“By now, you know I love romantic comedies,” Mindy Lahiri (Mindy Kaling) muses in the first moments of the last season of “The Mindy Project,” over a montage of her youthful selves watching “The Princess Bride” and sighing through mouthfuls of sour candy. “The real reason I love romantic comedies is because they always end the same way: marriage,” she adds.
“And then, I got married.”
Cut to 30-something Mindy ― doctor, mother, stepmother and wife ― in bed next to her husband, an adorable nurse named Ben (Bryan Greenberg). The two got married at the end of last season, but our last glimpse of Mindy showed her staring wistfully through a subway window; it’s just minutes after she joined her life and family with Ben’s, but she looks pensive rather than overjoyed. Her expression in that moment is the living embodiment of “Is that all there is?”, which turns out to be the title, and topic, of the premiere episode of Season 6.
Plenty of sitcoms center on marriage, of course ― the nagging wives, the schlumpy husbands, the kids who say the darnedest things ― but “The Mindy Project” is a sitcom about a woman who believes she’s too glamorous to live a sitcom life. Now that she has it, she’s not sure what to do with it.
(Photo: Jordin Althaus / Hulu)
Mindy loves having a hot husband. She loves her spunky stepdaughter, Lindsay. She definitely loves being a successful rom-com heroine. But she doesn’t seem to love marriage all that much, a surely unsurprising revelation to those who’ve followed the show. The first episode unfolds over a rare week when both of her kids are out of the house. Ben repeatedly tries to coax his new wife to come home and hang out with him on the couch after work. Instead, she finds excuse after excuse to stay out late with her office pals, only returning home to pass out next her slumbering spouse. One of her colleagues wants his girlfriend to move in with him, but she’s not sure; another coworker wants to become a single mom by choice. These are relationship-defining moments, and though they aren’t Mindy’s, she’d rather be part of those than enjoy her own already-defined life.
What Mindy wants to be is a rom-com heroine, of course; she resents the stigma attached to being single in her late 30s, but she’s happiest when her actual happy ending is perpetually around the corner rather than in the rearview mirror. Romantic comedies end with the wedding; it’s hard to be the star in your own version of “When Harry Met Sally” if you’re off the market. If a lead is coupled off at the beginning of a romantic comedy, there’s only one way forward: she realizes she’s bored, unfulfilled and unappreciated, and the relationship ends in time for her to fall in love with her costar. So that’s exactly what needs to happen for Mindy.
This marriage was always easy-come, easy-go. Perpetually chasing her romantic climax, Mindy finally ― almost accidentally ― got one with Ben, a handsome nurse who actually wanted to commit. She’s always wanted an enviable husband to slot into her personal romantic comedy, and Ben was offering. Her favorite films didn’t offer a template for what came next, however; the early episodes of Season 6 show her quickly realizing that she has no idea what it means to be a good wife and that her instincts are all wrong. She doesn’t know she should want to hang out on the couch with him and a bottle of wine after work. She doesn’t know she should feel personally invested in whether he lives in New York or takes a new job in Philadelphia. (She also doesn’t know Pennsylvania is a state, but that’s another conversation.)
Mindy’s thirst for an epic love story has always been her Achilles heel, blinding her to the real complexities and flaws of her partners. The reason her love story with her long-time coworker, Danny Castellano, grew into such an authentic, strong connection was because she didn’t see him as a possible Prince Charming. They liked (and sometimes hated) spending time together before they ever fell in love or even dated. Their relationship grew from a long platonic friendship, rather than being predicated, from the start, on his ability to give her a fairy-tale ending.
To be clear, this is a rom-com trope of its own (one the show has already directly parodied in a B-plot featuring B.J. Novak and Eva Amurri Martino), and “The Mindy Project” doesn’t hold up the friends-to-lovers route as a simple solution to Mindy’s hangups. Backing into a romance also had its downsides ― most notably, that they skipped past important conversations about what they both expected from a serious relationship. By the time Mindy realized Danny wanted his future wife to sacrifice her career to focus on family, they’d already gotten engaged and had a child. Rather than falling in love with a fantasy of a man, she’d gotten enmeshed with a real one, but that alone didn’t guarantee a happy ending.
