10 Reasons ‘The Mindy Project’ Needs A Third Season
**Warning: spoilers ahead. If you haven’t seen Tuesday’s episode of The Mindy Project, read at your own risk. And also, what is wrong with you?**
If DVRs could text, mine would send me the slightly stunned, sad-faced Emoji leaking a single tear. Why? Because the honeymoon for the fall TV lineup is long over. The realities of the 2014 season are knocking, and one of my favorite shows, The Mindy Project, might be in trouble. At the end of January, it’s going on hiatus until April. Insert TV/hospital/surgeon mask/broken heart Emoji sequence. (If you don’t understand, you’re the problem.)
When reports say ratings are down, that usually means viewers are losing interest in a show and turning their attention elsewhere. But what reports don’t take into account is sometimes, despite lower ratings, the people still tuning in really love the show. Maybe The Mindy Project doesn’t have the highest ratings right now, but the people who do watch it adore it.
I’m bummed about the impending hiatus, and I would be crushed if this was Mindy’s last season. So when life gets you down, what do you do? Complain about it on the internet! Here are 10 reasons why The Mindy Project should be renewed for a third season.
1. I need to know if Mindy and Cliff are over for good
The Mindy/Cliff storyline was like New Year’s Eve: the buildup was the best part. When they finally got together, it was anticlimactic compared to the intrigue and excitement of their sexting exchange. Maybe I didn’t give their relationship enough of a chance, but I also didn’t have much time to. Was Cliff just a device used to steer Mindy elsewhere? Which leads me to…
2. I need to know the future of Mindy and Danny
Lorelai and Luke. Jess and Nick. Pam and Jim. Some of TV’s most beloved couples started as friends, or rather, had that underlying “maybe we’re more than friends” vibe going. Mindy and Danny are on track to be one of those couples, get married and live happily ever after working together at Castellano & Castellano, where Mindy comes first in the title. I need to see how their relationship plays out. I need it in my soul.
3. I need more Danny in general
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsDNzDqp4Nk?rel=0
Danny is equal parts manly and sensitive, which makes for some of my favorite lines in the show. One minute he’s a wonderfully grumpy old man, but the next you’re thinking about him naked. Danny genuinely cares about Mindy, and I relish in the moments he creates that take her off guard. The Aaliyah dance wasn’t just for Mindy. It was for women everywhere.
4. I also need more Morgan
Even comedies need comic relief sometimes, and Morgan is just that. The sometimes overlooked, always awkward male nurse is one of the show’s best supporting characters. Plus, I feel like he would be a great hugger. Peter brings a new dynamic to the group, which is fine, but Morgan is a staple. He’s OG. Original gyno. What whaaat! Okay, fine, he’s not a gynecologist, but just go with it.
5. I need more strong female leads
More and more strong female leads are popping up on the air, and Mindy is one of my favorites. I appreciate that the “everyday” female leads represent things all women can achieve with hard work in a relatable way. Katniss is a bamf, but I don’t always relate, you know? Mindy’s character might be ditzy and self-involved at times, but she’s a career-driven woman who sticks to her guns. I read once that Mindy Lahiri was inspired by Mindy Kaling’s mother, who was an OBGYN. So if that’s true, and I like to think it is, it’s even cooler that Mindy’s character was inspired by a real life strong female lead in her life.
6. I want to see Rishi again
Is he still rapping? Has he met a nice girl at Stanford? Or maybe Shawn Parker? Inquiring minds want to know. It’s fun to learn the backstories of our favorite characters, and Rishi gives us a peek at a different side of Mindy.
7. I need more amazing guest stars
James Franco. Ed Helms. Ellie Kemper. The list goes on (Seth Meyers!) which leads me to believe this is only the tip of the celebrity iceberg (Seth Rogen!). Sometimes The Mindy Project feels a little too character-heavy, but since we’ve already gone down that route, let’s just fall down the rabbit hole. MORE GUEST STARS!
8. I need to know if Jeremy will ever find love
Sometimes I worry about him, you know? Like I said, I’m all for packing in the guest stars, and Jeremy needs a nice, cute girl who gets him to cut the crap and believe in love. I’m thinking Amy Adams.
9. I need a crossover episode of The Mindy Project and The Crazy Ones
Picture it: Shauna, a woman scorned by Danny, fell out of love with the big city and left her receptionist job at Shulman & Associates. She moved to Chicago, changed her name to Lauren and found an assistant job at Lewis, Roberts + Roberts ad agency. But she quickly fell back into her old habits when she slept with the first handsome guy she saw at work (Zach). In this episode of The Crazy Project (title TBD), her past and present collide, and Shauna/Lauren must decide: will she return to New York City, or continue living a lie in Chicago? I would watch the hell out of that episode.
10. Because it’s hilarious, relatable and awesome
Don’t agree with me? Doesn’t matter, because you probably didn’t make it to the end of this list!
Mindy, Nielsen, esteemed Fox executives likely wearing suits: don’t give up the good fight. You say ‘1.2 ratings,’ I say ‘That still sounds like a hell of a lot of people.’ (Note: I am not a professional, but I could never get 1.2% of people aged 18-49 to listen to me, so I think you’re doing great.) I hope a third season of The Mindy Project is on our horizon, because I don’t think my heart (or my DVR) can take the alternative.
Featured image via ShutterStock from Joe Seer, Mindy and Cliff via, Mindy and Danny via, Morgan via, Mindy via, Mindy and Rishi via, Mindy and James Franco via, Mindy and Jeremy via, The Crazy Ones cast via, The Mindy Project cast via
