Elle Fanning’s OnlyFans Comedy Is Coming for the Emmys

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David E. Kelley’s new comedy series, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, based on Rufi Thorpe’s novel, is already generating buzz and is expected to be an Emmy contender. It premiered to enthusiastic applause at the SXSW festival. The show, starring Elle Fanning in a surprisingly raw and funny role, follows a college freshman and aspiring writer who unexpectedly becomes a mother and turns to OnlyFans to make ends meet. It’s a fresh and unconventional portrayal of motherhood, and features moments of nudity that aren’t necessarily sexual in nature. Margo’s Got Money Troubles will be available on Apple TV starting April 15th, with eight episodes in total.

Before the show started, Kelley – the creator of many popular, award-winning dramas like Big Little Lies and Ally McBeal – jokingly apologized for having to replay the opening and closing credits three times. These credits feature a small statue of a woman inside a pinball machine, bouncing around and constantly close to falling. It’s a fitting image, as you’ll soon discover when you watch the show.

Dakota Fanning plays Margo, a relentlessly positive young woman telling her own story. She grew up as an only child, raised by her candid mother, Shayanne (played by Michelle Pfeiffer), and a largely absent professional wrestler father, Jinx (Nick Offerman, impressively muscular and bearded). This upbringing fueled a vivid imagination, leading her to jump into situations without considering the fallout. For example, when her attractive, married professor, Mark (Michael Angarano, playing a character you really want to dislike), invites her for coffee, she quickly becomes involved with him—and also falls for his painfully awkward poetry.

It was only a matter of time before she became pregnant—their passionate and unprotected encounters made it seem likely. However, she shocked everyone by deciding she wanted to have the baby.

Shayanne doesn’t approve, having had Margo at a young age and raised her as a single parent. A highlight of the show is watching Michelle Pfeiffer portray such a stressed-out character. She delivers lines like, “You were going to do things! Seriously, seriously, seriously, seriously, seriously!” And when a heavily pregnant Margo dramatically lies on the mall floor, upset she can’t afford a stroller, Shayanne bluntly tells her, “Get up. No one is a victim at Bloomingdale’s.”

Dakota Fanning is a strong Emmy Award nominee. She portrays her character with a captivating mix of brightness and fragility, and many scenes are genuinely funny – like when she’s getting used to her postpartum body and accidentally sprays milk everywhere. Despite her questionable decisions, such as a tense confrontation with her husband and his family or bringing the baby home to a crowded living situation, we still find ourselves hoping she succeeds. One scene, where she tearfully describes the baby rejecting her milk “with such vicious contempt,” is particularly strong and could be her submission for the Outstanding Lead Actress award.

The SXSW audience reacted enthusiastically to each episode, with their applause growing louder and louder. People were captivated and barely left their seats, even for bathroom breaks. Interestingly, we didn’t get to see all the content! The third episode concludes with the main character deciding to create an OnlyFans account. Her profile includes a unique request: she asks male viewers to tip her $20 if they want her to playfully compare their appearance to a Pokémon character and describe its potential abilities.

Kelley joked the show gets pretty explicit, explaining he handed off those scenes to his co-creator, Eva Anderson, because he, as a 60-year-old man, didn’t feel comfortable writing them. Anderson explained they made the show feel realistic by having the writing team watch professional wrestling, interview OnlyFans creators, and review content on the platform together – with everyone agreeing to it beforehand.

It’s Pfeiffer and Offerman, though, who steal the whole show.

Working with my husband, David Kelley, on this project was something I immediately said yes to – even before I knew the details! He started describing the character as an ex-Hooters waitress from Orange County, and honestly, that was all I needed to hear. As an Orange County native myself, I was instantly hooked. And let me tell you, the wardrobe is amazing – lots of tight leopard print and push-up bras! It definitely brings back some fun memories of films like Married to the Mob.

Shayanne clearly adores Margo, but also wants her to understand the challenges of raising a child alone. This is shown when she jokingly tells Margo, “You got this!” as she briefly leaves her with newborn Bodhi upon arriving home. Throughout the story, Shayanne struggles with becoming a grandmother. At Margo’s baby shower, she’s overwhelmed with regret. The camera often captures her holding Bodhi awkwardly, as if she can’t wait to pass him to someone else, or she’s breaking down in tears, confessing her feelings of inadequacy and even apologizing for a harsh comment she made about the baby. Michelle Pfeiffer, the actress playing Shayanne, has said these vulnerable moments were when she felt most engaged in her performance, despite her genuine love for babies.

Nick Offerman is a heartwarming standout in the film. Though Jinx wasn’t a present father to Margo, he makes a genuine effort to connect with his granddaughter, Bodhi, after completing rehab. When he learns Margo has had a baby, he arrives at her home and eventually becomes a part of her life, moving in with her and her roommate, Susie (Thaddea Graham), who is a dedicated fan of his. He wants to be a good grandfather to Bodhi—something he never was to Margo—and feels needed, explaining he’s there to provide a sense of normalcy.

He’s incredibly muscular, really built. Despite not being able to attend SXSW, Nick Offerman had been texting throughout the night and performed all of his own wrestling stunts. While Shayanne is still very angry with Jinx for leaving her years ago, the connection between Michelle Pfeiffer and Nick Offerman is electric and feels like it could spark at any time.

At SXSW, Zoey Deutch, wearing a simple red dress, explained that she viewed the story as one about a woman discovering her own strength and independence. She was drawn to her character, Margo, because of her innocent quality and tendency to surprise – just when you expect her to do one thing, she does another.

Fanning consistently chose the most challenging path, which ultimately gave her character a remarkable bravery, courage, and optimism. Playing her was incredibly inspiring, and her decisions actually made me feel more courageous myself.

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2026-03-14 02:01