11 Times Chris Messina Proved He's TV's Best Leading Man in The Mindy Project's Premiere (Including That Final Dance)

We're counting down all the reasons Messina's character Danny Castellano completely stole the fall TV season in the Fox sitcom's season three premiere

By Tierney Bricker Sep 17, 2014 2:07 AMTags
The Mindy ProjectIsabella Vosmikova/FOX

A devout Catholic divorcee with some pretty serious dad issues is the new manic pixie dream girl. 

After tonight's season three premiere of The Mindy Project, we are boldly stating that Danny Castellano is the best male character on TV, thanks in large part to Chris Messina's go-for-broke comedy style. Who knew three years ago when the Fox sitcom first premiered that that guy who you had seen in countless indie movies, but couldn't quite remember his name would be down to perform a strip tease on network TV?! (Just add it to the list of reasons why Mindy Kaling is our spirit showrunner/should be the next president.)

And while Messina has been stealing scene after scene season after season, the season premiere, "We're A Couple Now, Haters," easily could've been called "The Chris Messina Showcase," as it was his best performance on the show to-date, showing off his comedic chops, jawdropping dance skills (Where has he been hiding those all our lives?!) and Danny's sensitive-for-Staten-Island side. 

Behold, the 11 times Chris Messina/Danny Castellano was just the best: 

1. Let's start at the end. With that strip tease, which will are requesting be played on an endless loop at our funerals if we don't happen to discover the Fountain of Eternal Youth and/or become a vampire. 

2. Danny attempting office gossip in bed with Mindy and feeling the need to explain the difference between his regular gym and his boxing gym = 2M2H. (Too much to handle, duh.)

3. Danny can play the piano. And he learned "Let It Go" from Frozen. Let the storm of Danny's awesomeness rage on...as well as our lady boner. 

4. His little booty dance to Boston's "More Than a Feeling." This would've been higher if not for the strip tease surprise awaiting us at the end of the episode.

Isabella Vosmikova/FOX

5. The reminder that Danny wears magnetic red glasses when he reads. (Why we find this attractive? We do not know, but chalk it up to the power of the Messina.)

6. That time he tried on a tight pink polo while shopping with Mindy. #blessed

7. "If you got it, flaunt it." Words of wisdom from Danny Castellano. 

Courtesy: FOX

8. The revelation that Danny was a stripper who went by the name "Diamond Dan" in order to pay for medical school. And Mindy found the pink, rhinestone-embellished thong to prove it. 

9. Oh, and that he paid off his mother's mortgage, and he carried a purse to school in fourth and fifth grade because his mother couldn't afford a backpack.

10. "I tried. I kept  getting thrown from the boat because I was too light." Danny, on why he had to give up his dreams of working on a deep sea fishing boat.

11. He has a coin collection, and we somehow find that irresistible. Does Messina's power know no limits? We're pretty sure if you bottled it up and peddled it on the black market, it would sell faster than Walt and Jesse's blue meth on Breaking Bad.

The Mindy Project airs Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. on Fox.

Are you just as obsessed with Danny as we are? Confess how many times you've watched his strip tease so far in the comments, we won't judge!

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