A still from "Is That All There Is?", Episode 601, featuring Dr. Mindy Lahiri (Mindy Kaling), Leo (Elias Janssen), Lindsay (Brianna Reed), and Ben (Bryan Greenberg). (Photo: Jordin Althaus)
It was clear from the show’s premiere that love couldn’t come easy to Mindy. Turning a rom-com into a TV show requires some fancy footwork. Whereas sitcoms tend to flatten out life’s arcs and struggles, every week the same goofs and futile turmoil, rom-coms heighten them into one big, operatic swoop. “How I Met Your Mother” got around this tension by focusing on the literal years’ worth of dates, relationships and breakups that preceded Ted Mosby actually meeting his children’s mother. “You’re the Worst” offers an anti-romantic comedy, in which the two leads don’t really want a happy ending, and certainly don’t end up happy just because they’ve gotten together, but keep stumbling through a torturously messy relationship together nonetheless.
For “The Mindy Project,” the strategy is “Groundhog Day”-like repetition: meet-cute, conflict, resolution, conflict, breakup, then right back into meet-cute. Some have criticized the show for retreading the same notes, but that’s like criticizing “Groundhog Day” for showing Phil the weatherman reliving February 2 countless times. The hellish cycle is exactly the point. The show is about a woman who wants to live a life that doesn’t exist ― a romantic comedy that never ends ― and it’s exactly because the show continues and continues that her plight becomes clear.
The question, really, is how the show will ever end without undermining its raison d’être. Will Mindy find love, turning the whole show into a long romantic comedy after all? Will she remain single and hopeful, ever the winsome heroine just one meet-cute from bliss? Or will “The Mindy Project” find a way to resolve a show about the impossibility of endings with the inevitability of them? Now in its final season, the show needs to come to grips with the fact that every TV show must have its closing credits one day, no matter how much that distorts our expectations of reality.
"The Mayor" -- Young rapper Courtney Rose needs his big break. For years, he's toiled away in a small inner-city apartment, making music in his junk-filled bedroom closet. Tired of waiting for opportunity, Courtney cooks up the publicity stunt of the century: Running for mayor of his hometown in California to generate buzz for his music career. Unfortunately for Courtney, his master plan goes wildly awry, ending in the most terrifying of outcomes: An election victory. With the help of his mother and friends, including Valentina, Courtney will have to overcome his hubris if he wants to transform the struggling city he loves (ABC/Tony Rivetti)
"The Good Doctor" -- Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore, "Bates Motel"), a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, relocates from a quiet country life to join a prestigious hospital's surgical unit. Alone in the world and unable to personally connect with those around him, Shaun uses his extraordinary medical gifts to save lives and challenge the skepticism of his colleagues. (ABC/Liane Hentscher)
"Kevin (Probably) Saves The World" -- Kevin Finn (Jason Ritter) is not a good person. He’s not terrible, but he’s selfish, and clueless, and values material wealth and status over all else. And he’s beginning to realize that those things aren’t making him happy – in fact, he’s fairly miserable. Just when things seem to be at their worst, he finds himself tasked with an unbelievable mission… saving the world. (ABC)
“Marvel’s Inhumans” - “Marvel’s Inhumans” explores the never-before-told epic adventure of the royal family, including “Black Bolt,” the enigmatic, commanding King of the Inhumans, with a voice so powerful that the slightest whisper can destroy a city. After the Royal Family of Inhumans is splintered by a military coup, they barely escape to Hawaii where their surprising interactions with the lush world and humanity around them may prove to not only save them, but Earth itself. (ABC)
"Ten Days In The Valley" - Kyra Sedgwick stars as Jane Sadler, an overworked television producer and single mother in the middle of a separation whose life is turned upside down when her young daughter goes missing in the middle of the night. Just like her controversial police TV show, everything is a mystery, everyone has a secret and no one can be trusted. (ABC/Eric McCandless)
"Dynasty" -- Wealth, power, deception, and double-dealing… what does it take to build a dynasty? A modern re-imagining of the iconic primetime soap, centering on the powerful Carrington family as they defend their throne against the Colbys, new rivals and threats, and even each other. (The CW)
