‘Wickedly funny’ sex-forward drama with Elle Fanning launches on streaming today
Margo’s Got Money Troubles has a one-line attention-grabbing premise: a young student who gets pregnant after an affair with her married college professor turns to OnlyFans.
Based on a book of the same name by Rufi Thorpe, the new Apple TV eight-parter stars recently minted Oscar nominee Elle Fanning as the titular Margo Millet, a first-year student.
She’s not only got money troubles, but parental ones, with her ex Hooters waitress mum Shyanne (Michelle Pfeiffer) in her ear and her ex pro wrestler dad Jinx (Nick Offerman) drifting in and out of her life.
Margo’s life takes a turn when her slimy English teacher starts writing her poems (oh dear) and suggests she could cut it at Harvard, as part of a twisted ploy to get her into bed.
Alas, it works and Margo ends up pregnant. (It has been pointed out she doesn’t really explore the possibility of abortion, but that would have somewhat curtailed the TV show, given what comes next.)
Because this teacher is an outright wrong-un, Margo ends up having to go it alone as a parent, much like her mother did after a one-night stand with her father, a then-Hooters punter who was also, it turned out, married.
Driven by the hardscrabble need to make a living for herself and her child, Margo joins the explicit content platform OnlyFans, where she strikes upon a niche but cash-flowing community of sex-forward sci-fi fans.
Adapted by the creator of Big Little Lies, David E Kelley, the star of that show moonlights in this one. Nicole Kidman here plays a former pro wrestler (you go, girl!) turned lawyer, who represents Margo.
The show, which premieres its first three episodes today, has already scored a towering 96 per cent on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
What other shows can you stream now?
- The Capture. The third season of the BBC thriller just wrapped up.
- Euphoria. Catch up on the show that everyone is talking about, for better or worse.
- If It’s Tuesday, It’s Murder. Fancy a quirky murder mystery with a dollop of escapism? This one is for you.
- Big Mistakes. A new cringe comedy from Dan Levy, the creator of Schitt’s Creek. Catch it on the Netflix top 10.
- Beef. A bonus one, out tomorrow. Read about the new cast of characters here.
The reviews for Margo’s Got Money Troubles have been overwhelmingly positive, with Bloomberg praising the show for a ‘relatable’ depiction of a woman engaged in sex work, rather than othering her.
Elsewhere, a write-up in Roger Ebert went so far as to bill the show ‘one of the most engaging and entertaining series of the year to date’, describing it as ‘wickedly funny’.
A review in Esquire praised Fanning in particular, deeming it ‘some of the best work of her career’, but the Guardian noted that more could have been done story-wise with the stellar cast assembled.
Does Margo’s Got Money Troubles sound like one for you?
The first three episodes of Margo’s Got Money Troubles launch on Apple TV on April 15.
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