Mindy Kaling Talks “Cinematic” Mindy Project Finale; Season 4 Renewal Hopes

There’s plenty of baby daddy drama on The Mindy Project‘s third season finale (airing Tuesday, March 24 at 9:30/8:30c on Fox). When Morgan (Ike Barinholtz) thinks he hears Mindy (Mindy Kaling) questioning the father of her unborn child, he springs into action and assembles some of her former hook-up partners—including Lee (Max Greenfield), Casey (Anders Holm), Jamie (B.J. Novak), and Josh (Tommy Dewey)—to establish the identity of the real dad.

“We’ve done so many huge finales, but this one is the most cinematic,” Kaling says. “We have great surprises, some of our best guest stars come to visit, and then we have a wedding.”

While Kaling is mum about which couple will actually be tying the knot, she does note the finale is a big test for Mindy and Danny’s (Chris Messina) relationship after he is a no-show to dinner with her parents. “Danny is very cynical about love and romance while Mindy isn’t, even though she’s in her mid-30s and she’s pregnant,” Kaling says. “There’s no reason for her to want a fairy tale, but she still wants one, and the clash between those two ideologies is what the finale is about.”

The episode also features a guest appearance from Laura Dern (Enlightened) as Mindy’s new OBGYN. “It’s one of the funniest scenes I’ve seen in any comedy show this year,” Kaling raves. “I’ve wanted to work with her forever.”

As Season 3 comes to an end, the future of The Mindy Project remains unclear, but Kaling feels encouraged that the fan-favorite comedy will be renewed for another year. “This is just my unfounded, cheerful optimism, but I told the cast and crew that I just feel good about it,” Kaling says. “People said they were worried about the pregnancy and they were worried about Danny and Mindy being together, but I don’t think there’s been any kind of slump. [Fox Television Group CEOs] Dana [Walden] and Gary [Newman] are really smart and I know they love the show, so I hope they bring it back.”