Premiering last year, “Minx” followed the misadventures of a struggling but serious-minded magazine editor named Joyce (Ophelia Lovibond) and her unlikely business partner, a sleazy, decent-hearted purveyor of porn in the San Fernando Valley named Doug (Jake Johnson) who team up to put out a feminist magazine that features male nude centerfolds. Amid the high-minded feminist articles, the pages are a spectacle of schlongs, and the series delivered all of it with a wink. But Minx’s founders were caught in a battle of egos by the season’s end, with the magazine’s future looking uncertain.
Season 2 sees the pair mending fences and securing a wealthy investor in the form of Elizabeth Perkins (wonderfully piquant as a grand dame of business) and the magazine’s prospects look more promising than ever. No longer a start-up story, this year the show examines the perils and moral compromises of newfound success.
Let us pause to note that the on-screen chaos has been matched by some off-screen drama, as well. “Minx” began as a Max original (when the streamer was still called HBO Max) and Season 2 was nearly finished shooting when the show was abruptly canceled in a cost-cutting measure by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. Starz eventually picked up the show, and here we are. Its premiere also comes amid a Hollywood actors strike and an ongoing screenwriters strike.
There’s a lot to like about the show’s 1973 Southern California setting and the collision of the personal and the professional. Thematically, its closest equivalent might be “Mad Men,” but the latter had a better handle on what kind of work stories can be teased out into a rich text — specifically the details of office life and what it looks like to brainstorm and put ideas together. I wish “Minx” were smarter. Ultimately it doesn’t have much interest in the particulars of putting out a magazine, or what it even takes to be good at that.
Instead, we get a checklist of the era. “Deep Throat.” Suburban swingers. A profile in Rolling Stone. Billie Jean King’s tennis triumph over Bobby Riggs. But these signposts rarely lead to more probing stories about this motley crew of characters, which includes Joyce’s older sister Shelly (Lennon Parham) who experiences a sexual awakening from the doldrums of her marriage; the sweet office gadabout Bambi (Jessica Lowe) who is looking for something that gives her a sense of purpose (she’s ripe to fall into a cult).
There’s also the centerfold photographer Richie (Oscar Montoya) whose talents are being under-used, and the wry, overqualified managing editor Tina (Idara Victor) who is juggling her own frustrations, with both the job and her relationship with Doug.
One of the smartest decisions showrunner Ellen Rapoport made early on was casting Johnson as Doug, a once-assured man who now finds himself grasping at straws. There’s something sadder and more down-at-the-heels about the guy this season, despite the magazine’s good fortunes, and yet he still oozes that strangely appealing pinky-ringed charisma. He’s all exposed chest hair and dirtbag practicality.
As for Joyce, she’s gradually learning to loosen up: “I’m not used to the world saying yes to me.” Suddenly she has all kinds of opportunities — in bed, at work, you name it — and not all of them good. Navigating her way through a thicket of insecurities and bold choices is what makes her more interesting in Season 2, but the character still remains less compelling than the people around her.
“Minx” is exploring the customs and culture of an era that is a half-century removed from our own, and yet these themes are still relevant. That’s really the point, isn’t it? If only the writing were up to the challenge. Too many important moments happen off-screen and conversations are truncated but edited to seem meaningful, which is why the show ultimately doesn’t stand up against something like “Mad Men.” But a fun, easy watch? All the way. And sometimes that’s enough.
“Minx” Season 2 — 2.5 stars (out of 4)
Where to watch: 8 p.m. Fridays on Starz (and streaming on the Starz app)
Nina Metz is a Tribune critic
nmetz@chicagotribune.com
