When you think of the 70s, you probably don’t think of porn… at least, maybe not right away. But there’s no denying that the decade best known for wide lapels, polyester pants and women’s lib didn’t hold back when it came to turning pornography into mainstream entertainment. Minx is a sexy, irreverent look at a time when you could sell pretty much anything with photos of naked people – even feminism.
Joyce Prigger (Ophelia Lovibond) has big dreams (sometimes literally). She’s fresh out of university, she wants to create a magazine focused on women’s lib, and she thinks 1971 just might be her year. Or maybe not: her big sales talk at the Southern California Magazine Pitch Festival lands with a thud. The only publisher who shows any interest - Doug Renetti (Jake Johnson) – is a porn mogul who’s unlikely to take a magazine titled The Matriarchy Awakens under his wing.
Or is he? After a complicated chain of events that involves Joyce dropping a test copy of her magazine and it ending up at Doug’s office, where his centrefold models found it an extremely interesting read, he shows up at her day job with an offer. She’ll provide the articles, he’ll provide the “tasteful” male nudity (because he’s convinced there’s a large and untapped market out there full of women who’d like to see the occasional dong), and together they’ve got themselves a magazine he can publish alongside established titles like Bodacious Butts.
It’s the together part of the scheme that really makes Minx special. Right from the first episode Lovibond and Johnson have great chemistry together. They’re excellent as individual performers; together they’re a brilliant double act, working toe-to-toe to wring every possible laugh out of the (already sharp) material. Every scene they have together brings the whole show to life.
It doesn’t hurt that they’re playing characters that are as close to a sure thing as you’ll find in comedy. She’s a young idealist dropped into a sleazy, cynical world; he’s a world-weary porn king who finds himself rediscovering some of his old energy. His heart is (roughly) in the right place – early on he explains how he sees feminism as being about how things should be “fair and equal for the chicks” – while she holds her own despite finding herself in a world far removed from the feminist utopia she’s striving for.
The supporting cast aren’t the kind to fade into the background either. Joyce’s older sister Shelly (Lennon Parham) is far less uptight than her sibling, which makes her advice far more sensible – and as the series progresses, she goes on a sexual journey of her own as she takes full advantage of the new world of the 1970s.
The sweet and adorable Bambi (Jessica Lowe) is a former nude model turned “centrefold co-ordinator” who finds her behind-the-scenes role expanding as Doug and Joyce’s media empire takes off. And Tina (Idara Victor) is Doug’s secretary, though she’s definitely the power behind the throne. It’s obvious their relationship is somewhat more than merely professional - which might become a problem when she gets the opportunity to take her career ambitions to the next level.
The second season adds a twist to things, with the arrival of wealthy widow Constance Papadopoulos (Elizabeth Perkins). The Minx team realise that with her backing they can free themselves of the shackles holding them back and go independent. But the kimono-clad millionaire is both mysterious and manipulative: Doug and Joyce may have wanted to shake things up, but they didn’t expect to be the ones being shaken.
Series set in the past rarely resist the temptation to take a few swipes at the cliches of the era, and Minx isn’t afraid to play up the big collars and bigger sideburns of the 70s. But rather than focus on all the ways the past isn’t like today, it’s more interested in the way that maybe things haven’t changed all that much. Joyce is constantly dealing with a media environment dominated by overtly sexist men, Doug soon finds himself in a workplace where women call the shots, and their forward-thinking creative vision is constantly running into obstacles.
Minx is a workplace comedy that starts out strong and only gets better as it goes along. The more we get to know the characters, the funnier they become; the more they succeed the more we get to see them dealing with the very 70s temptations of fame and fortune. The tone is always light and bubbly, but there’s a deeper meaning beneath it all, as the clash between women’s rights and making money is never far from the surface.
And did we mention there’s also a fair amount of nudity?
Minx seasons 1-2 are now streaming at SBS On Demand.
