By 
Look, we all love to hate the rich. It’s fun to see the emptiness of the lives of the guests on The White Lotus, the cruelty of the Roy family on Succession, and Benoit Blanc speaks for us all when he chews out the privileged killers in Knives Out. But where are the movies and shows that reflect our lives?
Anyone tired of watching rich people on screen will feel relief while watching the trailer for Margo’s Got Money Troubles, at the same moment when things get stressful for the protagonist. After rifling through multiple pregnancy tests, the titular character, played by Elle Fanning, watches the total of her grocery bill get larger and larger, only to hear her debit card get declined. Even the non-pregnant among us can relate with Margo when she collapses on a store floor midway through the teaser.
The Apple TV series comes from legendary television producer David E. Kelley, who previously chronicled the lives of people under pressure by creating Ally McBeal, Boston Common, and Big Little Lies. But where many of his previous shows rarely dipped below the lower middle classes, Margo’s Got Money Troubles looks at those living gig to gig.
Based on the 2024 novel by Rufi Thorpe, Margo’s Got Money Troubles stars Fanning as a would-be writer and currently-is college student who becomes pregnant by her English professor. While her mother, a former Hooter’s waitress portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer, has her own thoughts about what her daughter should do, Margo chooses instead to reconnect with her estranged father, an ex-professional wrestler played by Nick Offerman. Thanks to her father’s advice, Margo finds success on OnlyFans, which comes with its own set of pressures.
Even 15 years ago, the premise of Margo’s Got Money Troubles would sound like a twee indie movie trying to ape Wes Anderson’s style. Only the rich could afford to let so many members of the family have idiosyncratic dreams like becoming a wrestling hero or a social media star. Most people would have to work in a factory or sling burgers at a McDonalds. But as even entry-level jobs demand several years of experience and none of them pay a living wage, regular careers are just as unrealistic as the weird ones.
If the show can capture this economic trend, then Margo’s Got Money Troubles could restore a once-important television tradition. While the first TV shows focused on upper-middle class suburbanites who could afford a television set, some of the great series of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s were all about people living modestly; shows like Sanford and Son, Roseanne, and All in the Family. Even The Simpsons and King of the Hill started out as more working-class shows, even if the world around them turned Homer and Hank into top earners.
Even better, if Margo’s Got Money Troubles can make us laugh at the character’s plight, it helps us viewers make sense of our own situation. Not only can we enjoy the relief of someone else getting denied in the checkout line, but we can start to see each other on screen, instead of just always watching the rich.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles premieres on Apple TV on April 15, 2026.
The post Margo’s Got Money Troubles Trailer Is an Antidote to Our Wealth Obsession appeared first on Den of Geek.
