Mindy Kaling discusses her new show 'The Mindy Project'
| LOS ANGELES
The launch of new shows for the 2012-13 fall TV season continues with three new programs.
FOX adds 鈥淏en and Kate鈥� and 鈥淭he Mindy Project,鈥� which will run along with 鈥淣ew Girl,鈥� and 鈥�Raising Hope,鈥� which will begin its third season Oct. 2. The four create a full night of laughs-and-giggles programming.
And CBS looks at the early days of Las Vegas with the new crime drama 鈥淰egas.鈥�
Here鈥檚 a look at each show:
鈥淭HE MINDY PROJECT鈥�
The show is called 鈥淭he Mindy Project鈥� for a reason. Mindy聽Kaling not only stars in the medical comedy, she鈥檚 the series creator and executive producer.
After a long run with 鈥淭he Office,鈥� she wanted to do a series where she could show her feelings.
鈥淚鈥檓 someone who loves romance. I always have loved it. Most people who grew up as nerds, as I was surprisingly, have loved romance. On 鈥楾he Office,鈥� so much of the show is kind of disguising your true feelings and your romantic feelings because it was a documentary, a mock documentary, and so I think in a lot of ways, it鈥檚 like a reaction to that, because I just wanted to explore love and romance, but with people who are, like, legitimately busy and have busy lives,鈥� Kaling says.
She made the character a doctor because her mother鈥檚 an OB/GYN and Kaling did a lot of research accidentally throughout her life.
鈥淏EN AND KATE鈥�
The new comedy stars Nat Faxon and Dakota Johnson as mismatched siblings.
The responsible single mom Johnson plays in the series will be miles away from her real life as the daughter of celebrities (her parents are Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson). That won鈥檛 be a problem because she never thought of her parents as stars.
鈥淕rowing up that way, it just it was my life. It was the way that it was. I didn鈥檛 know any different. And, of course, as a child, I was into all different sorts of activities and I thought about being lots of different things. But the one thing that stuck with me and made sense to me is telling stories and acting and working in this business,鈥� Johnson says.
This is an offbeat comedy that puts Johnson in a lot of weird situations. Series creator Dana Fox hired the young actress because she was willing to look stupid, silly or ugly.
鈥淏ecause I often do in real life anyways,鈥� she says. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 fine to do that on camera.鈥�
鈥淰贰骋础厂鈥�
The new CBS drama marks Dennis Quaid鈥檚 first starring role in a TV series.
He gets to play a Nevada rancher who lives on the outskirts of the new booming community of Las Vegas in the 鈥�60s who gets pressed into being the local law. It鈥檚 based on a true story.
The film actor decided to join the weekly grind of TV because he saw a lot of exciting things happening on the small screen.
鈥淎 lot of the best writers have come to television. I think they feel like they have more control and the story lines which get continued,鈥� Quaid says. 鈥淚t just seemed really authentic and a chance to really play a character and let him unfold over a long period of time.鈥�
And, it鈥檚 a chance for him to work with Michael Chiklis, who plays a ruthless Chicago gangster. Chiklis proved with 鈥淭he Shield鈥� he can play bad.
鈥淗e鈥檚 on the darker spectrum, like in the Vic Mackey mode, but I just I try not to make comparisons like that,鈥� Chiklis says. 鈥淭his is a different guy and a different set of circumstances and a different time period.鈥�
