How Mindy Kaling’s Pre-‘The Office’ Years Inspired Her New Series ‘Not Suitable For Work’

BusinessHollywood & EntertainmentHow Mindy Kaling’s Pre-‘The Office’ Years Inspired Her New Series ‘Not Suitable For Work’ByOlivia Singh,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Olivia Singh is a reporter covering TV and film. Follow AuthorJun 03, 2026, 09:00am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Avantika and Ella Hunt on "Not Suitable For Work."Gwen Capistran/DisneyEven after two decades in Hollywood, Mindy Kaling still vividly recalls the period before her life-changing experience working on The Office in her 20s.“When I was on The Mindy Project in my 30s, it was such a blur to me,” Kaling said. “I don’t have a lot of specific memories from that time. The period of my life from when I graduated from college to when I got hired on The Office, I remember so vividly. It was a period of extremes of emotion. There was extreme disappointment and rejection, with being flushed with excitement about a crush.”Since her early days as a staff writer on The Office, where she also starred as Kelly Kapoor, Kaling has carved out a distinct space in television, often centering stories about children of immigrants. She’s explored the messy life of an OB/GYN on The Mindy Project, the growing pains of an Indian-American teenager on Never Have I Ever and the momentous nature of college on The Sex Lives of College Girls. Kaling’s formative memories of her 20s inspired her new Hulu series, Not Suitable For Work, set in New York’s Murray Hill neighborhood.Mindy Kaling on the set of "Not Suitable For Work."Gwen Capistran/DisneyMORE FOR YOUThe show follows five Gen Zers with intertwined personal lives and a hunger for professional success: AJ Pascarelli (Ella Hunt), a driven first-year banking analyst; Abby Chilukuri (Avantika), a confident assistant to a demanding celebrity stylist; Davis Beau Bradley Barrett III (Will Angus), AJ’s hopeless...