Jake Johnson’s Hit Comedy Canceled Despite Season 2 Almost Being Finished
The Jake Johnson-Ophelia Lovibond comedy Minx has been shut down by HBO Max in a shocking but unsurprising reversal of its sophomore season renewal in May. According to Variety, the 1970s comedy-drama has been canceled just as production on the second season wrapped as part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s rampage of cancelations and shelvings of both complete and incomplete projects. Lionsgate Television (which produced the Jake Johnson show) has already stated it hopes to move Minx to another network or streaming service.
Minx featured Jake Johnson and Ophelia Lovibond as a mismatched pair of business partners in 1970s Southern California as they develop and release the first erotic magazine targeted to women. Jake Johnson starred in Minx as Doug Renetti, a low-rent, morally flexible publisher of low-quality erotica, while Ophelia Lovibond plays Joyce Prigger, a feminist editor who wants to bring a more high-minded level of discourse to the magazine. The two were supported by a talented ensemble including Miracle Workers’ Jessica Lowe, Community’s Gillian Jacobs, and Stephen Tobolowsky.
Two things make it a bit surprising that HBO Max would shut down Jake Johnson and Ophelia Lovibond in Minx: the show was universally acclaimed, currently holding 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the second season of the show was reportedly almost done. However, it currently seems that Warner Bros. Discovery is not using critical acclaim as part of its criteria as to what sticks around and what doesn’t. It also seems that the company does not have any qualms when it comes to shelving a nearly-completed project.
The massive company merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. that created Warner Bros. Discovery also brought in David Zaslav as CEO, who immediately took to canceling many, many projects as part of his promise to save shareholders $3.5 billion. While Batgirl has been the most famous example so far, it is clear that the slew of HBO Max cancelations is not nearly close to over.
At this point, nothing is safe over at HBO Max, whether it is beloved by fans and critics or is complete and ready to air. While Jake Johnson probably has more irons in the fire than just Minx, it still must be shocking for the stars of a well-liked show (not to mention the crew) to see it so abruptly shelved, especially when it had already been greenlit.
It is entirely possible that we will get to see the further adventures of Jake Johnson and Ophelia Lovibond in Minx on some other streaming service like Showtime or Starz, which seems to be the plan. It is not at all uncommon for canceled shows to be picked up by rival services these days, like One Day at a Time moving to Pop TV after being canceled by Netflix or The Expanse being picked up by Amazon Prime Video after Syfy decided not to continue the acclaimed science fiction series. We shall just have to wait and see what happens to Jake Johnson and Minx.
