‘Minx’ producer sheds new light on show’s earlier cancellation and relocation

Last year, HBO debuted Minx on its Max streaming platform. The show was a hit and got renewed for a second season — only to be retroactively canceled and removed by the streaming service so Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav could save a few dollars ahead of putting out The Flash to bomb. While it has a new home on Starz and premieres July 21, the path to continuation was not as bad as many assumed.

Series producer and director Paul Feig reveals the behind-the-scenes intrigue surrounding the series about a feminist and a pornographer making the first erotic magazine for women in 1970s Los Angeles in a new article published by The Hollywood Reporter. He says from the beginning of the cancellation news breaking in December, Starz — which is owned by show production company Lionsgate — had wanted the project, and HBO and Zaslav did allow them to finish their last week of filming and the post-production.

“That was a real kick in the head. I credit them because they said, ‘But finish the season. Finish shooting the show, finish post.’ They could have easily just pulled the plug if they were looking to save money, but they didn’t. And we did know that Starz were fans of the show, so it wasn’t a total rug-pull. But at the same time, I’ve had that before. That happened with Freaks and Geeks. MTV wants Freaks and Geeks, but they want to do it for like a quarter of the budget. It’s like, ‘Well, we can’t do that.’”

Elsewhere in the article, Feig adds a number of other streamers were surprisingly hesitant to pick up the show due to what he believes were concerns with its subject matter and time period. He also adds the show streaming on the Starz app alongside running on their broadcast television network is everything and, while not spoiling much about the second season, does appear to hint a relationship continues on.

“Our show makes sex fun. It’s a fun portrayal of sex and sexuality. Bambi (Jessica Lowe) is such a great character, and she is so open. She and Shelley are having this relationship, but she’s just kind of cool about it. I think that’s the kind of sex positivity I want to see, because it’s fun and silly but meaningful.”

The first season of Minx has 10 episodes and is available on Starz now. Its second season will have eight.