"Valor" -- An elite unit of U.S. Army helicopter pilots called the Shadow Raiders is sent on a top secret mission to Somalia, a mission that goes terribly awry. Only two members of the team return safely: Warrant Officer Nora Madani (Christina Ochoa), one of the unit’s first female helicopter pilots, and her commanding officer, Captain Leland Gallo (Matt Barr), while the whereabouts of their comrade Jimmy Kam (W. Trè Davis) are unknown. Now back in the U.S., Madani and Gallo are the only ones who know the truth about what really went wrong in Somalia. Nora’s boyfriend, First Lieutenant Ian Porter (Charlie Barnett), suspects she’s not telling him the full story, and Jess Kam (Corbin Reid), Jimmy’s wife and Nora’s friend, is frustrated and furious at being kept in the dark. Meanwhile Thea (Melissa Roxburgh), the enigmatic CIA officer charged with investigating the failed mission, has her own suspicions about what occurred. (CW)
"Will & Grace" -- That’s right, honey! A decade after their unforgettable eight-season run, comedy’s most fabulous foursome is back. Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally reprise their infamous roles as Will, Grace, Jack and Karen in this exclusive 12-episode event. The legendary James Burrows, director of every original “Will & Grace” episode, returns along with a slew of razor-sharp jabs and dirty martinis. Behold once again, from the minds of Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, TV’s wittiest ensemble ever. (NBC)
“Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders” -- Starring the incomparable Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Edie Falco (“The Sopranos,” “Nurse Jackie”), this new eight-episode true-crime installment of the powerhouse “Law & Order” franchise delivers a gripping in-depth dramatization of the notorious murder case that changed America forever. When the Menendez brothers were tried on national TV for brutally killing their parents in Beverly Hills, their story became a national obsession. Now, the first edition of this anthology series delves into the players, the crime and the media circus, detailing the day-to-day battles of the trial and unveiling the shocking truth of what really went down when the cameras stopped rolling. (NBC)
"The Brave" -- This fresh, heart-pounding journey into the complex world of America's elite undercover military heroes follows Captain Adam Dalton (Mike Vogel) and his heroic Special Ops squad of highly trained undercover specialists carry out each mission on the ground. His team is armed with incredible sniper Sgt Jasmine ‘Jaz’ Khan (Natacha Karam), CPO Ezekiel “Preach” Carter (Demetrius Grosse), combat medic Sgt Joseph “McG” McGuire (Noah Mills) and intelligence officer Agent Amir Al-Raisani (Hadi Tabbal). This team works hand-in-hand with D.I.A. Deputy Director Patricia Campbell (Anne Heche) and her team of analysts including veterans Cultural Specialist Noah Morgenthau (Tate Ellington) and Mission Coordinator Hannah Archer (Sofia Pernas), as they wield the world's most advanced surveillance technology from headquarters in D.C. All members of this elite squad, both in D.C. and across the world, have one thing in common: their resilience and commitment to freedom is unmatched by any other. Often facing insurmountable challenges, the team works tirelessly to get the job done and to prevail in even the most complex situations. Week after week, the team uses that along with their unbreakable bond to save lives of innocent people and execute missions in some of the most dangerous places in the world. (NBC)
"9JKL" -- Josh Roberts is a new divorcé and actor between projects who moves home to New York to regroup, living in an apartment sandwiched between his doting, meddlesome parents on one side and his brother, sister-in-law and their new baby on the other. Josh’s well-intentioned mom, Judy, is so excited to have her beloved son home after his 12 years in Los Angeles that she bribes their doorman, Nick, to secretly call her every time Josh comes up the elevator so she can greet him in the hallway. Also thrilled is Josh’s larger-than-life father, Harry, an attorney with no personal boundaries who’s eager to help Josh land his next starring role using his Hollywood “connections.” Teasing Josh about his return home is his competitive brother, Andrew, a successful surgeon who, unlike Josh, doesn’t have a problem saying “no” to their interfering parents; Andrew’s Harvard-educated pediatrician wife, Eve; and 12-year-old neighbor Ian from 5A, who hangs out in the lobby.As Josh’s family literally comes at him from both sides, he realizes he desperately needs to establish some ground rules, because his loving family is always going to be right there for him. Always. (CBS)
