Stephen King Praises Apple TV's Genre-Mashing 10-Part Crime Thriller

Stephen King is giving praise to another new Apple TV series.

The legendary author is one of many viewers that has enjoyed Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay, the ten-episode comedic horror series where each new installment plays out like its own contained movie while still providing hints to the larger plot. But the streamer is on a roll more generally, with its originals such as Margo’s Got Money Troubles and Star City gaining attention.

Widow’s Bay Borrows Stephen King’s Greatest Storytelling Trick

Apple TV’s new horror series is unique in its own right, but it also seems to cleverly borrow one of Stephen King’s greatest storytelling tricks.

In a new post on X (formerly Twitter), King took a moment to highlight the ten-episode crime drama Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed. The seminal scribe called the series “very entertaining”, though he takes issue with some “goofy plot holes.” He concludes with praise for the lead character’s occupation, noting, “Copy-editors are an unused fictional resource. Who’s a better detective than a good copy-editor?”

Created by David J. Rosen, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed stars Orphan Black‘s Tatiana Maslany in the role of Paula, a divorced mother who feels some sort of passive dissatisfaction with her life. She finds joy in her conversations with a younger camboy Trevor (13 Reasons Why alum Brandon Flynn). But things take a turn one evening when she witnesses Trevor being attacked on camera during one of their conversations.

Paula tries to get the police and has to convince Detective Sofia Gonzalez, played by Dolly De Leon, who received an Oscar nomination for her performance in the 2022 dark comedy Triangle of Sadness. But the authorities think it’s a scam. To say much more about the premise would spoil its fun, but the Apple TV Original ably blends the comedy of Paula’s workplace, the drama of her personal life, and the thriller she’s now found herself in.

The workplace part comes in handy, just as King observes, when Paula doesn’t get anywhere with the police. It also leads to some fun interactions with Paula’s co-workers, played by Charlie Hall and Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg. The cast of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed also includes fun supporting turns by New Girl‘s Jake Johnson as Paula’s ex-husband and Barry‘s Jessy Hodges as the ex-husband’s new love interest.

Small screen vets like Tara Summers, Kapil Talwalkar, and Murray Bartlett also make appearances in the crime thriller that sits at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 53 reviews, and has a high 86% audience score. Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed is one of Maslany’s most enjoyable roles in recent years, tailored to show how good the Emmy winner is at juggling different tones. It’s no surprise King is a fan.

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed releases new episodes Wednesdays on Apple TV.