Mindy Kaling is a television creator whom I have come to trust. I know her shows will showcase impressive comedy writing. Some of Kaling’s shows are my favorite television romantic comedies because they feel relatable. She creates great romantic comedy television shows, and that’s mainly because of her expertise at making unforgettable female characters.
These funny women have depth, are not afraid to be messy, feel genuine, and know the highs and lows of navigating the complications of love and life. After recently finishing Running Point, I was reminded of Kaling’s ability to create fully formed fictional women.
It made me think of some of my favorites in the Kaling television universe.
Mindy (The Mindy Project)
Mindy (Mindy Kaling) is the ultimate complicated girl boss. She’s successful at work, but struggling at almost every other aspect, especially her love life. Mindy has the same level of dysfunction you may expect from a male comedy doctor.
Most of her charm comes from her being such a mess. Mindy's life shows that you can have and do it all at your job but be borderline terrible at everything else.
Isla (Running Point)
As Isla, Kate Hudson reminds us just how good she is at acting and character embodiment. Isla on Running Point has to deal with and manage a lot of egotistical, judgmental, and some just plain stupid, men. She tackles this while also navigating her own complex and chaotic life.
The character is the perfect person to lead this team and company because the men surrounding her are hilarious, but she manages to upstage them at every turn — credit to the writing and Hudson’s screen presence for still being the star even when paired with very funny supporting actors.
Devi (Never Have I Ever)
Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) is not the typical teen girl. She’s nerdier and hornier, at least more than most on television. Never Have I Ever is easily one of the best teen rom-com shows ever created. That’s mainly because of Mindy Kaling and her team’s knowledge of the rom-com space. They implement some of the traits of the best films in this genre. It is also great because Devi is one of the ultimate romantic comedy leads.
She feels like a real teen girl with all her flaws, including not always being rational and temperamental at times. Never Have I Ever may have been Ramakrishnan’s breakout role, but she makes on-screen chemistry look easy. The Paxton (Darren Barnet) vs. Ben (Jaren Lewison) wars raged on for a reason. Ramakrishnan has so much chemistry with both actors.
Maya (Four Weddings and a Funeral)
I consider myself a girl’s girl, which means I support women’s rights and wrongs. Maya (Nathalie Emmanuel) commits a lot of wrongs during Four Weddings and a Funeral. If the show continued, we would likely see a lot more complications from Maya.
On paper, she sounds terrible. She slept with a married man and fell in love with her best friend’s ex-fiancé. However, Emmanuel exudes so much girl-next-door on-screen charm that it’s hard not to like her. Additionally, Four Weddings and a Funeral shows Maya’s layered personality, which makes her hard to hate, even if you don’t agree with all her actions.
Leighton (The Sex Lives of College Girls)
The problem with The Sex Lives of College Girls is that there are so many enjoyable characters played by equally likable actors. However, Leighton (Reneé Rapp) managed to win me over the most. Her journey with coming out and just evolving is one of the best parts of the first two seasons. This is what makes her Season 3 departure so hard of a readjustment.
Leighton is a mean girl who makes being mean look cool and charming. I would also argue that she may be one of the best LGBTQ+ characters of the last decade, and definitely in a Mindy Kaling TV show.
Tamara (The Mindy Project)
Tamara (Xosha Roquemore) is easily The Mindy Project’s funniest character. She starts the series in a limited role but easily becomes a scene-stealer. Tamara’s increased screen time just makes her even more likable.
Roquemore doesn’t get enough credit for her comedic timing. There are only a handful of Mindy Project characters that constantly make me laugh, and Tamara is the main one.
Nalini (Never Have I Ever)
Something I have noticed is that even the best teen shows’ writers put a lot of effort into the teen characters but neglect the parents. This isn’t the case with Never Have I Ever. The parents feel just as layered as the teens. Some of the parents I find even more interesting than the children.
Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan) is by far one of the best parent characters in the Mindy Kaling showverse. She’s just as complex as Devi. Nalini can be tough, but she’s also very caring and kind.
One of my issues with Never Have I Ever’s final season is that we don’t get enough of her. Hopefully, Kaling and Jagannathan will work together again, because I would love to see Jagannathan lead a romantic comedy. She's such a captivating actor.
Gemma (Four Weddings and a Funeral)
Gemma (Zoe Boyle) is the classic case of the seemingly unlikable character changing and showing real depth. She may have a stiff upper lip, but you can’t help but feel endeared towards her, especially after witnessing her heartbreaking journey.
Gemma and Duffy (John Reynolds) ended up becoming my favorite romance in Four Weddings and a Funeral. Their courtship just has charm. Gemma is one of the most complex characters of this miniseries, which makes her so compelling to watch.
Daphne (Velma)
Velma, for better or worse, is not a typical Scooby-Doo story. Therefore, these aren’t the versions of the characters that many may be used to. This isn’t your mother’s Daphne. That may be what makes her stand out in this animated series.
Voiced by Constance Wu, this version of the character is complicated, more sexually confident, and has an interesting origin story. Daphne is one of the fun evolutions in this Kaling animated series.
Ruby (Champions)
I may have been one of the few people who watched the entire short-lived Mindy Kaling series Champions. I mainly watched it because I thought Anders Holm and Kaling had great chemistry on The Mindy Project and wanted to see if they tapped into that on this series. The show follows a bachelor and his younger brother who have their lives rocked when his ex drops off a surprise child they had together 15 years ago.
Most of Champions revolves around the three male characters. However, Ruby (Fortune Feimster) is one of the series' regulars. Feimster is a comedian that Kaling often works with. She has played many funny side characters, but Champions is one of the rare shows that highlight her as a lead. The character is as strange and weird as you would expect, but still very funny.
I can’t wait to meet more thrilling and complex female characters in Mindy Kaling’s next television projects.
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