If we could all bring children into the world under ideal circumstances, it would be a much better place, and everyone would likelier grow up to be much more properly-adjusted than they are. The new series Margo’s Got Money Troubles reveals its protagonist’s financial situation in its title, tracing the journey to an unexpected pregnancy to the boundless efforts undertaken by this new mother to support a child she loves more than anything in the world. At times extremely entertaining and at others deeply emotional, this show is well worth investing in for the rich character-building and compelling ride it on which it invites audiences.
Margo (Elle Fanning) is a college student who begins an intimate relationship with her professor Mark (Michael Angarano), who reveals a less-than-committed attitude, and a wife and family, when she breaks the news to him that she’s pregnant with his child. Determined to keep the baby, she finds support from her mother Shyanne (Michelle Pfeiffer), who is turning a new leaf with a romance with the deeply religious Kenny (Greg Kinnear), and her father Jinx (Nick Offerman), a former wrestler fresh out of rehab. Paying the bills and supporting a child proves challenging, however, leading Margo to consider a creative source of income: OnlyFans.
Based on the 2024 novel by Rufi Thorpe, this series comes from creator David E. Kelley, who has an extensive television history going back decades that most recently includes fare like Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers, The Lincoln Lawyer, and Presumed Innocent. His latest is less twist-oriented but just as dependably ensemble-driven. Putting his own wife, Pfeiffer, who is also headlining the Paramount+ series The Madison, into this project, is an absolutely phenomenal decision that allows her to enhance an already worthwhile supporting player and punch up her excess, which at times comes off as incredibly resilient and at others as utterly petty. Kelley is a seasoned writer and producer of TV and here delivers something that doesn’t feel much like his past work but boasts the same quality and depth.
Fanning received a well-deserved Emmy nomination for her masterful performance in The Great and also recently played a real-life teenager put on trial for her role in encouraging her boyfriend’s suicide in The Girl from Plainville. Fresh off her first Oscar nomination for the Swedish film Sentimental Value, Fanning has truly found her stride. This isn’t her most immersive turn but one that still demands plenty from her, covering a broad range of emotions. Her ability to have Margo go from assured confidence to complete cluelessness in a single scene is remarkable, and the fact that it doesn’t feel like she’s playing a part or assuming a role makes it all the more poignant.
Completing the nuclear family, Offerman is at his best. Following a sardonic political turn in Death by Lightning, here he seems stoic and trapped within his body, aware of the many mistakes he’s made in his life and determined to keep himself from screwing up again. His interpretation of the character is very restrained and compelling, improving up on his already terrific dramatic forays in The Last of Us, Civil War, and Sovereign. It’s fascinating to see how Margo was molded by two fiercely protective parents whose primary concerns may not have always been their daughter, but who now rally to give her the support she needs in a trying time.
The ensemble also includes an appropriately irritating Angarano, a blissfully innocent Kinnear, Thaddea Graham as Margo’s kindhearted cosplaying roommate, Marcia Gay Harden as Mark’s fearsome mother, and Kelley collaborator Nicole Kidman as an old wrestling buddy of Jinx’s who now works as a lawyer. It’s a deeply talented group bringing their all to a show that includes tender parenting moments, humorous tension-filled interactions, and even some simulated green alien intimacy. No stranger to success, Kelley has done it again with a formidable cast and a sharp script, ensuring that whatever challenges Margo goes through are entirely rewarding to watch for any engaged audience.
Series grade: 8/10
