‘Minx’ Canceled at Starz

Lesley Goldberg
·2 min read
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Bottom Dollar is closing shop.

Starz has opted to cancel Minx, the comedy about the first porn magazine for women, after a two-season run. The news comes after the series from creator Ellen Rapoport was originally developed for Warner Bros. Discovery streamer Max, which aired the first season and paid for a second before ultimately scrapping the show as a tax write-off with mere days remaining before production on the sophomore run was completed.

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Minx was shopped by producers Lionsgate Television with the studio ultimately setting up the comedy starring Jake Johnson and Ophelia Lovibond at Starz, which is currently controlled by its parent company, Lionsgate. Max effectively paid to produce season two, with Lionsgate footing the bill to complete production and market season two. The second season premiered in July, in the thick of the writers and performers’ strikes making it challenging for cast members and producers to promote the show’s return.

Minx remains a critical favorite, with the 10-episode first season securing a 98 percent and the shorter eight-episode second season coming in with an 89 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Creator and showrunner Rapoport, meanwhile, continues to have an overall deal with Lionsgate TV. Both seasons will remain on the Starz app and all major platforms.

“I still can’t believe I got to make this show. It was a joy to build our magical little world with the kindest, most talented actors and writers and crew,” Rapoport wrote on her verified Instagram page. “Thank you to everyone who watched us, wrote about us, championed us. I’m grateful for you all.”

News of the Minx cancellation does not come as a total surprise after Johnson, who also exec produced the show, cut his hair and said that he didn’t expect the show to continue. “[T]he 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 told THR sibling Deadline. “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.”

Lovibond and Johnson led a cast that also included Idara Victor, Lennon Parham, Oscar Montoya, Jessica Lowe and Michael Angarano. Rapoport exec produced alongside Paul Feig, Dan Magnante, Rachel Lee Goldenberg and Ben Karlin.

For Starz, meanwhile, the Minx cancellation follows a year in which the premium cable network — like others — reduced its roster of scripted originals with the cancellations of Shining Vale, Blindspotting, Heels, Run the World and upcoming conclusion of Hightown. The cabler also scrapped The Venery of Samantha Bird halfway through its production. The cabler’s roster of originals now features the Power franchise, Outlander, P-Valley and Black Mafia Family.

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