"Minx," a show about a ragtag gang of creatives publishing a male nudie mag geared at a female audience in Nixon's America makes for a good story.

Forget the female gaze. This show isn't that, but it's more than just a show about an erotic magazine too.

Ellen Rapoport, writer and producer of Minx on HBO Max, has pretty much found the antidote to the very traditional family values social norms permeating America in the early ‘70s and notably in the case of this show, in the San Fernando Valley also dubbed Porn Valley, and that is to have your story center around a young, idealistic, Northeast liberal arts-school educated feminist writer who is trying to break through and shatter glass ceilings, only to realize the only glass her brand of person will be permitted around, will be those used as accoutrements (mirrors, anyone?) for what Joyce (Ophelia Lovibond - which let’s be serious is begging to be the next name of a Bond agent in 007 if it’s not one already), the show’s resident ingenue and editor of a new male erotic magazine, refers to as “Gomorrah” after taking her first step into her new office - Bottom Dollar Publications, which is home to porn magazines, and nude male and female models.

Plenty of jokes and situations abound showing Joyce in this juxtaposition of being the “radical, liberal thinker” and yet socially, very closed off, and cast as more conservative and traditional in her almost prudish perspective on Doug’s (Jake Johnson, New Girl) publishing empire.

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

At the end of the day, Doug is fronting a pretty big porn empire that has less to do with empowerment and more to do with exploitation, but the power of Minx is that it doesn’t reduce its characters into this 2D, good vs evil trope. Doug does some questionable stuff no doubt and lacks an ethical chip in certain situations which also gives way to narcissistic tendencies but he’s also honest, tells it like it is, seems to genuinely care about the people who work for him and want the best for everyone. He also believes in Joyce and her writing, but knows that her social warrior style (She’s penned a zine called “The Matriarchy Awakens”) needs to be commercial-ready and able to sell and as it is, it’s preachy, didactic and to quote Doug, himself, “You gotta hide the medicine.” So yes, write an article about abortion rights but also have a match the schlong with the person illustration game on the next page. I’m not making that up.

Doug sees $$ in Minx but it’s a sinking investment

As the season progresses and we see Joyce learning to tap into her agency and gaining notoriety and a level of fame for the success of the erotic magazine’s first issue, she is confronted with her own ideals and how pragmatic or true they are which filters into how she perceives her relationships and taking stock of what she wants.

Shane makes for a fun time for Joyce but also exposes an interesting inversion on the male-female power dynamic with Joyce realizing she used her power in an icky way which leads to Shane learning about the “Patri-Archie”

Joyce’s most compelling relationship is not with Minx’s inaugural issue’s male centerfold, Shane (Taylor Zakhar Perez, The Kissing Booth movies), a dim-witted, sweet firefighter with abs of steel; nor is it Doug, who early on you think “hmm maybe this goes romantic in a Sam vs Diane Cheers kinda way;'“ nor is it her ex, Glenn (Michael Angarano, child actor fame), also a writer, who tries to capitalize on her success but also seems to be in her corner and attempts to help her when it doesn’t inconvenience him too, too much.

That’s a young Glenn (Michael Angarano) who was in, you guessed it, “Almost Famous”

The ride-or-die in this show for Joyce is her rock of a sister, named Shelley (Lennon Parham). Shelley is a homemaker with 2 boys who look the same (this becomes a running joke on the show) and maybe a third kid. She’s not totally living her best life and feels disconnected from her husband played by Rich Sommer (Mad Men, The Office) who played a similar type of husband in Glow and generally gets typecast as a sleazebag despite his earnest looks.

Anyways, let’s just have a moment where we fully cherish Shelly.

Shelly’s jail time is an inflection point for her. She wants to explore more of what lights her fire and who she is outside of her role as caregiver (mom, wife) but it comes with a cost and one she may not be ready to pay.

Shelly is kind, fun, smart, irreverent, there for her sister when she’s going thru her existential crises which are often, and even starts to take an active role in helping to put together the magazine for Joyce, when Joyce expresses a desire for Shelly to help out. Shelly is tough but magnetic, she’s creative, and she knows how to bring people together because she’s the real deal. The latter is lacking in Joyce who often repels people, is polarizing, and thinks she knows best on everything. This theme also plays out in the office as Shelly is able to bring Bambi (love interest played by Jessica Lowe) and Richie (talented photographer, Oscar Montoya) together to get the features done for the magazine which Joyce dislikes because they are “more fluff” than substance. Ultimately she’s the one realizing she was wrong and asks for forgiveness.

Richie, Shelly, and Bambi are a fabulous trio and steal the scenes they are in every time.

Doug’s redemption comes at the grace of his business partner and romantic interest, Tina (Idara Victor). Their story is one of her being the tough one and calling him out on his crap and also keeping the business afloat and running its operations. She’s the only one to call time on Minx knowing how it’s sinking the entire business but she also supports her partner’s vision and instincts. You see the visible fatigue on Tina’s face throughout the series and everything she is putting to the side to keep the business going with Doug. It’s personal for her but at the end of the day she’s a consummate professional. It’s not an easy nuance to relay and Victor does it well. I also enjoyed that she got to play out her dreams even if they felt squished into the final 15 minutes of the finale.

Doug adores Tina and clearly admires her but does he get her?

There’s more to explore in Minx (East vs West intellectuals and snobbery, childhood trauma, and redemption) and I’m curious what you all think, especially since there will be a season 2. Make sure to watch season 1 now.