I was a fan of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed from the very beginning. It had a distinct sense of style and comedy, Tatiana Maslany was great in it – as she is in everything – and the plot had an interesting mystery vibe that was compelling to follow along with. But I became suspicious in the penultimate episode, and those suspicions were confirmed in a finale that set up Season 2 in the worst way possible.
Don’t get me wrong; it was a good, solid episode. But it was also an episode built to panhandle for a renewal instead of providing resolution, confusing leaving things open for a potential sequel with leaving things completely unresolved. It’s a risky, suboptimal approach and leaves a bit of a sour taste in the audience’s mouth after what has otherwise been a satisfying first season.
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed Season 2 Is Likely, But That Isn’t the Point
Even though Apple TV hasn’t officially renewed Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed at the time of writing, it’s very likely that Season 2 will be confirmed. The show was greenlit as an ongoing drama rather than a limited series, and, of course, it ended with zero short-term resolution and left every possible door open for a sequel.
As I’ve also said before elsewhere, Apple tends to put a lot more faith in its original IP than other streaming platforms, and the vast majority run for more than a single season. Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed doesn’t seem to have been an enormous hit, but it was well-received critically and garnered solid word of mouth.
The downside is that the finale may have been so unsatisfying that several potential viewers lose interest. Already on these hallowed pages, commenters have been expressing their displeasure with the storytelling decisions made. The general sentiment seems to be that the show’s need to create interest around a second season compromised the climax of the first.
Release Speculation
The circumstances and tone of the discussion surrounding the finale put Apple TV in a bit of a predicament. Given the potential time between now and an official renewal, not to mention pre-production and how long it takes to shoot a 10-episode season, it would be perfectly reasonable to expect that Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed Season 2 wouldn’t debut until mid-to-late 2027.
But people want answers now. Of course, this is always the case with shows that end on cliffhangers, which is an increasingly common phenomenon in the current TV climate, but this show provided so little resolution that the frustration is essentially all that viewers have been left with. That could quite easily transition into disinterest over time, potentially hampering Season 2’s appeal before it has even been greenlit.
Despite Frustrations, the Plot Remains Ripe For More
While it’s obviously frustrating to have basically every plot point remain entirely unresolved, the upside is that this gives plenty of justification for Season 2, and it can easily develop in several very interesting ways.
- Paula’s new blackmail plot is clearly the main hook, with the finale having revealed that, back in Portland, she murdered Caleb intentionally. Now, someone is using proof of that to force her into doing them a favour.
- Detectives Gonzalez and Baxter are even more determined than ever to figure out what happened after the latter was shot by Jennifer. Even though they know Paula didn’t commit the murders she was accused of, they also strongly suspect she knows more than she’s letting on.
- Brian and Cecilia got away with everything, which is a pretty unsatisfying development. We still don’t know who was really pulling the strings between those two, and they’re both still very much operating after having tied up the loose ends.
- Geri’s story will have major repercussions after she decided to keep working on it after being romantically rebuffed by Rudy.
- There’s still unresolved romantic tension between Paula and Steve. There’s also Paula’s relationship with Karl to consider, especially after the custody battle; I don’t think a reconciliation is on the cards, but he’s still going to have a relationship with Hazel, which means still having a relationship with Paula.
The Great Cast Should Return
One of the best things about Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed was its cast, and luckily, they all survived the finale. This means that they’d all be very likely to return for a second season, particularly the main group:
- Tatiana Maslany as Paula Sanders
- Jake Johnson as Karl
- Jessy Hodges as Mallory
- Dolly de Leon as Detective Sofia Gonzalez
- Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg as Geri
- Charlie Hall as Rudy
- Raymond Lee as Steve
