Jake Johnson, Ophelia Lovibond and their co-stars talk to ET about saving the show from cancellation and what's in store for season 2.
After debuting to positive reviews and critical acclaim, Minx was renewed for another season on Max before being unexpectedly canceled during the filming of season 2. Luckily for everyone involved in the workplace comedy about the launch of the first erotic magazine for women -- as well as fans -- it was saved by Starz, where it will debut new episodes starting July 21.
While speaking to ET's Will Marfuggi, the cast, including stars Jake Johnson and Ophelia Lovibond, reflected on the cancellation and the bidding war that soon followed before Minx landed on the premium cable network, which is also home to hits like Heels, Outlander and P-Valley.
First axed by Max in December 2022, it was revealed a month later that Starz had acquired the rights to seasons 1 and 2. But according to Johnson, who plays Bottom Dollar Publications owner Doug Renetti, the creator and cast learned "pretty quickly" that they were going to get saved and be able to air the new episodes.
"We found out right from the beginning that there were three other streamers bidding on it. So, they said, 'It's gonna take a while to close the deal. But we will land somewhere,'" Johnson recalls, explaining that the decision Max made "at the time was not creative based. It was financial based."
"So, once we knew there were three new places that were actively bidding on us, we kind of knew we were gonna land somewhere. And then the reaction from the people, where there was a big backlash and people were really mad if anything, felt really good because it felt like, 'Oh, we have an audience and people care,'" he says, appreciative to learn that viewers were rallying behind the show because "sometimes as you're making things, you don't know, you don't know if people really care. So, hearing that reaction, if anything, it felt good."
Lovibond, who plays Minx's editor Joyce Prigger, adds, "It was lovely… Like Jake said, we knew quite early on that there was enthusiasm from other platforms. [And so], there wasn't a feeling of, 'Oh my god, this has all gone to waste.' It was just like, 'Oh, I wonder where we'll go?'"
She also commented on the fans' reaction to the news. "It definitely seems to have resonated," she says. "That's, again, really satisfying to see that it's landed with people and that they've got their favorite characters and they've got their favorite little moments."
Of course, that doesn't mean there weren't tears involved when they initially were canceled, especially after getting so far into filming season 2.
"Ellen called us, like, the weekend before our last week of filming to tell us what was happening and obviously it was devastating," says Lennon Parham, who appears on Minx as Joyce's sister, Shelly, who experiences a sexual awakening by getting involved with the magazine. Despite being confident that they would land somewhere, they pushed forward to "finish shooting everything," she continues, noting that "work that week was pretty weird, I'm not gonna lie."
And so, for a brief time, "we were in limbo, wondering where we were going to go next," says Idara Victor, who plays Tina, the publication's office manager. She adds, "We really supported each other through that process."
"We've always believed in the show. And yeah, we were very hopeful that it was gonna get picked up somewhere," adds Oscar Montoya, who plays Minx photographer Richie, while noting, "This was a weird moment of art imitation life, you know, where it was a similar trajectory as the show as mates of the company."
Given how season 1 ended, life at Minx was uncertain, with Doug and Joyce going their separate ways and the rest of the staff starting to ponder their own futures in and outside of Bottom Dollar Publications. As Montoya puts it, "We were in limbo for a while. We got it together and Minx still lives. And the same could be said about the show."
But then, "just after Christmas," Parham says they got the official word about going to Starz. "I was like, 'Hell yeah,'" she recalls, noting that being saved "speaks to the strength of the show and also the passion that Starz has for it."
And with Minx returning with new episodes, Johnson teases, "We're bigger, we're more exciting, we're gonna be more bold… That's what this season pushes."
Not only does it do that, but season 2 continues to follow Joyce and Doug, who find themselves coming back together as they grapple with Minx's unexpected success, a new influx of money, increased fame and new temptations that may prove challenging to navigate.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Minx staff has some decisions to make after Tina was accepted to multiple business school programs, Richie turned down Doug's offer as the publication's new art director, and Shelly decided to stay with her husband, Lenny (Rich Sommer), instead of pursuing something more with Bambi (Jessica Lowe).
"She breaks my heart," Lowe says of Shelly's choice, adding that Bambi eventually "realizes she's doing what she feels necessary as far as not breaking up her family… [Bambi's] very brave. I think she just loves Shelly so much that she just wants to let her do what's right for her."
Also dealing with relationship issues is Tina, who has a complicated past with Doug that gets revisited in season 2. "There's a love that she has for Doug and how much he believed in her and supported and how much she supported him. So there's a history and there's hope," Victor says, teasing that "eventually she has to really question whether or not" she's made the right decision about her future at the publication and with Doug.
As for Richie, he's faced with an identity crisis in and out of the office after "the photography community, the art community, the gay community sort of accept him as an artist, and then him accepting that truth," Montoya says, explaining that then "to go back to Minx and them not seeing that potential" leads him to wonder how much effort he wants to put into a place that undervalues him.
The actor adds, "It's an interesting trajectory for Richie in season 2." And not only for him, with the new episodes seeing all of the ensemble finding themselves in situations they don't know how to handle.
Minx season 2 will premiere Friday, July 21 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Starz and will be available to stream on the Starz app starting at midnight. Season 1 is currently streaming on the Starz app.
These interviews were completed prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, which began on July 13, 2023.
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