‘Minx’ stars Jake Johnson and Ophelia Lovibond on coming back from cancellation, big changes in season 2

When Minx returns with its sophomore season on July 21, it’s bringing a bunch of changes along with it.

The series, which was initially an HBO Max original, now airs exclusively on Starz. In an interview held before the SAG-AFTRA strike, star and producer Jake Johnson told ABC Audio that the former HBO Max made a “corporate decision and a financial decision to move on from a lot of shows.”

In fact, Minx was in the middle of production on season 2 when it was retroactively canceled in December 2022.

“We were kind of holding our breath to see if there would be a reaction from the people when the news broke. Because if that didn’t happen, and if people didn’t seem to care or if the response was lukewarm, then, you know, you’re just put in kind of an ugly spot,” Johnson said.

Luckily, fans responded in a major way.

“People were genuinely mad,” Johnson said. “Part of the reason we’re all here right now is that people demanded it. And that makes it really exciting to make a show when people care about it.”

It’s not only the network that’s changed for the show. Ophelia Lovibond, who stars as Joyce Prigger, says the characters feel brand new.

“You think you know them from season 1, and then season 2, it brings out whole different sides to them, which is exciting,” Lovibond said. “There’s so much more scope to explore them.”

Johnson concurs, saying his Doug Renetti “is now a different person.”

“As actors, we were challenged a lot to catch up to the story. They didn’t just repeat season 1,” Johnson said. “It’s fundamentally changing these characters and these relationships. And what’s fun as an actor is then you try to make it feel honest.”