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David J. Rosen is a fan of Alfred Hitchcock鈥檚 鈥淩ear Window.鈥�

He drew inspiration from it while creating 鈥淢aximum Pleasure Guaranteed,鈥� which he describes as a genre-bending thrill ride that blends dark comedy with the gripping underworld of online sex scams, blackmail and murder.

The initial spark of the idea for the series struck Rosen during the pandemic, a time when in-person interactions gave way to staring at one another through computer webcams. The concept that these screens offered glimpses into the private lives of friends and colleagues fascinated him.

鈥淚 wanted to write a show about someone who鈥檚 going through the seconds in life,鈥� Rosen says. 鈥淣ot the 铿乺sts. There are a lot of shows about 铿乺sts 鈥� your 铿乺st job, your 铿乺st love. But what happens when those things don鈥檛 work out, and what is the existential angst you feel inside? I wanted to dramatize that through a real thriller, channeling Hitchcock where a normal person gets pulled into some crazy, abnormal world. I wondered if I could take all the things I was interested in writing about and use them as a jumping-off point to ultimately answer the question: 鈥榃hat is something that could go horribly wrong for someone who is just a normal person reaching out for a little bit of happiness?鈥欌��

The result is the Apple TV series, 鈥淢aximum Pleasure Guaranteed,鈥� which currently streams a new episode on Wednesdays through July 15.

The series follows Paula, played by Tatiana Maslany. She is a loving mother going through a tough custody renegotiation for her daughter, Hazel, played by Nola Wallace.

After her divorce, Paula moves into a lifeless apartment that she can barely afford. As a fact-checker at a glossy magazine, she is good at her job, but the promotion she鈥檚 been seeking has yet to come to fruition.

In search of some refuge from the stress, loneliness and complexities of her life, Paula strikes up a relationship with Trevor, played by Brandon Flynn 鈥� a male sex worker who streams content and meets with clients virtually to ful铿乴l their fantasies. Finally feeling seen, Paula becomes a little too emotionally attached over the course of their video chats.

When Paula believes she witnesses Trevor being attacked, Paula goes to the police to report what she saw. But when she meets with Detective Gonzales, played by Dolly De Leon, she informs Paula that it sounds like she is the victim of an extortion scam.

The series also stars Jake Johnson, Murray Bartlett, Jessy Hodges, Jon Michael Hill, Charlie Hall and Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg.

Rosen jumped at the chance to have Maslany in the role of Paula.

Maslany was equally drawn to Paula鈥檚 journey.

鈥淭he writing lives in so many different places,鈥� says Maslany. 鈥淎 scene can play straight, and it can play comedic, and it can play all things between. It鈥檚 really the joy of the writing that allows for that freedom. Paula has gone through a brutal divorce and we are catching her as that has already become a normal part of her life. Now, she鈥檚 just trying to 铿乬ure out who she is.鈥�

Maslany鈥檚 interest was piqued by the show鈥檚 exploration of the pressures and judgment that come with being a working, single mother.

鈥淎s a woman, age-wise, I relate to the idea of, 鈥榊ou鈥檇 better be perfect at everything!鈥欌�� Maslany says. 鈥淚 feel it myself and see it in my friends. We do that to ourselves and each other. What excited me about this story is the vili铿乧ation of Paula鈥檚 desire and the way her desire sets off a series of punishments that continue throughout the season.

鈥淎ny time she experiences or expresses desire, it gets punished. This woman just wanted to feel pleasure and now the cops are after, her ex-husband is after her, and everyone is telling her she is wrong for wanting that. She could lose her kid for these choices. It鈥檚 very juicy stuff. I loved it.鈥�

Adrian Gomez is a freelance writer for the sa国际传媒官网网页入口. He works for the New Mexico Film Office, focusing on industry research.