Jake Johnson will star opposite Tatiana Maslany in Apple TV+’s dark comedy thriller “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed”, playing her ex-husband in the twisted series.
Apple TV+ has added Jake Johnson (best known for New Girl and Minx) to its upcoming half-hour darkly comedic thriller Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, set to star opposite Tatiana Maslany.
Maslany will portray Paula, a recently divorced mother who becomes ensnared in a dangerous web of blackmail, murder, and preschool‑level intrigue when her daughter’s youth soccer world takes a sinister turn. Johnson is tapped to play Karl, Paula’s ex‑husband, whose relationship with her is central to the unfolding drama.
The series is created and showrun by David J. Rosen, with direction and executive production by David Gordon Green, whose résumé includes the recent Halloween films.
It is a co‑production between Apple Studios and Counterpart Studios, developed under first‑look deals held by Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon for Genre Films, and Bard Dorros for Anonymous Content.
Johnson’s casting adds to an already eclectic body of work. In film, he most recently wrote, directed, and starred in Self Reliance (available on Hulu since January 12), and lent his voice to Peter Parker in Spider‑Man: Across the Spider‑Verse.
Upcoming on his slate is the pickleball comedy The Dink, which he will also produce with Red Hour Films. His other feature credits include Ride the Eagle, To Plant a Flag, Let’s Be Cops, 21 Jump Street, and Jurassic World.
On television, Johnson co‑starred and executive‑produced two seasons of the comedy Minx, created by Ellen Rapoport and executive‑produced by Paul Feig.
He also headlined Netflix’s limited series Lost Ollie alongside Gina Rodriguez, and appeared with Cobie Smulders in ABC’s crime drama Stumptown. His breakout role as Nick Miller on Fox’s New Girl earned him a Television Critics Association Award nomination in 2013 for Individual Achievement in Comedy.
Outside of acting, Johnson has ventured into podcasting. In 2023, he and comedian Gareth Reynolds launched the call‑in advice show We’re Here To Help. He is represented by UTA and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
With its blend of family drama, dark humor, and crime thriller elements—and a creative team that bridges network TV, indie film, and genre cinema—Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed promises to be an eclectic addition to Apple TV+’s growing slate of original series.
Source: Deadline
