Will Smith and the Vandy Var Party

Writer Ellen Rapoport’s workplace comedy “Minx,” about a Playgirl-style magazine, was hard to sell. Set in 1972, the series follows an idealistic young Vassar graduate who teams up with with a pornographer to create a magazine featuring feminist articles alongside photos of naked men. With “Bridesmaids” director Paul Feig as a producer, Rapoport was pretty sure the show was a slam dunk. “We took it to everyone. Every buyer. Buyers I didn’t even know existed. Networks I’ve never heard of. And everyone said no,” Rapoport says. Ellen Rapoport describes how “Minx” eventually found a home on HBO Max, and how she made her way from Harvard Law to Hollywood.