Minx (Stan) is the new US comedy about a women’s lib magazine. If it seems a bit familiar, that’s probably because it resembles our Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo (2011). Both series refer to the launch of Cosmopolitan with its nude Burt Reynolds centrefold, but Minx heads into Playgirl territory with an astonishing amount of male full-frontal nudity.
In case you hadn’t noticed, naked women are out, and nude men are in. In the rush to even the score, after decades of imbalance, Euphoria’s infamous locker room scene featured 30 penises. Minx gets into double figures too and that’s just in its first episode. Not that I’m complaining though, it’s about time.
Minx is set in the 1970s and if you need more hedonistic behaviour from that era, check out these two outstanding documentaries.
Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story (Fox Docos) is made with the full co-operation of her family, including sister Joan Collins, yet it’s surprisingly revealing as it unpacks the myth from the insecure woman.
Jackie Collins put female characters in charge of their own sex lives, but as time went on, her brand of feminism began to be questioned. This doco doesn’t hold back in showing how she was continually attacked, even from fellow authors like Barbara Cartland and Clive James.
Meanwhile, another Aussie critic pops up in The Andy Warhol Diaries (Netflix) as Robert Hughes is seen bagging out the artist for being “repetitive and camp”. History has been much kinder though, rightly declaring Andy Warhol a genius for the way he re-invented not just art, but pop culture, film and music.
The Andy Warhol Diaries is an interminably long book, but its most mind-boggling moments are brilliantly adapted for this amazing docuseries. A thumbs up for executive producer Ryan Murphy, especially with recreations so real, it’s hard to distinguish them from the actual footage.
Dog shows like The Dog House Australia (10) and Muster Dogs (iview) are so hot right now, and sports producer Tony Armstrong is TV’s hottest new presenter. In other words, A Dog’s World with Tony Armstrong (Tuesday on ABC) is a no-brainer.
A Dog’s World looks into why dogs evolved from wolves. There is a great story to be told about what dingoes did when a mine opened in their territory, but some more Tony, and some better location shooting, wouldn’t have gone astray. Sadly, it looks like too much like a production shot in covid lockdown last year.
And finally, a big shout-out to Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars (Sunday on Seven) which is killing it this season. The dancing has never been better, Sonia Kruger is back to her wicked best, and the classic clips of Daryl Somers singing back in the day are hilarious.