The Mindy Project is one of the most intriguing new series created within the past television season and it's not much of a surprise: the series, created from writer/actor Mindy Kaling (The Office) has an enormous amount of creativity and it is easily something that joins the ranks of television's top quality comedic series being broadcast now. Want some romance to go with a dosage of comedic hijinks? Then hop aboard: here's a show that is sure to entertain.

This is great television; through and through. It's the kind of show you want to share with others because of how much joy is found within each weekly dose of the comedic wonderment that is The Mindy Project. Creator Mindy Kaling had a breakthrough success as one of the supporting characters on the hit television series The Office, but it was the writing behind-the-scenes that truly garnered her recognition within the industry. She was, without any doubt, one of the best writers helping to create one of the most iconic comedic series of the past decade.

Her immense skills in comedic writing, character development, and everything else was honed to a great extent while working on The Office, and it shows in doses throughout The Mindy Project. However, do not mistake this as a "Office: Part 2" series. The creation is wholly original and telling its own tale with characters quite different from what Mindy helped create with The Office.

Mindy Kaling stars as the title character Mindy, a successful OB/GYN doctor who is working in New York, and who is joined by a entire group of oddballs. She spends most of her time helping patients and looking for love in NYC. The entire premise of the show seems to be centered with focusing on this romantic-comedy aspect.

Can Mindy find some true love (along the way paved with great comedy to boot)? Throughout the series the main dramatic question seems to be about the path to happiness for Mindy - and that includes finding a soul mate. As a result the audience will see some major moments with "ups" and "downs" for Mindy's relationships.

Yet the show is structurally similar in the other ways the main characters interact and the story unfolds, so much so that some episodes seem centered with focusing on aspects of successful rom-com's like Pretty Woman and Sleepless in Seattle (to name a few of the instances) and it definitely seems to be an element inherent at the core of the series conceptual ideas.

The supporting cast includes Danny Castellano (Chris Messina), a stubborn yet seemingly laid back guy, a fellow doctor who works with Mindy and who seems to have a possible thing for Mindy (but who never seems to want to say so),  Jeremy Reed (Ed Weeks), a British  guy of popularity who is also a doctor, Betsy Punch (Zoe Jarman), a sweet and mild mannered girl working in the offices, and Morgan Tookers (Ike Barinholtz), a strange, off-the-wall nurse working for the practice and who has an odd back-story that keeps things interesting too.

Other characters include Gwen Grandy (Anna Camp), as Mindy's closest friend, Beverly (Beth Grant), quirky within the group, and Jay and Mark Duplass, filmmakers (and brothers) in real-life: playing the roles of Brendan and Duncan, the competition to the doctor's firm.

The series is one of the most enjoyable series on television, and it's clear that most of this is a result of Mindy Kaling and her understanding of character-development, comedic craft, and overall sensibilities. Her writing and performance presents a confident intelligence that leads everyone else in the cast down a fascinating road of creativity. The Mindy Project is great entertainment and it is one of the most 'must-see' series around.

The DVD:

Video:

The Mindy Project  arrives on DVD with a basic transfer quality that never impresses quite as well as fans might be hoping for. The series would have benefited greatly from a Blu-ray set option, and even more so considering the merely average quality given to the show on DVD. Each episode has a decent quality with regards to color reproduction, and with a generally modern look, but the show looks a tad too compressed and it's not that visually impressive because of the merely acceptable picture quality.

English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing are included.

Audio:

The audio is available in English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0. The surround sound option is an adequate option for the show, but this is a typically front-heavy series with more emphasis placed upon the dialogue than on a massive utilization of sound effects and surround usage.

Extras:

The only supplements included on this release are deleted scenes from various episodes. It's nothing fancy. Where's audio commentaries by Mindy Kaling or some making of features? Those would have been nice inclusions. Unfortunately, the supplemental package is pretty simplistic all around.

Final Thoughts:

The Mindy Project is adorable, quirky, charming, and perhaps most importantly: funny, funny, and actually more funny than most shows around. The series is a blast from the start of the 1st season to the last episode, and season two is something to look forward to as a result: where, perhaps,  will the series and it 's character go to next? Will a visit to Haiti be in Mindy's future? The season one finale suggests it might be so.    

One thing is certain:  creator, writer, and lead actor Mindy Kaling is a fantastic comedic extraordinaire genius who honed her immense skills while working on The Office and I absolutely cannot imagine the show without her brain leading the parade. This is great, thoroughly entertaining, and intelligent television from a true visionary of the medium.

This set is absolutely worthwhile of purchasing and adding to any television collection.

Highly Recommended.

Neil Lumbard is a lifelong fan of cinema. He aspires to make movies and has written two screenplays on spec. He loves writing, and currently does in Texas.