The Mindy Project

The Mindy Project
File:The Mindy Project intertitle.png
Genre	Romantic comedy Sitcom
Created by	Mindy Kaling
Starring	Mindy Kaling Chris Messina Ed Weeks Anna Camp Zoe Jarman Amanda Setton Stephen Tobolowsky Ike Barinholtz Beth Grant Xosha Roquemore Adam Pally Fortune Feimster
Narrated by	Mindy Kaling
Composer(s)	Jesse Novak Blake Neely
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	88 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Mindy Kaling Howard Klein Jack Burditt Matt Warburton Charlie Grandy Michael Spiller Tracey Wigfield Tucker Cawley B.J. Novak (pilot) Charles McDougall (pilot)
Producer(s)	Mychelle Deschamps Jeremy Bronson Ike Barinholtz David Stassen Lorie Zerweck Dan Kaplow (pilot)
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	Universal Television 3 Arts Entertainment Kaling International Open 4 Business Productions
Distributor	NBCUniversal Television Distribution
Release
Original network	Fox (2012–15) Hulu (2015–present)
Picture format	720p (16:9 HDTV)
Audio format	Dolby Digital
Original release	September 25, 2012 (2012-09-25) – present
External links
Website

The Mindy Project is an American romantic comedy television series that premiered on Fox on September 25, 2012, and aired on Tuesday nights until March 24, 2015. The series, created by Mindy Kaling (the series's star), is co-produced by Universal Television and 3 Arts Entertainment.

On May 6, 2015, Fox cancelled the series after three seasons. On May 15, 2015 Hulu picked up the show, commissioning a 26 episode fourth season.

On May 4, 2016 Hulu renewed the show for a fifth season.

Plot

The series follows obstetrician/gynecologist Mindy Lahiri (Mindy Kaling) as she tries to balance her personal and professional life, surrounded by quirky co-workers in a small medical practice in New York City. The character was inspired by Kaling's own mother, an OB/GYN. Mindy explores life with the help of her co-workers: Danny Castellano, her best friend and love interest, whose religious sensibilities occasionally cause some tension; Jeremy Reed, an English doctor who manages the practice; Peter Prentice, another doctor who was a fraternity jock while attending Dartmouth; Morgan Tookers, a wacky registered nurse and an ex-con; Tamra Webb, a blunt nurse; and Beverley, the libidinous older office receptionist.

Cast and characters

Main

• Mindy Kaling as Dr. Mindy Kuhel Lahiri, a romantically frustrated OB/GYN at Shulman & Associates.
• Chris Messina as Dr. Daniel "Danny" Alan Castellano, another OB/GYN at Shulman & Associates, Mindy's main frenemy and love interest.
• Ed Weeks as Dr. Jeremiah "Jeremy" Reed, OB/GYN, Mindy and Danny's somewhat hapless supervisor at the office.
• Anna Camp as Gwendolyn "Gwen" Grandy, Mindy's longtime friend who has settled down with a family.
• Zoe Jarman as Betsy Putch, an optimistic former receptionist at the office.
• Amanda Setton as Shauna Dicanio, a former receptionist at the office.
• Stephen Tobolowsky as Dr. Marc Shulman, a former senior partner of the practice.
• Ike Barinholtz as Morgan Fairchild Ransom Tookers, a registered nurse at the office.
• Beth Grant as Beverley Janoszewski, a former nurse turned receptionist at the office.
• Xosha Roquemore as Tamra Webb, a nurse at the office.
• Adam Pally as Dr. Peter Prentice, an OB/GYN at the office.
• Fortune Feimster as Colette Kimball-Kinney, a nurse and gay sister of Jody.
• Garret Dillahunt as Dr. Jody Kimball-Kinney, an OB/GYN who joins Shulman & Associates during Mindy's maternity leave.

