The Mindy Project

Cast and characters

Mindy Kaling portrays Dr. Mindy Kuhel Lahiri, an OB/GYN at Shulman & Associates who is often frustrated in her romantic life. Chris Messina appears as Dr. Daniel Alan "Danny" Castellano, another OB/GYN who serves as Mindy's main frenemy and love interest; he is a regular in seasons 1–4, a guest in season 5, and recurring in season 6. Ed Weeks plays Dr. Jeremiah "Jeremy" Reed, a somewhat hapless British OB/GYN and co-partner at the practice. Anna Camp appears in season 1 as Gwendolyn "Gwen" Grandy, Mindy's settled-down best friend.

Zoe Jarman plays Betsy Putch, a former receptionist, in seasons 1–2, and Amanda Setton portrays Shauna Dicanio, another former receptionist, in season 1. Stephen Tobolowsky is Dr. Marc Shulman, the former senior partner, in season 1 and a guest in season 4. Ike Barinholtz plays Morgan Fairchild Ransom Tookers, a registered nurse and ex-con at the office. Beth Grant appears as Beverly Janoszewski, a former nurse turned receptionist.

Xosha Roquemore plays Tamra Webb, a nurse who appears from season 2 onward; she breaks up with her long-term boyfriend Ray Ron to date Morgan and name-drops famous men she has dated. Adam Pally portrays Dr. Peter Prentice, Mindy's best friend and an OB/GYN, in seasons 2–3 with later guest and recurring appearances. Fortune Feimster plays Colette Kimball-Kinney, a nurse in seasons 4–6 who eventually moves in with Morgan. Garret Dillahunt appears as Dr. Jody Kimball-Kinney, an OB/GYN joining during Mindy's maternity leave.

Rebecca Rittenhouse plays Dr. Anna Ziev, a young uptight doctor in seasons 5–6. Mark Duplass appears as midwife Brendan Deslaurier, and Rhea Perlman as Annette Castellano, Danny's mother. Anders Holm plays Casey Peerson, a Christian minister and Mindy's ex-fiancé. Glenn Howerton appears as Heathcliff "Cliff" Gilbert, a lawyer and ex-boyfriend.

Jenny O'Hara plays Dot, Annette's best friend. Tommy Dewey appears as Josh Daniels, a lawyer and ex-boyfriend. Jay Duplass plays midwife Duncan Deslaurier. Tracey Wigfield appears as Dr. Lauren Neustadter, Jeremy's ex-girlfriend who marries Peter.

Dan Bakkedahl plays Dr. Adrian Bergdahl, an OB/GYN joining after Peter's departure. Mort Burke appears as intern Parker. Utkarsh Ambudkar plays Rishi Lahiri, Mindy's younger brother and aspiring rapper.

Production and development

The series was initially commissioned by NBC under the working title It's Messy, but NBC released the pilot from its projects on January 27, 2012. Fox executives read the script over the following weekend, and on January 30, 2012, Fox green-lit the pilot with Mindy Kaling attached to star. On May 9, 2012, Fox placed a series order for the comedy, and two days later the title was changed to The Mindy Project. The pilot episode was made available online on August 27, 2012, on various sites including Fox to generate interest.

Fox ordered a full season on October 8, 2012, and renewed the series for a second season on March 4, 2013, which began on September 17, 2013. On November 21, 2013, Fox announced a mid-season hiatus, with the show returning on April 1, 2014. A third season renewal was announced on March 7, 2014. Fox cancelled the series after three seasons on May 6, 2015, but Hulu picked it up on May 15, 2015, commissioning a 26-episode fourth season.

Hulu announced a 16-episode fifth season on May 4, 2016, later reduced to 14. On March 29, 2017, Kaling announced a sixth and final season; the final episode aired on November 14, 2017. Casting announcements began in February 2012, with Ed Weeks cast as Dr. Jeremy Reed. Zoe Jarman and Dana DeLorenzo joined as series regulars, with Jarman as Betsy Putch and DeLorenzo as Shauna Dicanio.

In mid-March, Chris Messina joined as Dr. Danny Castellano, and shortly after, Anna Camp boarded as Gwen Grandy. A few months later, Amanda Setton replaced DeLorenzo as Shauna, Stephen Tobolowsky joined as Dr. Marc Shulman, and Ike Barinholtz signed on as Morgan Tookers.

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 holds an 81% approval rating based on 48 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10; the critical consensus states that the show's charm and Kaling's talent make its faults easy to forgive. Metacritic assigned the first season a score of 69 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews, and it was the number-six best-reviewed show according to the site's fall 2012 season.

The second season has an 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10; the consensus notes that Kaling earns consistent laughs with wit, charm, and physical comedy. On Metacritic, the second season scored 55 out of 100 based on four critics, indicating mixed or average reviews. Season 3 holds an 82% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus stating the show travels further into rom-com country.

Season 4 holds a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus praising the balance between heart and humor; Metacritic gave it a score of 81 out of 100 based on five critics, indicating universal acclaim. The show has been scrutinized by feminists and people of color regarding casting and writing decisions. At the end of the first season, Jezebel published an article critiquing the casting of romantic leads, titled "Mindy Kaling Only Makes Out with White Guys".

The same article includes a response from Nisha Chittal defending Kaling for not making her race central to her character and for showing an Indian woman dating non-Indian men.

International broadcast

In the United Kingdom, the show airs on Sky Comedy; it previously aired on E4 until 2015. In Canada, the show was aired by City, which did not air season 6 until January 2018 due to Hulu being inaccessible in Canada. In Oceania, the show airs on the Seven Network in Australia from January 28, 2013, at 10PM Mondays, and on FOUR in New Zealand from March 11, 2013, at 9:30PM Mondays. In Europe, the show aired from March 26, 2013, at 9:30PM Tuesdays; in the Netherlands on Foxlife from January 20, 2014, at 8:30PM Mondays; in Spain on Cosmopolitan TV from January 23, 2014, at 9:30PM Thursdays; and in Germany on Comedy Central Germany since 2013.