Margo wants to write, but first she needs enough money to raise her baby. Elle Fanning plays the 20-year-old student, who gets pregnant after an affair with Mark, her married English professor. She leaves college, has her son, Bodhi, and discovers how hard it is to keep a job when she cannot afford childcare.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles follows her decision to earn money on OnlyFans, a subscription website where she sells adult photos and videos. That job causes new arguments with her family, but the eight-episode first season spends just as much time on the people helping her look after Bodhi. Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer and Nick Offerman make those family scenes the best reason to watch. Some of Margo’s online performances are much less fun.
Margo needs help, not another lecture
At first, Margo takes Mark’s interest in her writing seriously. Michael Angarano makes the professor’s attention uncomfortable: he is married, he teaches her class, and he has much less to lose from their relationship. His praise does not turn into the support Margo needs once she is pregnant.
Fanning is especially good when Margo is tired or physically uncomfortable. Pregnancy, birth and feeding a baby are not reduced to a few cute moments. Margo can love Bodhi and still find looking after him exhausting. Fanning lets both feelings show without making every difficult moment a tearful scene.
Her mother, Shyanne, has plenty to say about that plan. Played by Pfeiffer, she had Margo young and does not want her daughter repeating her mistakes. But worry can quickly become criticism. Shyanne’s advice often makes Margo feel judged rather than helped. Pfeiffer is funny when Shyanne speaks before thinking, then painful to watch when she cannot give her daughter the reassurance she needs. Their arguments work because both women have reasons to be upset, even when one is being unfair.
Jinx helps with the baby and the business
Margo’s father, Jinx, has been absent for much of her life. He is a former professional wrestler recovering from drug addiction, and moving into her apartment gives him a chance to help. Nick Offerman plays him as a man who enjoys caring for his grandson but has not suddenly fixed his own problems. Taking care of Bodhi means more than another promise to be a better father. Shyanne’s distrust of him still makes sense: she remembers the years when she could not rely on him.
Jinx can also help Margo work out what to do in front of a camera. As a wrestler, he played a character and learned how to keep an audience interested. Margo uses that advice to create an online character of her own: a green alien called Hungry Ghost. Her writing becomes part of the job, along with costumes and performances.
But watching those performances is not always as interesting as watching Margo make them. The green alien is a funny idea, but spending more time watching Margo in costume does not make the jokes funnier. The business is more interesting when Margo has a practical problem to solve, such as fitting work around caring for Bodhi. If you are hoping for a detailed account of the work and uncertainty behind earning a living online, the family drama gets more attention.
Margo also meets fellow creators KC and Rose, played by Rico Nasty and Lindsey Normington. They help show that she is learning from other people, not inventing everything alone. Like her supportive roommate Susie, played by Thaddea Graham, they are easy to like. We learn more about how these women help Margo than what they want for themselves. Across eight episodes, there is time to give them more than that.
Pixel Twelve’s verdict
Pixel Twelve score: 8/10. We give more weight to Margo’s relationships with her parents than to the uneven online comedy. Shyanne’s hurtful advice and Jinx’s efforts to become dependable give Fanning, Pfeiffer and Offerman specific problems to work through together. Those scenes kept us interested even when the side characters and business story needed more attention.
Watch it for the family, not for a realistic guide to making money online. If the alien performances put you off, or you want Margo’s friends to have equally detailed stories, those are real limits. But the three leads make a young mother asking for help, arguing with her parents and trying again worth following through the season.
More images from Margo’s Got Money Troubles
3 screenshotsImages: Apple TV.
Visit the series page for the cast, trailer and where to watch, or read more Pixel Twelve reviews.