"Me, Myself & I" -- Bobby Moynihan stars in a comedy about the defining moments in one man’s life over three distinct periods – as a 14-year-old in 1991, at age 40 in present day and at age 65 in 2042. As a 14-year-old boy living in Chicago in 1991, Alex was on top of the world, inventing cool things and celebrating the Bulls’ first championship, until his mom, Maggie, moved them to Los Angeles, the heart of Lakers country, and married a pilot, Ron. With his new stepbrother, Justin, Alex needed to reinvent himself in a new school, where he meets his dream girl, Nori Sterling. In 2017, 40-year-old Alex is an inventor/entrepreneur on top of the world until his wife leaves him and threatens to take their daughter, Abby, with her, sending him into a tailspin that requires the help of his best friend and business partner, Darryl, to get him back on track. In 2042 at 65, Alex is a highly successful businessman who, after suffering a minor heart attack, decides he’s ready to reinvent himself once again. Alex announces he’s retiring to his adult daughter, Abby, now the general manager of the Chicago Bulls, and he gets a surprise chance to reconnect with his childhood crush, Nori, who now goes by Eleanor. During these three pivotal periods, Alex always manages to find a way to move forward, handling key moments with determination, emotion and humor. (CBS)
"S.W.A.T." -- Inspired by the television series and the feature film, S.W.A.T. stars Shemar Moore as a locally born and raised S.W.A.T. sergeant newly tasked to run a specialized tactical unit that is the last stop in law enforcement in Los Angeles. Torn between loyalty to where he was raised and allegiance to his brothers in blue, former Marine Daniel ”Hondo” Harrelson has everything it takes to be an excellent leader and bridge the divide between his two worlds. Hondo’s elite unit includes David “Deacon” Kay, an experienced S.W.A.T. officer who always puts the team first, despite feeling overlooked for the lead job; Jim Street, a cocky but promising new member of the group; Christina “Chris” Alonso, a skilled officer and the team’s canine trainer; and Dominique Luca, an expert driver who gets them in and out of high risk situations. Overseeing the unit is Jessica Cortez, the captain of L.A. Metro who values her job above all else, including her off-the-books relations with Hondo. Hondo’s team enjoys an intense rivalry with another L.A.-based unit led by Mumford, an aggressive leader who likes to do things his way. With Hondo leading the charge, these dedicated men and women bravely put themselves at risk to protect their community and save lives. (CBS)
"SEAL Team" -- SEAL Team is a new military drama that follows the professional and personal lives of the most elite unit of Navy SEALs as they train, plan and execute the most dangerous, high stakes missions our country can ask of them. Jason Hayes is the respected, intense leader of the Tier One team whose home life has suffered as a result of his extensive warrior’s existence. His team includes his trusted confidant, Ray, the longest-tenured operator with whom Jason shares an ingrained shorthand, and Sonny, an exceptional, loyal soldier with a checkered past who still combats self-destructive tendencies. Undergoing additional rigorous training in the hope of joining Hayes’ select unit is Clay Spenser, a young, multi-lingual second generation SEAL with insatiable drive and dedication. Vital to the team’s success are CIA analyst Mandy Ellis, who has sacrificed everything in her drive to root out evil and take down terrorists, and Davis, a no-nonsense, take-charge logistics officer and unofficial den mother responsible for outfitting the team with the necessary gear for each mission. Deployed on clandestine missions worldwide at a moment’s notice, and knowing the toll it takes on them and their families, this tight-knit SEAL team displays unwavering patriotism and fearless dedication even in the face of overwhelming odds. (CBS)
"Star Trek: Discovery" -- Star Trek,” one of the most iconic and influential global television franchises, returns to television 50 years after it first premiered with STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. The series will feature a new ship, new characters, and new missions, while embracing the same ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation of dreamers and doers. (CBS)
