First seasons of a television show are always tricky to pull off, as the show has to introduce a whole new cast of characters, establish a clear tone and vision of its world and earn the audience’s investment over the course of the season. Thankfully, the combined efforts of showrunner David E. Kelley, executive producer, newly promoted co-showrunner Eva Anderson and a talented ensemble led by the fantastic central pairing of Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer mean that Season 1 of “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” has no problem creating instant fans out of viewers. The show is simply excellent on every front, from its nuanced and authentic depiction of sex work to its brilliant writing which fully earns the audience’s emotional investment into its characters to its exceptional ensemble who just have such instant and easy chemistry with each other. It also features superb contemporary costuming and makeup, which help bring the world and direction to life. The focus is kept on the stellar performances that ground the show, but these technical aspects allow for touches of visual flair. 

The Apple TV dramedy adapts Rufi Thorpe’s novel of the same name and centers on college student and aspiring writer Margo Millet (Elle Fanning). After becoming pregnant, Margo turns to OnlyFans to support herself financially, and the show follows Margo and her family as she embarks on this wild and emotional journey. This support system includes her mother and ex-Hooters waitress Shyanne (Michelle Pfeiffer), her estranged father and former pro-wrestler Jinx (Nick Offerman) and her roommate and cosplayer Susie (Thaddea Graham).

One of the key strengths that “Margo” has is in its writing, which quickly earns the audience’s investment in the characters, the emotional journeys which they go on and the relationships that they have with one another. The show generally manages to offer its ensemble layered and complex characters and material to work with, which in turn makes the relationships between them and the emotional conflicts and reconciliations between characters far more interesting and textured. While part of the success of the show is undoubtedly due to its talented ensemble (more on that later), the script is what gives them the rich material and big emotional extremes to play with, creating instantly striking characters which pop off the screen. The one caveat to this though would have to be the character of Susie, who generally falls into the archetype of the supportive best friend for much of the season. Given Graham’s good chemistry with Fanning, this is hardly a bad thing. However, the instances where she gets material that allows her to break free from that archetype and actually play Susie as an individual character with her own opinions are undoubtedly much more compelling. Hopefully, the forthcoming second season of this show can improve in its utilization of Susie, as there is clearly untapped potential there. 

Aside from that one flaw, the quality in writing also extends beyond the characters and relationships and into the world they inhabit as well, with the show offering up a nuanced and realistic depiction of the realities of topics like new motherhood and online sex work. Margo’s journey over the course of the season shows both the challenges and joy that can be found in both areas, with this mixture imbuing the show with a wonderful authenticity. This is also tied into the show’s depiction and visual usage of nudity: under the eye of its all-female directing team in Dearbhla Walsh, Kate Herron and Alice Seabright, it comes across as natural and part of the human experience rather than hypersexualised or fetishised. The recent season of “Euphoria”, which also depicts online sex work, should take notes. 

But as mentioned earlier, the top-notch ensemble from top to bottom is one of the key strengths of the show. There are excellent performances from guest stars like Paul McCrane, who makes a bold and electric appearance in the finale. There are also solid supporting turns, such as Nicole Kidman in a fun if somewhat slight role and an icily effective Marcia Gay Harden. Greg Kinnear and Michael Angarano are also good in their respective roles, with the former imbuing his character with endearingly awkward charm while the latter does well in playing the different sides to his character over the course of the season. 

The real treat, though, lies in the performers who bring Margo and the main family unit around her to life thanks to both the strength of their talents as individuals and the easy chemistry they share with each other. As previously mentioned,  Thaddea Graham’s chemistry with Fanning makes her a good fit as Susie, and she especially shines when she is allowed to play beyond the “supportive best friend” archetype. As for Nick Offerman, his performance as Jinx continues his history of television excellence. The physical transformation he undertook for the part allows him to believably play a former pro-wrestler, while the emotional depth he brings to the character and his journey as a recovering addict is a standout. He also proves able to effortlessly embody a paternal energy which makes the material that Jinx has with Margo emotionally affecting. Offerman and Pfeiffer also manage to easily capture the romantic history and spark which exists between their characters. The quiet stoicism and strength he brings to Jinx conceals deeply human vulnerability underneath, which in turn makes the moments when the emotion really breaks through especially moving.

The show’s beating heart, though, would undoubtedly have to be in Margo, Shyanne and the mother-daughter relationship between the two, with the electric and wonderfully natural chemistry between Fanning and Pfeiffer key to making this work. As the series starts, both performers are instantly able to show the deep love between the characters. But as the season progresses, the two strong-willed characters naturally come into conflict with one another, enabling both performers to really dig deep into the complicated highs and lows of the mother-daughter relationship. It simply makes for dynamite television. The excellent writing along with Fanning and Pfeiffer’s chemistry makes the Margo/Shyanne relationship a deeply compelling and affecting one, with scenes between the two of them often turning out to be the highlight of every episode. 

And while they certainly prove to be an excellent duo, the material they are offered also gives Fanning and Pfeiffer the chance to play layered and complex characters in their own right. Fanning’s work here as Margo is at the very least on par with her truly excellent performance in Hulu’s “The Great,” as the wild emotional rollercoaster that Margo goes on over the course of the season really allows her to show off her range. She plays everything from maternal love and instinct to quiet and enduring strength to deep vulnerability and heartbreak to explosive rage and exhaustion. Margo is an excellent part for anyone to play, but Fanning steps into the role with such emotional authenticity that she elevates it into something truly standout and singular. Pfeiffer shines alongside her as Shyanne, imbuing her with a sassy energy and excellently playing the comedic beats she gets. Shyanne instantly pops on-screen, and Pfeiffer does fantastic work in mining the character’s emotional vulnerability to make her fully fleshed out and compelling. She is terrific in giving Shyanne a larger-than-life energy, but still manages to keep the performance and character grounded in an emotional authenticity that ensures she comes across as a real human being. In an ensemble filled with terrific performers, the work that Fanning and Pfeiffer deliver somehow goes above and beyond.

Overall, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” proves to be an excellently done dramedy that features great writing and excellent performances across the board. The heart of the show comes from the superb dynamic between Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer, while Nick Offerman is also superb throughout. Season 1 of the show manages to earn the audience’s investment into the emotional rollercoaster that this group of compelling characters embarks on, delivering a narratively satisfying season of television packed with enjoyable characters and relationships, while also offering up a nuanced depiction of issues like motherhood and online sex work. While the first season definitely offers narrative catharsis in its conclusion, the richness of this world, writing and performances makes the renewal of Season 2 decisively welcome news. A future outing with these characters cannot come soon enough. 

9.5/10