Why The Mindy Project Is the Best Working-Girl Show in Years
Do you have a college-age girlfriend? A sister in high school? An infant daughter who's starting to recognize the moving shapes on the television? Give her some Cheerios--this works across the board, age-wise--and put on The Mindy Project for her. Now.
Watching last night, everything clicked into place for me. As we've suspected since our summer days of obsessing over its fuschia-splashed promos and downright gluttonous lineup of handsome men, The Mindy Project is a show about love and friendship and growing into your skin. So is New Girl, GIRLS, Whitney, Don't Trust the B----, Happy Endings, Underemployed--that whole area is turning into a crowded field. No problem. We have as much room in our heart for shows exploring those themes as we do in our brain for working those issues out in real life.
THE MINDY PROJECT: Mindy (Mindy Kaling, R), Jeremy (Ed Weeks, C) and Danny (Chris Messina, L) discover a change in the office staff in the "Two to One" episode of THE MINDY PROJECT airing Tuesday, Dec. 4 (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2012 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Jordin Althaus/FOX
But last night's episode made it official: in addition to nailing the mental minutiae of growing up, The Mindy Project is the best career-girl show in years. In fact, it's made me feel a little bit better about losing Liz Lemon in a few months. Dr. Mindy Lahiri is set to inherit her throne, and--though I love me some Lemon--I daresay the gyno we all wish we had is twice as inspirational.
I remember Mindy Kaling, in promoting the show before it came out, talking a lot about her character having it all together career-wise but being a work of progress personally. I'll be honest: I wasn't expecting too much from the first half of that shill. I've seen enough Katherine Heigl movies to know that all too often, the only indication of our protagonist's professional success is a thirty-second scene in which she scribbles on some contracts (always while she's walking) and barks at her assistant.
But The Mindy Project is doubling down on the idea that while getting into the VIP section, meeting cute guys and wearing insanely gorgeous green plaid coats (no, really--it's the best coat I've ever seen) are all fabulous parts of being a woman, the little victories you score between nine and five can be the most satisfying thrills.