Recurring

• Mark Duplass as Brendan Deslaurier, a male midwife.
• Rhea Perlman as Annette Castellano, Danny's mother.
• Anders Holm as Casey Peerson, a Christian minister and Mindy's ex-fiancé.
• Glenn Howerton as Clifford "Cliff" Gilbert, a lawyer in the same building as Shulman & Associates and Mindy's ex-boyfriend.
• Jenny O'Hara as Dot, Annette's best friend.
• Tommy Dewey as Josh Daniels, a lawyer and Mindy's ex-boyfriend.
• Jay Duplass as Duncan Deslaurier, a male midwife.
• Tracey Wigfield as Dr. Lauren Neustadter (originally Dr. Lauren Barinholtz), Jeremy's ex-girlfriend who later marries Peter.
• Dan Bakkedahl as Dr. Adrian Bergdahl, an OB/GYN who joins Shulman & Associates after Peter's departure.
• Mort Burke as Parker, an intern at the office.
• Utkarsh Ambudkar as Rishi Lahiri, an aspiring rapper and Mindy's younger brother.
• Mary Grill as Maggie, Mindy's teacher friend.
• Max Minghella as Richie Castellano, Danny's younger brother.
• Chloë Sevigny as Christina Porter, Danny's ex-wife.
• Andrew Bachelor as Dr. T.J. Gigak, Mindy's intern at the hospital.
• Kelen Coleman as Alex, Mindy's friend.
• Bill Hader as Dr. Tom McDougall, a dentist and Mindy's ex-boyfriend.
• Tate Ellington as Dr. Rob Gurglar, Mindy's fellowship advisor in San Francisco and old friend of Danny's.
• Richard Gant as Melville Fuller, Mindy's accountant.
• Niecy Nash as Dr. Jean Fishman, the lesbian chief of OB/GYN at the hospital Mindy works at.
• Gita Reddy as Neepa, a member of the fellowship Mindy's participating in.
• B.J. Novak as Jamie, Mindy's ex-boyfriend.
• Tim Daly as Charlie Lang, a police officer and Mindy's ex-boyfriend.
• Joanna Garcia as Sally Prentice, Peter's sister.
• Ellie Kemper as Heather, Josh's ex-girlfriend and Mindy's neighbor.
• Rob McElhenney as Lou Tookers, Morgan's cousin.
• Cristin Milioti as Whitney, a Wall Street stockbroker who dates Jeremy.
• Eliza Coupe as Chelsea, Mindy and Danny's neighbour and love interest for Morgan.
• Sakina Jaffrey as Sonu Lahiri, Mindy's mother.
• Ajay Mehta as Tarun Lahiri, Mindy's father.
• Randall Park as Dr. Colin Lee, an optometrist and Mindy's friend.
• Josh Peck as Ray Ron, Tamra's ex-boyfriend.
• Kevin Smith as himself
• Julia Stiles as Dr. Jessica Lieberstein, a hoarder colleague of Danny and Mindy's who ends up dating Morgan.
• Allison Williams as Jillian or "Eyepatch", Danny's ex-girlfriend.