"Wisdom of the Crowd" -- WISDOM OF THE CROWD is a drama about a visionary tech innovator who creates a cutting-edge crowdsourcing app to solve his daughter’s murder, and revolutionize crime solving in the process. Inspired by the notion that a million minds are better than one, Silicon Valley entrepreneur Jeffrey Tanner, develops “Sophe,” an online platform for publicly shared information he’s certain will find his daughter’s killer. To assist him, Tanner recruits Det. Tommy Cavanaugh, the original cop who investigated the murder but was unceremoniously forced off the case. Working with them is Sara Morton, a brilliant engineer whose relationship with Tanner goes beyond professional; Josh Novak, a talented, nerdy-cool head programmer; and Tariq Bakari, a tech genius and expert hacker with issues adhering to the rules. Concerned with Tanner’s obsession is his successful ex-wife, Congresswoman Alex Hale, with whom he shares an unbreakable bond over their shared grief. As Tanner taps into the “wisdom of the crowd,” his unexpected success fuels his determination to solve even more cases than just the one that’s personal to him. (CBS)
"Young Sheldon" -- For 9-year-old Sheldon Cooper it isn’t easy growing up in East Texas. Being a once-in-a-generation mind capable of advanced mathematics and science isn’t always helpful in a land where church and football are king. And while the vulnerable, gifted and somewhat naïve Sheldon deals with the world, his very normal family must find a way to deal with him. His father, George, is struggling to find his way as a high school football coach and as father to a boy he doesn’t understand. Sheldon’s mother, Mary, fiercely protects and nurtures her son in a town where he just doesn’t fit in. Sheldon’s older brother, Georgie, does the best he can in high school, but it’s tough to be cool when you’re in the same classes with your odd 9-year-old brother. Sheldon’s twin sister, Missy, sometimes resents all the attention Sheldon gets, but also remains the one person who can reliably tell Sheldon the truth. Finally, there’s Sheldon’s beloved Meemaw, his foul-mouthed, hard-drinking Texas grandmother who is very supportive of her grandson and his unique gifts. For 10 years on “The Big Bang Theory,” audiences have come to know the iconic, eccentric and extraordinary Sheldon Cooper. This single-camera, half-hour comedy gives us the chance to meet him in childhood, as he embarks on his innocent, awkward and hopeful journey toward the man he will become.
"Ghosted" -- Starring Craig Robinson (“The Office,” “This Is the End”) and Adam Scott (“Parks and Recreation,” “Big Little Lies”), GHOSTED is a single-camera, live-action comedy about the partnership between two polar opposites – a cynical skeptic and a genius “true believer” in the paranormal – who are recruited by a secret government agency, known as The Bureau Underground, to save the human race from aliens. Also starring Ally Walker (“Colony,” “Sons of Anarchy”), Adeel Akhtar (“Unforgotten,” “The Night Manager”) and Amber Stevens West (“The Carmichael Show,” “22 Jump Street”), this heroic group of underdogs will look into “unexplained” activity in Los Angeles, as they attempt to uncover the truth and keep the earth rotating on its axis for at least one more day. (Fox)
"The Gifted" -- Produced in association with Marvel Television, and set in the “X-Men” universe, family adventure series THE GIFTED tells the emotional story of a suburban couple whose ordinary lives are rocked by the sudden discovery that their teenage children possess mutant powers. Forced to go on the run from a hostile government, the family seeks help from an underground network of mutants and must fight to survive. (Fox)
"The Orville" -- From Emmy Award-winning executive producer and creator Seth MacFarlane (FAMILY GUY, “Ted,” “Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey”), THE ORVILLE is a live-action, one-hour space adventure series set 400 years in the future that follows The U.S.S. Orville, a mid-level exploratory spaceship. Its crew, both human and alien, face the wonders and dangers of outer space, while also dealing with the problems of everyday life. The ensemble series stars MacFarlane as the ship’s Captain, Ed Mercer, and Adrianne Palicki (“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Friday Night Lights”) as his ex-wife, who’s assigned as his First Officer. Additional cast members include Penny Johnson Jerald (“24,” “The Larry Sanders Show”), Scott Grimes (“American Dad!,” “Justified”), Peter Macon (“Shameless,” “Bosch”), Halston Sage (“Neighbors,” “Goosebumps”), J Lee (“American Dad!,” “The Cleveland Show”), Mark Jackson (“That Royal Today”) and Chad L. Coleman (“The Walking Dead,” “The Wire”). (Fox)
