Talk about a turn-around!  Last year, I wrote this piece about THE MINDY PROJECT that wasn’t exactly a flowering review.  But I stand by my earlier assessment, and I happily watched the show that I wasn’t sure about become of my go-to favorite ensemble comedies across the course of a constantly changing first season.  As the writers began to figure out what did and didn’t work (good-bye Amanda Setton, and hello again Beth Grant), the actors found their footing and gelled together – culminating in a mid-season episode about Mindy’s birthday that had me admitting that it had actually become must-see.

Cut to: September 2013.  The second season of MINDY kicks off tonight at 9:30/8:30c on FOX, after the S3 premiere of NEW GIRL, and I have to say: the show is still on the upswing.  The dynamics between Mindy Kaling and her group of coworkers are all so different and there’s comedy gold in each conversation she has.  At the end of Season 1, Mindy and Casey were heading to Haiti to build hospitals, take care of the homeless and those in need of medical attention, saying good-bye to NYC for a year.  While I won’t give away what brings them back to town, it goes without saying that the shouldn’t be about Mindy and her BF in the tents of Haiti forever, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that they return.  How the story plays out over the course of this and the second episode is what surprised me. The comedic chemistry between Anders Holm and Mindy Kaling is perfection and I could literally watch the two of them do what they do for hours.  And that’s not even mentioning how much of an asset the over-exposed James Franco (in his first of two episodes) is in the premiere.  Funny, a little whimsical, and a perfect foil for Mindy, I found myself hoping that they find a way to get him to stay full time.  I haven’t even touched on the great stuff that Ike Barinholtz and new series regular Xosha Roquemore (a great addition to the cast; loved her towards the end of S1) have to say and do, plus the ongoing saga of Christina and Danny is fun to watch as Chloe Sevigny and Chris Messina work it out back and forth.  Added bonus?  The premiere is available on HULU and video on-demand programs right now.

If you missed any of THE MINDY PROJECT Season 1, you can still jump right into Season 2, and I think you’ll be really happy you did!!

While you’re here, check out some gallery shots and some semi-spoilery images from tonight’s premiere!