Notable guest stars

• Ed Helms as Dennis, friend of Gwen and potential love interest for Mindy.
• Seth Meyers as Matt, someone Mindy went on a date with. As himself in a separate appearance.
• Baron Davis as himself
• Danny Granger as himself
• Amar'e Stoudemire as himself
• Jussie Smollett as Barry Stassen.
• Tyler the Creator as himself
• Hannibal Buress as Derek, works across from Mindy's office.
• Common as an Empire State Building security guard.
• Drea De Matteo as Kelsey, a sarcastic patient of Mindy's.
• Jordan Peele as Nick.
• Maria Menounos as herself
• Seth Rogen as Sam Kleinfeld, childhood sweetheart of Mindy.
• Dan Castellaneta as Marty, Mindy's landlord.
• Moby as himself
• Josh Meyers as Adam, a male prostitute that Mindy briefly dated.
• Clay Matthews III as himself
• James Franco as Dr. Paul Leotard, Mindy's popular and charismatic temporary replacement at Shulman & Associates.
• Kris Humphries as himself
• The National as themselves
• Ben Feldman as Jason, an Arts and Culture columnist and love interest for Mindy.
• Kendra Wilkinson as Marie, a MMA ring girl and former patient of Mindy.
• Dana White as himself
• Timothy Olyphant as Graham, a skater that Mindy dated.
• Vanessa Bayer as Mary, a dull woman that Danny dated.
• Alan Dale as Alfred, Jeremy's father.
• Sarah Burns as Amy, Danny's ex.
• Jenna Elfman as Priscilla Lane, a PR specialist hired by Jeremy.
• Shawne Merriman as himself
• C.J. Wilson as himself
• Dan Hedaya as Alan Castellano, Danny's absentee father.
• Jenna Dewan-Tatum as Brooke, Danny's ex-girlfriend.
• Anna Gunn as Dr. Sheila Hamilton, a high-profile OB/GYN.
• Max Greenfield as Lee, a teacher whom Mindy had a one-night stand with.
• Peter MacNicol as David Adler, a Jewish rabbi.
• Shonda Rhimes as herself
• Allison Tolman as Abby Berman, a historical-romance novelist and Peter's ex-girlfriend.
• Yeardley Smith as Dr. Carolyn King, a mammogram technician.
• Fred Grandy as Dr. Robert Ledreau (originally Dr. William Ledreau), a boring colleague of Mindy's who dates Annette.
• Ken Burns as himself
• Ana Gasteyer as Barb Gurglar, the unhappy wife of Rob Gurglar.
• Lee Pace as Alex Eakin, the nerd-turned-billionaire whom Mindy deflowered in college.
• Chrissy Teigen as Grace, Alex Eakin's girlfriend.
• John Cho as Greg, a.k.a. Big Murder, a drug lord who employed Rishi.
• Vanessa Williams as Dr. Suzanne Phillips, Mindy's old professor during medical school.
• Kris Jenner as herself
• Stephen Colbert as Father Michael O'Donnell, Danny's new Catholic priest.
• Laverne Cox as Sheena, Tamra's cousin, stylist to Mindy and employee at the White House.
• Laura Dern as Dr. Ludmilla Trapezikov, Mindy's own OB/GYN.
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Matt Sherman, Mindy's husband in an alternate reality.
• Freida Pinto as herself
• Kunal Nayyar as Sendhil, a potential candidate as a husband Mindy's parents select.
• Brooke Burke as herself
• Paula Pell as Evelyn, a woman that had a one-night stand with Danny at a concert.
• Maya Kazan as Clara, Mindy's new age nanny.
• Don Stark as Don Castellano, Danny's lawyer cousin.
• Carolyn Hennesy as Mrs. Guterman, the admission's officer at the elite preschool Mindy applies to for her son.
• Kerry Butler as Ann Marie Kimball-Kinney, Jody and Colette's sister-in-law that had an affair with Jody.
• Steven Weber as James, part of a bereavement group Mindy accidentally joins.
• Ross Marquand as Bryant Green, a guy Mindy dates who gets serious too quickly.
• Brooke Lyons as Theresa Miller, Bryant's ex-fiancée.
• Valerie Mahaffey as Juliet, a much older woman that Jeremy dates.
• Paul Lieberstein as a boring date Mindy meets through a dating website.
• Kyle Bornheimer as J.J., a bartender that Mindy has a one-night-stand with.
• Lauren Cohan as a virgin who dates both Jody and Morgan.
• Ne-Yo as Marcus, Casey's friend that dates Mindy.

Episodes

Main article: List of The Mindy Project episodes

Season		Episodes	Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired	Network
	1	24	September 25, 2012 (2012-09-25)	May 14, 2013 (2013-05-14)	Fox
	2	22	September 17, 2013 (2013-09-17)	May 6, 2014 (2014-05-06)
	3	21	September 16, 2014 (2014-09-16)	March 24, 2015 (2015-03-24)
	4	26	September 15, 2015 (2015-09-15)	July 5, 2016 (2016-07-05)	Hulu
	5	16	TBA 2016	TBA

Production and development

The series was initially commissioned by NBC, but the pilot with the working title It's Messy was released from NBC's projects on January 27, 2012. NBC then sent the script to Fox executives who read it over that following weekend. On January 30, 2012, Fox greenlit the pilot, with Mindy Kaling attached to star.

On May 9, 2012, Fox placed a series order for the comedy. Two days later, the title was changed from It's Messy to The Mindy Project. On August 27, 2012, the pilot episode was made available to view online on various sites including Fox, in an attempt to garner interest in the series. On October 8, 2012, Fox ordered a full season of The Mindy Project.

On March 4, 2013, the series was renewed for a second season, which began on September 17, 2013. On November 21, 2013, Fox announced that The Mindy Project would take a mid-season hiatus, before returning on April 1, 2014. Fox announced the third season renewal of The Mindy Project on March 7, 2014.

