A third season of Starz‘s period erotic comedy Minx isn’t likely in the cards, according to co-EP and star Jake Johnson.
In a recent Zoom chat with Deadline, the actor shared that he hasn’t heard anything about a final decision. “But by evidence of me cutting my hair short,” he said, “I don’t [expect a renewal].”
“I think the move to Starz, I think HBO kind of doing their HBO thing, or HBO Max, whatever it’s called now, I think that was brutal for [the show],” Johnson reflected. “Then, I think the strike coming out right as we were trying to promote it…My guess is you can’t beat something up that many times and keep going.”
Johnson called the hampering of the show’s success, simply as a result of the turbulent Hollywood moment in which it debuted, “unfortunate,” given his feeling that “there was a lot to that show.”
Said the creative in closing, “I really loved the cast and the crew and the writers. It was a great group, but I don’t know.”
Created by Ellen Rapoport, who also served as showrunner and EP, the ’70s L.A.-set Minx centers around Joyce Prigger (Ophelia Lovibond), an earnest, young feminist who joins forces with low-rent publisher Doug Renetti (Johnson) to create the first erotic magazine for women. In Season 2, Doug and Joyce grapple with the explosive success of their mag, which brings more money, fame and temptation than either of them knows how to handle.
From its March 2022 debut to critical acclaim, the series demonstrated great promise, landing on a number of Best Show lists for the year and earning the second highest Rotten Tomatoes score for an HBO Max Original comedy behind only the Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder-led Emmy winner, Hacks.
But while the show earned a Season 2 renewal, it was canceled by the streamer then known as HBO Max just a week out from production wrap, back in December 2022. It was just one of myriad projects axed by Warner Bros Discovery, as part of an efforts by the company to course correct, financially.
Subsequently, the show’s studio Lionsgate Television shopped it around, and its second season did at least see the light of day following a move over to Starz. Additional EPs on Minx include Paul Feig and Dan Magnante for Feigco Entertainment, Ben Karlin, and Rachel Lee Goldenberg, who also directed the pilot. Cast for the series also included Idara Victor, Jessica Lowe, Lennon Parham, Oscar Montoya and Elizabeth Perkins.
Johnson will next be seen starring in Self Reliance, the comedic thriller marking his feature directorial debut, which world premiered at SXSW. Also starring Anna Kendrick, Natalie Morales, Mary Holland, Emily Hampshire, Christopher Lloyd and Wayne Brady, the film hits theaters via Neon for one night only on January 3rd before debuting on Hulu on January 12th.
