The fourth season of “The Mindy Project” on Hulu will find Mindy Kaling’s self-absorbed but dedicated Dr. Mindy Lahiri pregnant and wondering what would have happened if she’d never met Danny (Chris Messina), the father of her baby.

Debuting on September 15, the 26-episode season will open with an alternate-reality episode that explores a Danny-less universe. Mindy wakes up next to Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who will play a reality-TV producer, and Freida Pinto will play Mindy’s doppelganger. Kaling also promised a road-trip storyline with Danny and Ike Barinholtz’s
Morgan Tookers during this year’s TCA presentations.

And, or course, there’s the growing fetus inside Mindy. “We always thought it was funny that an OB/GYN would have an accidental pregnancy,” Kaling revealed at the TCAs. Following Danny’s flight to India in last season’s finale, we’ll finally meet Mindy’s parents. Danny’s Staten Island matron Annette, played by Rhea Perlman, will also re-appear on the show to argue for a more Catholic upbringing for the baby. And “The Mindy Project” looks like it’ll finally address the consistent complaint many fans have had since the first season. Kaling declared that giving Mindy a female friend will be a “priority,” adding, “I’m thinking it might be like a new mom who might be able to help Mindy with some advice.”

The producers insisted during an earlier discussion that “The Mindy Project” will remain a workplace comedy. However, the move to Hulu will mean a few changes: longer episodes and looser censors. Unlike Netflix and Amazon, new episodes will become available every week.

“‘Mindy’ was such a huge performer on Hulu before we even considered
picking up the original version,” explained Hulu’s Beatrice Springborn on why the site was eager to continue the series.

The fourth season of “The Mindy Project” will debut on the same day as Kaling’s second book, “Why not Me?” Read an excerpt, in which Kaling talks about her secret to “killer confidence,” here.

[via USA Today, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Glamour]