Mindy Kaling traded "The Office" for a funny heartfelt gig as a rom-com obsessed OB/GYN in "The Mindy Project." Kaling created this comedy, as well as the character of Mindy Lahiri, a bright young woman who identifies more with characters played by Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock than her co-workers.
In flashbacks during the pilot episode, Dr. Lahiri recounts how she met a dentist named Tom (Bill Hader) in true romantic comedy fashion. While stuck in an elevator, they fell in love and moved in together. Months later, Tom married the Serbian girl who sold bagels and made the mistake of inviting Mindy to the wedding.
Charged with three counts of public intoxication, theft, and disorderly conduct after the reception, Mindy is prompted to change her life. Vows to take the stairs and not accept any more uninsured immigrant patients don't last very long, though.
Mindy has a fairly self-destructive relationship with colleague Dr. Jeremy Reed (Ed Weeks). Jeremy finds her physically attractive, but their interaction doesn't look like it will move beyond office makeout sessions and sleepovers.
In true romantic comedy fashion, Dr. Lahiri has more honest interactions with Dr. Danny Castellano. Danny talks like Tony Danza, possesses great patient skills, and actually likes Mindy, even though he will never admit it. "You know what would look great? If you lost 15 pounds," Danny tells her.
When praying about her upcoming blind date, Mindy is fairly specific in her request. "The wealth of Mayor Bloomberg, the personality of Jon Stewart, and the face of Michael Fassbender," she asks. A moment later, she asks that her date possess one of Fassbender's other notable anatomical features.
Dennis (Ed Helms from "The Office"), a good-looking guy who works on Wall Street, turns out to be a great prospect. Going down her magic checklist, which she has on her iPhone, Mindy tries to uncover his bad habits. "Wall Street? Wow, you must have access to a lot of drugs," Mindy casually says over dinner.
When faced with duty over dating, Mindy reluctantly answers a call from her latest patient and successfully delivers a breach baby. Watching "When Harry Met Sally" in the doctor's lounge after the delivery, she has a fairly deep conversation with Dr. Danny, indicating that there is respect between the bickering colleagues. Whether that blooms into something more remains to be seen.
