The Mindy Project – Hulu
Most shows premiere, air a reasonable number of seasons, fluctuate in ratings, then get cancelled and have one final season to make the fans happy (or miserable, if they’re Lost or The Sopranos).
The Mindy Project is not your typical show though; and being a fan has been a roller coaster of emotions since before the premiere in 2012. Mindy Kaling initially developed the pilot for NBC but they passed on it! Fortunately, former head of NBC Universal, Bela Bajaria, championed Mindy and the show to Kevin Reilly at Fox, who gave it a season order. The first season was aired out of order by Fox, making the plot difficult to follow and the show seem erratic at best. The first and second season were also full of rapid & unexplained cast changes, the effects of which we’re still feeling today – like; WHERE ARE MINDY’S FEMALE FRIENDS?!
After Kevin Reilly left Fox, the new leadership was not as enthusiastic about the show, giving it a shorter order in season 3 and then cancelling the show entirely. Because it was produced by NBCU & only sold to Fox, the show got shopped around again, and picked up by Hulu where it’s had a pretty fantastic run.
Now however, Kaling and Hulu have decided that the show should come to it’s natural end. Craig Erwich, lead of content at Hulu, released a lovely statement about the end of the show:
“It has been an honor and a joy to work with Mindy and the entire creative team behind The Mindy Project. This series has been part of Hulu since we launched the service and, thanks to Mindy’s incredibly unique voice and vision, has remained one of our most popular and beloved series over the past five years. While we can’t wait to see what Mindy has in store for what will undoubtedly be a fantastic sixth and final season, we know The Mindy Project will live on as fans will continue to watch, discover and re-live all of the best moments from the complete series on Hulu.”
After news broke, Kaling spoke to EW about the final season and what she wants for the show. She mentioned wanting to “blow the lid off the show” and likely write towards a finale that gives the fans closure. We can look forward to incredible guest stars (she talks about movie people she’s been working with and now I want nothing more than for Mindy’s friends to be Reese Witherspoon, Anne Hathaway & Ava DuVernay) and a few more high concept episodes. Personally, I’m also psyched about the INCREDIBLE outfits that are to come, courtesy of costumer designer (and CDGA President) Sal Perez!
Mindy has lots of other projects in the works: Ocean’s Eight, A Wrinkle In Time, a new pilot with Anders Holm, a book with BJ Novak, and a movie she wrote that will star Emma Thompson! It certainly seems like a good time to end this chapter of the Mindy Lahiri project and see what comes next in the Mindy Kaling project.
Season 6 of The Mindy Project is set to air on Hulu in September and we’ll be right there with you every step of the way, recapping it and mourning the end!
Mindy Kaling / Instagram
