This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
If you like Mindy Kaling ("The Office"), chances are you're going to like her new sitcom The Mindy Project (Tuesday, 8:30 p.m., Fox/Ch, 13). She is the creator, executive producer and star.
If you don't like Mindy Kaling, well ... I think a lot of people are going to like her.
She has cast herself as a successful doctor whose personal life is pretty much a mess. She's needy, insecure and unlucky in love.
In Tuesday's premiere, Mindy's ex-boyfriend marries another woman. Mindy gets drunk at the reception. And then things really go wrong.
Later, bemoaning her fate, Mindy says, "Maybe I won't get married. Maybe I'll do one of those 'Eat, Pray, Love' things. Ugh, no, I don't want to pray. Forget it, I'll die alone."
Did I mention that Mindy's friends and co-workers wish she was less annoying?
But she's annoying in a charming way, at least for viewers. The pilot isn't great, but it's pretty good. And the sitcom shows great promise, in no small part because of the ensemble cast (Chris Messina, Ed Weeks, Ike Barinholtz, Stephen Tobolowsky, Zoe Jarman, Amanda Setton and Gwen Grandy)
"The Mindy Project" is funny and charming in a "New Girl" kind of way, and should do well in the post-"New Girl" timeslot.