Hear that? It's the sound of a thousand baby angels singing, because the best comedy on TV returns tonight: The Mindy Project on FOX!
Fans have waited months (a bonafide eternity) to see what happens after Danny (Chris Messina) kissed Mindy (Mindy Kaling) on that plane. We have seen the first two episodes back and can tell you: It's the best damn thing you'll see on TV all month. Truth! Even if you've never watched this series, you should tune in tonight.
Watch the video above to hear from Mindy herself!
And for anyone still reeling from the holy terror (or sheer joy?) that was the How I Met Your Mother finale, you might find solace in what Mindy has to say about avoiding crazy shenanigans to keep two characters apart:
"A lot of shows put two characters together and there will be all these outside things that tear them apart," Kaling tells me. "I thought it was a confident move to be like [Mindy and Danny] are so different…There's many reasons why that would't work out. What is the funniest way that we can tell this story and not have to invent something weird that demeans the audience's intelligence. And let's just do that."
Kaling has quickly become one of the best-loved women on TV, thanks to some stellar writing and stellar comedic timing (ditto the rest of the cast), but she's quick to point out she doesn't actually share much in common with her character, Dr. Mindy Lahiri when it comes to her love life.
"This is such a fun character to play for me," Kaling tells me, "because she puts herself out there and goes on dates all the time, but I'm not like that. I'm very shy and I largely hang out with the same people. It's like, for someone who wrote a book about essays of her life, there's nothing about my sex life or romantic life because it didn't exist. If I had something lurid to say, I would."
When asked if she believes her job may be intimidating—who knows what would end up in the show?—she replies: "We call that Blogger Name Molly, where you go on a date and you're going to blog about it. I don't have a Carrie Bradshaw lifestyle. I've dated like five guys in my entire life. So I don't think anyone has that feeling."
Still, Kaling does share at least one attribute with her TMP character: An affinity for Danny-esque men. "Largely, I date the same version of a sweet funny nice guy. That's what I like. Like everyone else in the world."
Tonight's episode of The Mindy Project picks up tonight right after the infamous mile-high liplock, and the first couple minutes will literally take your breath away. You might want to have an inhaler on standby! And it doesn't slow down from there.
What makes The Mindy Project stand out among pretty much every other comedy currently on the air is not only its hilarious moments (sometimes we...just...can't...breathe), but also the brilliant way it navigates its romantic entanglements. The twists are unexpected, but always believable and heartfelt, and moreover, incredibly funny.
Tonight is no different. ‘Cause let's just say that out of all the ways we imagined Danny and Mindy acting after that kiss, having someone's hair end up down a toilet was not so much one of them. And it's Kaling's willingness to shoot such scenes that make her so damn likeable and so damn real.
All you lameo Hollywood actresses who are hyper-self-aware: Take note! Realness works.
Want to know who else is hooking up on The Mindy Project? Check out the exclusive videos above and below!
And don't forget to watch The Mindy Project tonight on FOX!