Casting

Casting announcements for the remaining series regular roles began in February 2012, with Ed Weeks cast in the role of Dr. Jeremy Reed, a sexy, British doctor in the practice. Zoe Jarman and Dana Delorenzo then joined in series regular roles. Jarman signed on to play Betsy Putch, an upbeat receptionist at the practice; whilst Delorenzo joined as Shauna Dicanio, a young, party loving receptionist in the practice. In mid-March, Chris Messina joined the cast as Dr. Danny Castellano, an arrogant doctor who works at the practice. Shortly after, Anna Camp boarded the series as Gwen Grandy, a stay-at-home mom and Mindy's best friend.

A few months later, Amanda Setton, Stephen Tobolowsky and Ike Barinholtz joined the series. Setton replaced Dana DeLorenzo in the role of Shauna; Tobolowsky joined in the series regular role of Dr. Marc Shulman, the senior partner of the practice; and Barinholtz signed onto the recurring role of Morgan Tookers, a quirky rehabilitated ex-con who joins the practice as a nurse.

Cast changes

Season one

The first change occurred when Stephen Tobolowsky's role was eliminated after the second episode - following re-shoots that saw his character be re-written into a mere authoritarian figure in the office - when it was decided that "they didn't really want Mindy to have a boss in the office". Tobolowsky returned, albeit in a voice-over only role, in the eighth episode to explain that his character had retired.

The second change of the season, which was first reported on November 20, 2012, saw Amanda Setton's role also eliminated entirely and Anna Camp downgraded to a recurring cast member. They both departed after the twelfth episode. Despite becoming a recurring cast member, Camp only made a single appearance in the seventeenth episode. Neither Setton or Camp's characters had their absence referenced, nor were they mentioned again.

Season two

The first change for the second season, which occurred before production of the season began, saw Xosha Roquemore upgraded to a series regular role after recurring in the final three episodes of the previous season.

The second change, which occurred just prior to the production of the season's fifth episode, resulted in Adam Pally also being upgraded to a series regular role. He had previously signed onto the series in a recurring role but had filmed only two episodes prior to being promoted.

Season three

Like the first change of the second season, the first change of the third season occurred prior to the start of production and saw Zoe Jarman's role eliminated from the show. Like Setton and Camp's departures in the first season, the absence of her character was never addressed. It was stated that there is an option for her to return in a guest starring role in the future, but to date no appearance has been announced.

The second cast change of the season was announced on November 21, 2014, and saw Adam Pally leave the series after the season's thirteenth episode. His departure after the thirteenth episode of the season was a condition of his upgrade to a series regular that had occurred the previous year. Unlike Jarman's exit which said there was only an option for guest appearances, it was reported that Pally is "expected to make occasional guest appearances". Pally made multiple guest appearances after his departure, where he was still credited amongst the regular cast in episodes he appeared, making his final appearance as a part of the main cast in the third season finale.

Season four

In December 2015 it was reported that Fortune Feimster had been upgraded to a series regular role beginning with the fourteenth episode of the fourth season, after appearing in seven of the first thirteen episodes. Garret Dillahunt joined the show in a major recurring role as Dr. Jody Kimball-Kinney.

Reception

Critical reception

The Mindy Project received positive reviews from critics, with many highlighting Kaling's performance and her unique character, as well as the writing and directing. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has a rating of 81%, based on 48 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Mindy Project is such a charming comedy, led by Mindy Kaling's impressive talent, that its faults are easy to forgive." Review aggregation website Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean based on reviews from mainstream critics, season one received a score of 69 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". It was the number-six best-reviewed show according to the site's fall 2012 season.

On Rotten Tomatoes, Season 2 has a rating of 89%, based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Mindy Kaling earns consistent laughs with wit, charm and physical comedy, as she and her cast grow into well-rounded and familiar, albeit peculiar, characters." On Metacritic, the second season has a score of 55 out of 100, based on four critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Season 3 of the show holds a rating of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes with the critical consensus reading, "The Mindy Project, while still wildly funny, travels further into rom-com country this season."

