Mindy Kaling’s New Netflix Series Will Be Based On Her Own Childhood
It’s a great year for actor and writer Mindy Kaling, with the upcoming release of the first feature film that she’s written, Late Night, as The Inquisitr previously reported, and now a new series in development. Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Kaling will be creating her own series for Netflix, which will be loosely inspired by her own childhood experiences.
Kaling’s breakout role was that of Kelly Kapoor in NBC’s hit series The Office, which she also ended up producing, writing, and directing episodes of. Kaling then went on to develop her own starring series with The Mindy Project which ran successfully for six seasons. She’s even made big screen film appearances in Ocean’s 8 and A Wrinkle In Time. The actress will now be starring in and writing her latest Hollywood project, Late Night, a comedy about writing for a late night TV show, undoubtedly inspired by her own time interning for Conan O’Brien, as featured in a Variety video.
The Netflix series will be another feather in Kaling’s cap, as it’s said to be based on her own childhood. Given Kaling’s background as a first generation American-Indian, born and raised in America to Indian parents, the series should have a unique voice.
Netflix is already home to many Indian produced series about the family life or the Indian experience in America, such as Brown Nation and Yeh Meri Family. Kaling’s show should bring an even more unique perspective to the conversation, and coupled with her experience and talent for comedy, it could also frame the experience in a new and engaging way. Kaling has never shied away from her roots or toned it down, as many episodes of her show, The Mindy Project, depicted storylines about the struggles of being South Asian. Her new series, as yet untitled, can look to delve deeper into those experiences, this time, from a young teenage girl’s perspective. Kaling has spoken many times about what it means to her to be South Asian and the representation that is featured in today’s films and television, as featured in a Variety interview.
“There used to be a sense of obligation — of being shamed into having a token person of color to prove that you weren’t racist. Now people are realizing it’s actually valuable to have different perspectives. It’s actually a better way to make money and to reach more people.”
This wouldn’t be the first time that a comedian has decided to do a TV show about their own childhood. Famously, Chris Rock’s own show, Everybody Hates Chris, was very much about his experiences growing up, framed in his own unique perspective.
No premiere date has been set for Kaling’s new Netflix series.
