**Score: 1/10 A Talented Actress Marooned in a Beneath-Her Mess** There are bad shows, and then there are shows that make you actively angry because they waste genuine talent. *Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed* is firmly in the latter category. Tatiana Maslany an Emmy-winning actress capable of carrying an entire universe on her shoulders as she did in *Orphan Black* is here reduced to screaming at a laptop screen while a man she pays to "adore" her tries to scam her for money. It is a role utterly beneath her, and the show knows it. The series follows Paula (Maslany), a newly divorced single mother navigating a custody battle with her ex-husband Karl (Jake Johnson). To combat loneliness, she has an ongoing transactional relationship with Trevor (Brandon Flynn), a cam boy she pays for conversation and, yes, video sex. During one of their calls, she witnesses him being attacked. The police think it's a scam. Then she gets a call demanding money, threatening to destroy her life and kill Trevor if she doesn't pay up. She investigates. There are dead bodies. There is a conspiracy. She also coaches youth soccer. **Why It Fails:** **Maslany Deserves Better:** I love most of the shows with Tatiana Maslany in them. She is a powerhouse, a shape-shifter, an actress who can do *anything*. But this role is *beneath her*. Paula is not a character; she is a collection of anxieties and poor…

This show is great. Anyone giving it a 1/10 needs to log off and go outside to touch some grass. Fer fuck's sake, it's an entertaining thriller with a manic protagonist who gets caught up in what at first seems like a simple scam but soon spirals out into some greater conspiracy. Definitely worth a watch and I am definitely seated in anticipation of a second season!

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