In Mindy Kaling’s television world, the players are meant to be relatable: Attractive, but not distractingly so; successful, but with a healthy dose of career dysfunction; polished, but also comfortingly chaotic.
Kaling’s latest show, “Not Suitable for Work,” (NSWF – get it?) explores the lives of five 20-somethings as they navigate careers and relationships in New York City’s tony Murray Hill neighborhood. OK, maybe landing a chic flat, post-college, in one of the Big Apple’s most glamorous locales isn’t actually that relatable but this being TV, who really wants to see their protagonists battle rats in a microscopic, fifth-floor walkup?
No, in the Mindyverse we want the sparkling rom-com version of life, and “NSWF” surely delivers.
The series, which Kaling created and executive produced with showrunner Charlie Grandy (Kaling’s collaborator on “The Sex Lives of College Girls” and “The Mindy Project”), is a lightweight, frothy romp through a glossy, fictional Manhattan.
At its best it’s an entertaining world of whimsy; at its worst, it’s silly, shallow and overly tidy.
The series centers on the lives of two sets of roommates living in the same building. In one apartment there’s AJ Pascarelli (Ella Hunt) and Abhinaya “Abby” Chilukuri (Avantika), longtime friends who are now trying to figure out how to stand out in their respective professions. AJ, who is laser-focused to the point of social isolation, has landed a job at a fancy finance firm. Abby is an assistant to the celebrity stylist, Vanessa Wu, (an effectively snotty Constance Wu) — a job that entails thankless tasks and constant beratement.
Across the hall, three guys are navigating their own, similar paths. The trio features Davis Barrett (Will Angus), a finance bro who works at the same firm as AJ and who is looking to “wife up”. His roommates are Kel Washington (Nicholas Duvernay, fresh off his stay at “The White Lotus”), an earnest med student who’d rather be an actor; and Josh Teitelbaum (Jack Martin), the status-conscious son of a media titan who isn’t afraid to use his pedigreed name to open doors into his first major journalism job.
Jay Ellis (“Running Point,” “Insecure”) also stars as Bill Gibson, AJ and Davis’s thorny billionaire boss.
Complications arise from the outset. There are betrayals and lies, broken hearts and shared secrets, reversals of fortunes and sudden career shifts (including one that leads to a substitute teaching gig at a “Gossip Girl-”influenced private prep school led by “Saturday Night Live” alumna, Ego Nwodim.
Elsewhere, AJ accidentally and loudly insults her new boss over a coffee cart incident, and Abby is tempted to cross some blurred professional lines after she’s asked to iron the socks of Vanessa’s latest client, Austin Blanchett (Harry Richardson), an up-and-coming actor and nephew to Cate Blanchett.
Then there’s poor Davis, who just muddles through it all, wondering why he’s perpetually unlucky in love.
Throughout, sparks fly between just about everyone. If it all sounds messy, that’s because it is. Messy relationships, messy jobs, messy, interfering parents. So much mess.
But, of course, because this is a Mindy Kaling creation, it’s such a pretty and relatable mess. These are the kind of real-life problems that beset every young generation, they just happen to be adorned with sweeping views of Manhattan skylines, glittering parties and stylish wardrobes.
Although “Not Suitable for Work” explores themes of class, misguided ambitions, toxic masculinity and enduring loyalties, at its heart it’s a slick amalgamation of standard romantic comedy and coming of age tropes. The overlapping storylines are loosely threaded along endless quips, studded with pop culture references and all too reliant on the audience’s willingness to ignore gaping plot holes and loudly telegraphed twists. This is an Instagram-ready realm with fizzy solutions to its flatly rendered problems.
“Not Suitable for Work” is the type of show that relies heavily on its actors’ charms to overcome well-worn tropes (A shellfish allergy? In this economy?) but luckily such charms are in abundance.
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All of the primary players make good work of their stories, which in turn makes it easier to become invested in their narrative arcs, however flimsy and superficial the execution.
In particular, Martin’s portrayal of Josh under the influence of his father, David Teitelbaum (a very fun and smarmy Gregg Germann), shines with a surprisingly empathetic portrayal of a young man shrugging off at least some of the shackles of his entitled upbringing.
Throughout there are also solid supporting roles and cameos. Judy Gold (“Better Things”) as Josh’s beleaguered work elder and Victor Garber (“Argo, “Legally Blonde”) as the network’s aging anchor, Wes Dryden, add much-needed weight to the cast. It’s fun to see “Severance’s” Sydney Cole Alexander without her Lumen headset as Kel’s competitive older sister, and “30 Rock” all-star Jack Brayer’s much-too-brief appearance as himself is as adorable as they come.
“Not Suitable for Work” may stretch thin across nine episodes but its nimble pace, quick-enough wits and aspirational aesthetic add just enough sparkle to what could have otherwise been a dull ride through early adulthood.
“Not Suitable for Work” premieres Tuesday, June 2, on Hulu.