Mindy Kaling’s Not Suitable for Work on Hulu follows five twenty-somethings in Manhattan, but critics say it lacks the bite of her earlier shows.
Mindy Kaling work comedy Not Suitable for Work premiered on Hulu June 2, 2026, and the reception is… mixed. The series, originally titled Murray Hill before getting a rebrand, follows five work-obsessed twenty-somethings navigating careers and relationships in Manhattan. It sounds like classic Kaling—sharp, specific, slightly chaotic—but critics are finding it bland compared to her earlier hits.
The premise has potential. Ella Hunt plays AJ, a first-year investment banking analyst at Fisher Stassen who lives with her best friend Abby (Avantika), an assistant to celebrity stylist Vanessa Hsu (Constance Wu). Across the hall are three guys: Davis (Will Angus), AJ’s co-worker with a crush; Josh (Jack Martin), an aspiring journalist and AJ’s former college hookup; and Kel (Nicholas Duvernay), a med school dropout pursuing acting. Jay Ellis plays Bill Gibson, the managing director who becomes AJ’s secret love interest. Mindy Kaling work comedy setup is basically “what if The Mindy Project characters were younger and poorer,” which should work.
But Variety’s review calls it “a bland take on a well-trodden setup,” noting that while Kaling’s previous shows—Never Have I Ever and The Sex Lives of College Girls—had specific perspectives and memorable voices, Not Suitable for Work sands down the edges. The finance world gets cutesy subplots like deal teams wearing matching girdles. The journalism storyline lacks substance. The dating dynamics feel familiar rather than fresh.
Mindy Kaling work comedy does have its defenders. The show holds an 82% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes, suggesting audiences are more forgiving than critics. The cast has chemistry, particularly Hunt and Ellis, and the Murray Hill setting provides a specific New York energy that Brooklyn-based shows often miss. Episodes like “The Philadelphia Thirst Monster” and “Does Jon Hamm Cry?” show flashes of the absurd humor that made Kaling famous.
The problem may be scale. Mindy Kaling work comedy tries to develop four separate professional environments—banking, journalism, acting, and fashion styling—across nine half-hour episodes. That’s too much ground to cover with any depth, and the result is a show that feels spread thin. When The Mindy Project focused on one workplace and one woman’s romantic disasters, it had room to breathe. Not Suitable for Work is juggling five protagonists and their respective crises, and not all of them stick the landing.
Still, Kaling has earned the benefit of the doubt. Mindy Kaling work comedy may find its footing in a second season, assuming Hulu gives it that chance. The talent is there. The premise is relatable. It just needs to decide whether it wants to be a biting satire of young professional life or a cozy hangout show about pretty people with problems. Right now, it’s trying to be both, and the tension is showing.
Stream Mindy Kaling work comedy Not Suitable for Work on Hulu now.
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