Minx’s cast and crew shared their excited reactions to the HBO Max comedy series’s renewal for season 2. The series’s first season began airing on March 15 and concluded on April 14. All 10 episodes of Season 1 are currently available to stream and amidst the show’s critical success, it appeared likely that HBO Max would extend its lifeline.
“Size does matter and we are excited to have our partners at a huge platform like HBO Max extend ‘Minx’ for a second season,” said Scott Herbst, head of scripted development and executive vice president of Lionsgate Television via statement. “The creative team led by Ellen Rapoport and the extraordinary cast have created a gem in season one, and we look forward to exposing the acclaimed show’s fans to more fun and incredibly original storytelling.”
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Many voiced their support of Minx’s renewal on social media, with some from the cast and crew thanking the network for giving their show a chance. “So excited to be getting a second season of #Minx!!! Thank you so much to @hbomax for rewarding our naked ambitions,” tweeted executive producer Paul Feig.
Series creator and showrunner Ellen Rapoport wrote on Twitter, “Thank you for your kind words about our #MinxOnMax renewal. Every last bit of this has been a pleasure. And while you’re here, please donate to secure.actblue.com/donate/fundabo… The #Minx characters are about to have more reproductive rights than we do.”
Actress Idara Victor, who stars as Tina, Doug’s assistant, wrote,”‘Primetime Baby!!’ Thank you all who supported our show!! Cheers to S2!”
Minx is set in 1970s Los Angeles and stars Ophelia Lovibond as Joyce, an idealistic feminist who joins forces with low-rent publisher Doug (Jake Johnson) to create the first erotic magazine for women. Idara Victor, Jessica Lowe, Lennon Parham, Michael Angarano, and Oscar Montoya are also part of the cast.
“[Doug] ‘s progressive, but it’s because he deals with people on an individual basis,” co-executive producer Johnson told The A.V. Club in April. “He’s not a true great feminist or leader. He loves Tina [Idara Victor], who happens to be Black. He sees in Joyce a great idea for a magazine, and she just happens to be a woman. It makes him progressive, but he’s just a grinder and a businessman. In doing this work, he falls into feminism.”
According to The New York Times, the show’s magazine was modeled after 1970s publications like Viva and Playgirl. Viva was a women’s porn magazine that existed only from 1972 to 1978. The short-lived mag, published by Playboy rival Penthouse, was home to notable contributors who later headed prominent publications like Mother Jones and Vogue, according to a Shondaland oral history.
Viva’s idea came from Penthouse editor Gay Bryant (or Penthouse founder Bob Guccione, oral history reports that the publication’s origins are in dispute). Second-wave feminism and a sexual revolution were hot topics at the time, and it seemed only fitting to ask why no women’s porn magazine existed.
As part of a podcast interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Rapoport said Minx could run for more than one season since the freshman finale left viewers wanting more. “I’d love to get into ’80s country,” she said. “The country went through a dramatic shift … and everything became more conservative. These magazines were built on a promise to women that they could have it all, and by the ’80s, they were tired and no longer wanted it that way and the need for the magazines decreased.”
