‘Minx’ Grabs the Fight for Female Empowerment By the Balls

The first thing we see in HBO Max’s cheeky new comedy series, Minx, is a woman being catcalled. While the practice of yelling explicit things to young women on the street is, unfortunately, still common, in 1971, it was much more tolerated. Creator Ellen Rapoport’s daring new comedy looks back but it never stops looking forward. We may have made certain strides in the fight for female equality, but there is clearly a long road ahead. With a game ensemble and confident direction, Minx will leave you blushing and keep you thirsty for more.

Ophelia Lovibond’s Joyce is ready to set the magazine world on fire. When she attends her first Southern California magazine expo, she plans to find a publisher for a magazine that Gloria Steinem would be proud to pick up every month. Joyce dreams of giving women a voice so they can balance out the power of the patriarchy. Unfortunately, for Joyce, the men sitting in on these meetings (and, yes, they are all men) only want to hear ideas for periodicals that will distract their old lady. These men aren’t interesting in giving women a voice.

Enter Jake Johnson’s Doug, a confident publisher of porn magazines who seems amused by Joyce’s enthusiasm and headstrong attitude. Johnson embodies Doug with a Burt Reynolds swagger–he even rolls his cigars between his fingers like Reynolds’ Jack Horner. There is a twinkle in Johnson’s eyes, and he has the solution to Joyce’s problems: create the first male porn centerfold to appeal to women across America and fill the magazine with empowering articles. “We need to hide the medicine,” he tells her. People always joked that men read Playboy for the articles, and now Minx can do the same thing.

On a purely delightful and horny level, Minx delivers. The pilot episode has more naked men in it than the first two seasons of Euphoria combined (you listening, Sam Levinson?). With Joyce out of her comfort zone, Lovibond is game to be the show’s fish out of of water as Joyce becomes even stronger and more independent than she thought she could be. Her sister, Shelly (played by Lennon Parham), gives her encouragement on her own turf, and Bambi (Jessica Lowe) eagerly takes on the role of Joyce’s protégé at Minx. Taylor Zakhar Perez is beautifully dim as the magazine’s first centerfold and object of Joyce’s flustered lust.

The first two episodes are helmed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg, director of the criminally underseen Unpregnant. She lures us into this world with a wink, and she knows how to push Joyce’s squeamishness to the fullest comedic effect. Goldenberg has such an eye for color and how to leave us laughing as the next scene begins.

Minx isn’t Mrs. America meets Boogie Night–it’s entire its own thing. It takes their cleverness and guts and makes shakes it up for a new audience. It’s time to subscribe!

Minx is available on HBO Max.