Margo’s Got Money Troubles release date? Palm Springs event gives 411

“Margo’s Got Money Troubles” author Rufi Thorpe was happy to hand over the reins to the upcoming Apple TV series of the same name to the writers’ room, but she would not back down from one integral part of her novel.

In the book, young, aspiring writer Margo embarks on an OnlyFans internet sex work career when she needs to support her child. As part of her services, she writes about and compares men’s genitals to Pokémon creatures. Margo takes pride in her work, and author Thorpe wanted to see that honored in the series as best as possible.

“They were generating more Pokémon comparisons than were in the book, and I was just like, their Pokémon knowledge is shallow,” Thorpe told the audience at the inaugural Palm Springs Book Fest on Sunday, March 29. “I have two little boys … I can really help you out here. Here are many more Pokémon that are (genitalia-shaped) than you offered.”

Thorpe was among several best-selling authors who participated in the first Palm Springs Book Fest last weekend at Festival Theaters. As part of Community Day on Sunday, March 29, attendees — who were granted free admission to countless author conversations and panels — were treated to an advanced screening of the upcoming Apple TV series “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” starring Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer and executive produced by Nicole Kidman.

In the first episode, viewers are introduced to Margo (Fanning), a community college student who dreams of being a writer. Her plans change when she finds out she’s pregnant with her professor’s child, and she decides to embark on motherhood, despite everyone’s disapproval, including her mother Shyanne (Pfeiffer). Later in the series, Margo reconnects with her father, a former professional wrestler played by Nick Offerman.

Thorpe’s novel was published in 2024 and it marks her first television adaption. The series premieres Wednesday, April 15.

“I would have been happy if they had adapted it and it was a bad show. They really took such care with it,” the author said. “They let Margo be so imperfect and raw, and yet there’s still so much empathy for her in the show, and things are so complicated with her mom. I just feel like they got the emotional heart of the book.”

Watching her characters come to life was satisfying, she said, based on deliberate choices the actors made. She noted that Pfeiffer wears a veneer flipper on the show because she believed “Shyanne would have had not very good veneers done.” Thorpe also said the show let Fanning’s Margo “really be the daughter of a pro wrestler” when depicting her anger.

Thorpe noted that, even though she was an executive producer on the show, she didn’t want to get too involved in the writing process. She felt confident in producer/writer David E. Kelley’s abilities, who previously worked on shows such as “Ally McBeal” and “Big Little Lies,” and she didn’t want to turn it into the book.

“To me, it feels like the highest artistic compliment for another artist to say, ‘I want to make my art inspired by your art,'” she said. “It was always really clear to me that it was their art.”

Other authors who attended the Palm Springs Book Fest included Claire Lombardo (“Same As It Ever Was”), Emily St. James (“Wood Working”), Thrity Umrigar (“Honor,” “Missing Sam”) and R. K. Russell (“The Yards Between Us”).