Season 4 of the show has a score of 81 out of 100 on the review aggregate website Metacritic, based on 5 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Controversy

The Mindy Project has been the object of intense scrutiny not only from traditional media forms but also from feminists and people of color, who often weigh in on the show's decisions in casting and writing. At the end of the first season, Jezebel posted an article called "Mindy Kaling Only Makes Out with White Guys", a critique of the casting of romantic leads on the show. The same article contains a response from Nisha Chittal, who has defended Kaling's success in the past, who applauded the show for not making Kaling's race central to her character, and for showing that an Indian woman could date non-Indian men.

During the second season, the episode "Mindy Lahiri is a Racist" provoked discussion as to whether or not Kaling had made "reparations" for showing a predominantly white cast.

Before the third season began airing, Kaling was criticized for a comment in a Flare article entitled "She's the Boss", in which she stated that the show would not address abortion, as "it would be demeaning to the topic to talk about it in a half-hour sitcom." In an appearance on The Colbert Report two weeks later, she clarified:

A lot of women look to me and look to the show, and they want me to be a spokesperson for a lot of issues, and I actually think that's a responsibility that's cool, I want to live up to that ... I want to be able to talk plainly on things but I also want to create an entertaining show. We haven't found a hilarious take on abortion that has not been done yet — but we might. I have faith in us.

Ratings

Season	Timeslot (ET)	# Ep.	Premiere		End		TV Season	Rank	Viewers (in millions)
			Date	Premiere Viewers (in millions)	Date	Finale Viewers (in millions)
1	Tuesday 9:30 pm	24	September 25, 2012	4.67	May 14, 2013	2.57	2012–13	#128	3.71
2		22	September 17, 2013	3.83	May 6, 2014	2.48	2013–14	#125	3.40
3		21	September 16, 2014	2.68	March 24, 2015	2.05	2014–15	#151	2.95

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for The Mindy Project

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref
2012	Writers Guild of America Award	New Series		Nominated
	Critics' Choice Television Award	Most Exciting New Series		Won
	People's Choice Award	Favorite New TV Comedy		Nominated
2013	NAACP Image Award	Outstanding Comedy Series		Nominated
	TV Guide Awards	Favorite New Series		Nominated
	TCA Awards	Outstanding New Program		Nominated
	Casting Society of America	Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Television Pilot - Comedy	Felicia Fasano	Won
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV: Breakout Show		Nominated
		Choice TV Actress: Comedy	Mindy Kaling	Nominated
	Gracie Awards	Outstanding Producer - Entertainment		Won
2014	NAACP Image Award	Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series		Nominated
	Gracie Awards	Outstanding Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series		Won
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Actress: Comedy		Nominated
		Choice Comedian		Nominated
	TCA Awards	Individual Achievement in Comedy		Nominated
		Outstanding Achievement in Comedy		Nominated
	Critics' Choice Television Award	Best Actor in a Comedy Series	Chris Messina	Nominated
	People Magazine Awards	TV Couple of the Year	Mindy Kaling and Chris Messina	Won
	Satellite Award	Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy	Mindy Kaling	Won
2015	NAACP Image Award	Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series		Nominated
		Outstanding Writer in a Comedy Series		Nominated
		Outstanding Director in a Comedy Series	Ken Whittingham	Nominated
	Critics' Choice Television Award	Best Actor in a Comedy Series	Chris Messina	Nominated
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Costumes For A Contemporary Series, Limited Series or Movie	Salvador Perez	Nominated
2016	Gracie Awards	Outstanding Ensemble Cast - Comedy	Cast	Won

Broadcast

• In India the show airs on Comedy Central India.
• In Canada the show is aired by City. Even with its removal from Fox's lineup, City continues to make the show available free over the Internet in Canada. A network spokesperson confirmed that The Mindy Project would continue to air new episodes on City beginning on November 15, 2015. (Hulu is not accessible in Canada.)
• In Oceania the show airs for Australia on the Seven Network from January 28, 2013 at 10PM Mondays and for New Zealand on FOUR from March 11, 2013 at 9:30PM Mondays.
• In Israel the show airs on the Hot 3 on-demand service from January 23, 2013.
• In Europe the show airs for the United Kingdom on E4 from March 26, 2013 at 9:30PM Tuesdays, for the Netherlands on Foxlife from January 20, 2014 at 8:30PM Mondays and for Spain on Cosmopolitan TV from January 23, 2014 at 9:30PM Thursdays. In Germany the show airs on Comedy Central Germany since 2013.

External links

• Official website
• The Mindy Project at IMDb