One of My Top Three Shows of 2026 Was Just Renewed—Finally

I was worried there for a minute...

maximum pleasure guaranteed apple tv renewed season two
Apple TV

As an entertainment editor, I have the good fortune of watching TV for a living. And, sure, there are plenty of series that have wildly missed the mark this year (The Shards, Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story), but there have also been a ton of excellent new shows.

Sifting through them all can be a challenge, but back in July, I settled on my favorite three shows of 2026 (up to that point). They were, hands down, Margo's Got Money Troubles, Widow's Bay and Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed.

Most people wouldn't be shocked to see Margo and Mayor Tom appearing on my list. (Margo's Got Money Troubles received a slew of Emmy nominations, Widow's Bay won a slew of said Emmys and both shows were quickly renewed for second seasons.)

But Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, which hit Apple TV back in May, flew much further under the radar, despite being a very good show. The fact that it hadn't been renewed by the beginning of October was enough to convince me that it would go the way of so many others with a post-season-one cancellation.

Fast-forward to this week, and I am breathing a giant sigh of relief. This excellent comedic-thriller has been officially picked up for a season two—and I can't wait to see what's next for star Tatiana Maslany and co.

In this fast-paced, easy-to-binge series, Maslany (who you may recognize from She-Hulk or Orphan Black) plays Paula, a divorced mom who is struggling to get her life together in order to keep partial custody of her daughter. Unfortunately, Paula also has a penchant for paying sex-cam boys to, um, well you know. When one such sex-cam boy ends up dead, Paula inadvertently becomes a prime suspect and will need to prove her innocence (with the help of her bickering co-workers and a sassy detective).

Maslany is hands down the reason to watch. This won't be surprising to anyone who is familiar with her work on Orphan Black, but, as Paula, she strikes the perfect balance of comedic hot mess and amateur sleuth. Though she delivers plenty of cringe moments where I screamed "Why Paula?! WHY?!" in my head, she is extremely easy to root for. Sure, she's a flawed person, but who isn't? Sex-cam addiction or not, I desperately wanted to see her succeed—in finding the true bad guys and in retaining custody of her mini-me daughter.

The supporting cast, including Murray Bartlett, Dolly De Leon, Brandon Flynn, Jessy Hodges, Jon Michael Hill, Charlie Hall, Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg and Nola Wallace, is just as fabulous. And there are a ton of twists throughout the series, which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.

So, naturally, when I reached the end of season one, I wanted more. Well, Apple TV made me wait until this past Wednesday when it finally announced Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed season two.

maximum pleasure guaranteed apple tv renewed season two
Apple TV

Per a press release, creator and showrunner David J. Rosen said, “We are delighted to continue the story of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed and deeply grateful to Apple and our incredible cast and crew. This is all pretty amazing for a show whose title came from a spam email.”

While no details were released about the second season plot or cast, I'm just happy that a sophomore season got the green light. (Now, if someone could just talk to the folks at Netflix about giving The Boroughs a second shot...)



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Philip Mutz

VP, News and Entertainment

  • Oversees news and entertainment content
  • Is an award-winning playwright and has hosted two entertainment podcasts
  • Has 10+ years experience in entertainment coverage and viral media