‘Minx’ Season 2 Keeps Its ‘70s Swag and the Sexual Revolution Strong

Alci Rengifo

The best movies and shows about adult entertainment know that desire is a natural cousin of comedy. “Minx” pulls it off well with great characters and a narrative that is always on the move. This was originally an HBO Max production when it premiered last year, then David Zaslav took over as CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery and had the show axed. Luckily, Starz stepped in and gave “Minx” a new home. You wouldn’t notice the change at all since the style, rhythm and scenarios remain intact. It’s still about heroine Joyce (Ophelia Lovibond) running an adult magazine catering to women, but at heart it’s a celebration of underdogs and the thrill of being part of a magazine staff. There’s extra fun in all the winks at 1970s history and cameos by cultural name drops.

When last we saw Joyce, she had managed to convince porn publisher Doug Renetti (Jake Johnson) to become her collaborator in running Minx. But soon enough, Doug starts feeling overshadowed by Joyce’s growing popularity and the way powerful industry figures seek her attention. His girlfriend, Tina (Idara Victor), the magazine’s managing editor, is also getting more ambitious and wants a bigger role in running things. The ongoing sexual revolution in Los Angeles is affecting everyone. Joyce’s sister, Shelly (Lennon Parham) is juggling her emerging sexual awakenings after sleeping with model-turned-secretary Bambi (Jessica Lowe). It soon complicates the situation at home with suburban husband Lenny (Rich Sommer in his best role since “Mad Men”). Minx gets so big Joyce can even host a screening of the controversial adult film “Deep Throat.” New opportunities and risks also emerge when a venture capitalist, Constance Papadopoulos (Elizabeth Perkins), seeks out Joyce with the idea of wanting to fund Minx. But what will be the cost of rising higher?

Much of “Minx” season two has a feel-good environment where we watch the magazine rise and rise, while the main characters go into one of those historical swirls where a famous name pops out of every corner. It becomes the kind of show where Doug smokes weed with Carl Sagan and Joyce throws a party where Linda Ronstadt gives dating advice. At the “Deep Throat” screening, which almost goes hilariously to hell when a key reel goes missing, Joan Didion happens to drop in to see what all the fuss is about. Joyce is sought out by names like Hearst and Condé Nast, and later on she sleeps with rocker Graham Nash. Eventually even Rolling Stone comes knocking at the door. Yet, it’s all in good fun as “Minx” becomes that fantasy success story where all the hard work starts paying off. There are sly winks at past adult industry-set classics like “Boogie Nights” with needle drops such as Melanie’s “Brand New Key.”

Despite being so immersive and entertaining, “Minx” this season still makes room to explore more challenging material. A character who gains particular relevance is Richie (Oscar Montoya), the magazine’s art director who is also a queer Latino. He becomes a kind of conscience to rattle Joyce when a big funder like Constance reveals an anti-queer bias, which Richie has to point out is quite hypocritical with a magazine that found success precisely through celebrating the male body’s erotic potential. Bambi also deals with how she is perceived. Her material is some of the season’s strongest and most intelligent angles, because her character this season confronts how being a nude model taught her to be compliant, but now she has to learn to be assertive and even risk coming off as mean in the office. Tina also seeks out a new sense of independence from Doug. She also resists her family’s sense of shaming and pressure to simply run their stationary store. As a Black American woman in the ‘70s, her journey faces even more obstacles which she navigates with dignity. The power of an idea like Minx, which was inspired by the story behind the magazine Viva, is that these characters are finding agency through putting something and running it. You could find the same spirit in a collective that comes together to make a film or a rock band. 

“Minx” is one of the better recent dives into nostalgia, with expected nods at everything from cocaine to swinger “key parties.” All the stylistic flourishes take a back seat to the characters, who we enjoy watching get consumed by their dreams and ambitions, which only grow larger when real results start happening. What conservatives always missed about the sexual revolution is that it gave people a particular sense of liberation, which could go beyond mere questions of sex. Joyce’s endeavor is showing her and everyone on staff that they can stake their own claim in a competitively cannibalistic city like Los Angeles. It’s not always smooth sailing, with contradictions, jealousies and other human realities eventually getting in the way. Through it all Joyce continues to inspire us to root for her and those caught in her orbit, because deep down everyone would like to be part of something big.

“Minx” season two premieres July 21 and airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on Starz.