The Mindy Project

She's Sandra Bullock! But, mostly, she's Mindy Kaling, the brain behind the 2012 beloved comedy, 'The Mindy Project.' It was a landmark series, and not just because Kaling was one of the few Indian-American showrunners in the industry (not to mention, one of the few women showrunners in the industry). The Mindy Project also fully embraced the romantic-comedy genre — a genre, at that point, that was still largely seen as silly and trite. But if there was anyone who could achieve critical success in rom-coms, it was Kaling, who crafted a character and cast loved enough to last six seasons. But how did she get there in the first place? My co-host Allison Piwowarski and I explore that, how and why she cast Chris Messina, and some of the controversies to follow the show. Plus, The Mindy Project's revolving cast door, and how Mindy Lahiri was inspired by Michael Scott. Sources: EW, Boston Globe, NPR, Late Night With Conan O'Brien, Vulture, Mental Floss