus, is messy but smart—while also lacking some compulsion control. Sometimes we shouldn’t walk into potential crime scenes that we are rogue investigating. That doesn’t always go well, girl. But she’s determined to keep her daughter in her life, and not in a secondary role. Jake Johnson has a podcast I listen to called We’re Here to Help alongside comedian Gareth Reynolds (definitely recommend for my comedy podcast peeps), and they have been having the actors in this show on as guests recently—and I can tell you, it sounds like this cast had a blast making the series, and you can see it on-screen. Known as a nice guy but willing grump on TV, Johnson plays Paula’s ex, and man, he’s not a fun one to have. He’s found the end of his rope with her and he’s moved on, and not in a nice way. This is a good series, folks—don’t sleep on it. We want a season 2 if there’s meant to be one!
Glen: My favorite supporting character is Detective Sofia Gonzales (Dolly De Leon), the wry, wise, methodical investigator looking into Paula’s role in a murder. She’s deadpan funny, and Gonzales is an excellent foil to her younger reactionary partner, Detective Baxter (Jon Michael Hill). There are police procedural aspects to the show and family drama aspects, but the fun is watching Paula get herself into hot water. The series also has a role for Murray Bartlett as Frank Budkin, Trevor’s older boyfriend. You may recall him as the hotel manager Armond from The White Lotus. Great cast!
Anna: Definitely a great cast! It’s funny, but there’s also murder, mystery, and a quick pace that makes every episode fly by. Frank turns out to be quite the … character, and who Trevor really was behind the webcam-boy persona gets twistier. The messy mystery and Paula’s involvement and curiosity soon put her in the eyes of Trevor’s killer, even though Detective Baxter is sure they should be looking at her. While I would love to binge this show, I’m glad to know that I’ll still be getting new episodes for the weeks to come. I can’t wait to see what our girl Paula gets herself into (and out of) next!
New Times Arts Editor Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Sun Screen. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in June 25 – July 2, 2026.
