{"id":383305,"date":"2026-04-16T23:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T23:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/383305\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T23:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T23:54:10","slug":"elle-fanning-and-michelle-pfeiffers-show-is-refreshingly-great","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/383305\/","title":{"rendered":"Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer\u2019s show is refreshingly great."},"content":{"rendered":"

Margo\u2019s Got Money Troubles\u2014a new Apple TV series, based on the novel by Rufi Thorpe, about a young single mother who turns to OnlyFans to provide for her budding family\u2014was made by people who know good TV. When the adaptation was first announced<\/a>, it was revealed that the show would be produced by A24, helmed by David E. Kelley (the creator of The Practice and Big Little Lies), and executive produced by Nicole Kidman, as well as both Elle Fanning (who stars as Margo) and her sister Dakota. It\u2019s thanks to this stacked lineup, along with a stellar cast that includes Nick Offerman, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Greg Kinnear, that Margo\u2019s Got Money Troubles takes what could be a bundleful of clich\u00e9s and turns it into a wonderful show that\u2019s as charming as it is rewarding to watch.<\/p>\n

The series, which premiered this week with the first three of eight episodes, follows the titular Margo, a wide-eyed college student who gets knocked up by her weaselly literature professor, Mark (Michael Angarano). Margo decides to keep the baby, much to the dismay of Mark, who is married with children (see weaselly!) and doesn\u2019t want any lasting evidence that he slept with a student, and of her mother, Shyanne (Pfeiffer), a former Hooters waitress who is in the process of sanitizing herself to appear worthy of her boyfriend, a church leader named Kenny (Kinnear). When Margo finally has her baby, Bodhi, the consequences of her actions wind up driving most of her friends away, save for one of her roommates, Susie (Thaddea Graham). Simultaneously, Margo\u2019s decision to have Bodhi also brings someone back into her life: Jinx (Offerman), her estranged father, a former pro wrestler who is recovering from opioid addiction. With her responsibilities mounting but no way to pay for them after dropping out of school and struggling to find a job, Margo begins to make sexually suggestive content on OnlyFans (with the help of two other OF creators, played by Lindsey Normington and the rapper Rico Nasty). When this job too begins to cause trouble for Margo, Lace (Nicole Kidman), an old friend of Jinx\u2019s, steps in to help. What follows is the story of an unconventional family, formed by a ragtag group of misfits with Margo as its nucleus, all trying to survive while maintaining at least a shred of dignity.<\/p>\n

The trials and tribulations of young, single motherhood! Suffering addicts with hearts of gold! Sex work without stigma! Found family! What I just described may sound like the most boilerplate CW show (and I say this as a noted lover<\/a> of the CW and CW-esque<\/a> shows<\/a>). But it\u2019s to Margo\u2019s credit that what could otherwise make the series feel like an ordinary teen soap instead work refreshingly in its favor. Rather than getting bogged down in melodrama and emotional spectacle, the show has a refreshingly light touch grounded by realism and humor. Despite its protagonist\u2019s rough circumstances, this series is, ultimately, about hope; every lovingly crafted character maintains the belief that they deserve to find something better, even when they\u2019re going through the hardest moments of their lives.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Sam Adams
\n One of Netflix\u2019s Sharpest Shows Is Back. It\u2019s Even Better Than Before.
\n Read More\n <\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

An Acclaimed Filmmaker Made a Psychological Horror Movie Based on Footage of Taylor Swift. It\u2019s Something Else.
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Fanning is, as always, great as the narrative center, hitting all of the beats well, both as Margo\u2019s beleaguered self and as her racy content-creator self, who prefers a touch of the avant-garde in her sexy offerings. Pfeiffer is also wonderful as the conflicted Shyanne, who consistently views the state of her daughter\u2019s life as a personal indictment on her own perceived failure as a single mother to Margo. The show makes full use of Pfeiffer, giving her some great one-liners\u2014\u201cThere are no victims in Bloomingdale\u2019s!\u201d\u2014as well as a number of opportunities to showcase her lovely singing voice. Offerman\u2019s portrayal of Jinx, a father struggling with addiction and regret over time lost, is beautifully heartbreaking and avoids falling into the loud dramatics common to addiction narratives. Kidman is hilarious as Lace, whose background and involvement I won\u2019t spoil but is worth watching to witness. But the MVP award of a great cast goes to Graham, whose turn as Susie, Margo\u2019s wrestling-obsessed, cosplaying roommate, is endlessly charming. Susie\u2019s role as Margo\u2019s sole remaining friend and Bodhi\u2019s part-time caregiver is a salvation\u2014one that comes not without sacrifices and suffering of her own, which Graham portrays with nuance and care.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the rare show that knows exactly how to take a bunch of common tropes\u2014complicated mother\u2013daughter relationships, the highs and lows of addiction and recovery, the harsh realities of young parenting\u2014and turn them into something greater. Even if there isn\u2019t anything particularly novel about Margo\u2019s Got Money Troubles, it\u2019s all the richer for how well it comes together. Falling and getting back up, as Margo and her loved ones learn, doesn\u2019t come without humility or humor or heartbreak. Margo may have some troubles, but, thankfully, Margo doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Get the best of movies, TV, books, music, and more.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Margo\u2019s Got Money Troubles\u2014a new Apple TV series, based on the novel by Rufi Thorpe, about a young…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":383306,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[351,156,111,139,69,437],"class_list":{"0":"post-383305","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-apple","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-newzealand","12":"tag-nz","13":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=383305"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383305\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/383306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=383305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=383305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=383305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}