FOX Unveils Newest Shows: Mindy Kaling, Oscar-Winner Nat Faxon and the 'HIMYM' Producers

Like NBC yesterday, FOX announced its fall schedule and unveiled a bunch of trailers for its new shows on Monday. Three shows stood out to me: The Mindy Project, starring The Office's Mindy Kaling; Ben & Kate, starring Oscar-winner Nat Foxon (and now being showrun by Community's Garrett Donovan and Neil Goldman); and The Goodwin Games, created by How I Met Your Mother's Carter Bays and Craig Thomas and starring Becki Newton, HIMYM's Quinn).

The Mindy Project will air on Mondays, while Ben & Kate and The Goodwin Games will be midseason replacements.

The Mindy Project


Mindy Kaling will be The Office's biggest departure next season, leaving the show thanks to FOX picking up her pilot. Kaling is one of the funniest personalities and writers working right now. Her book was hilarious. It'll be a shame to see Kelly Kapoor leave The Office, but Kaling deserves a shot at her own show.

Ben & Kate


With Jim Rash as Dean Pelton on Community and now Nat Faxon on Ben & Kate, two of the three writers from the Oscar-winning The Descendants now have sitcoms. I was shocked when I discovered that Faxon and Rash were the guys who wrote the screenplay for The Descendants, especially after seeing the two in bit parts on TV and in movies for years. Ben & Kate looks funny and it already gives off some of the Community vibe.

The Goodwin Games


After Monday's fantastic How I Met Your Mother season finale, it's clear that Carter Bays and Craig Thomas know what they're doing, so I can't wait to see what they do with another series. The premise of The Goodwin Games sounds entertaining. I also get a kick out of see Beau Bridges in a role like this. (He's not Jeff Bridges, but he's close.) This past season of HIMYM has familiarized me with Becki Newton (sorry, never watched Ugly Betty), and I'll watch The Goodwin Games to keep seeing her.