Mindy Kaling's latest sitcom, Not Suitable for Work, aims to capture the magic of Friends but falls short, according to critics. The show follows five twentysomethings navigating life and love in Manhattan apartments, but its 46-minute pilot drags and the dialogue lacks the snap of its predecessor.
The series centres on AJ (Ella Hunt), a first-year analyst at a merchant bank, who moves in with her college pal Abby (Avantika) after a breakup. The group includes Kel (Nicholas Duvernay), a medical student with acting dreams; Davis (Will Angus), a romantic; Josh (Jack Martin), a privileged aspiring journalist; and Elena (Emilia Suarez), an intern. The pilot laboriously sets up romantic entanglements and workplace conflicts, but the jokes often miss the mark.
Critics note that the show's uninventive plotlines, such as Kel quitting med school after fainting in dissection class, fail to engage. A running joke about Josh's cardigan is described as emblematic of the actors working harder than the material deserves. However, supporting performances from Michael Benjamin Washington as landlord Antoine and Greg Germann as Josh's father provide some relief.
The series, which streams on Amazon Prime Video, has been criticised for its lack of originality and pacing issues. While Kaling has a track record of successful comedies like Never Have I Ever, this attempt to recreate the Friends formula has been deemed a failure by reviewers.
