Mindy Kaling‘s Not Suitable for Work got off to a surprising start with its three-part premiere, which ended with a virginity twist.
In Hulu’s newest show, AJ (Ella Hunt) moves to New York City to start a new job and reunite with her friend Abby (Avantika). Things get complicated when one of their neighbors — Josh (Jack Martin) — turns out to be AJ’s past hookup who ghosted her.
Even worse is the revelation that it was AJ’s first time when she slept with Josh. At the end of the third episode, which premiered on Tuesday, June 2, Josh revealed that he was also a virgin when he slept with AJ. Her lackluster response was what ultimately led to him fleeing when she was asleep.
Not Suitable for Work centers on five career-obsessed friends who try to risk the ranks at their jobs while finding happiness in their love lives — all while living in the same building in Manhattan. In addition to Hunt, Avantika and Martin, the show also stars Will Angus, Nicholas Duvernay and Jay Ellis.
Before the show’s premiere, Duvernay, 26, spoke to Us about getting the chance to work with Kaling, who created the series.
“Knowing [Mindy] has belief in us [when] you look at everything she’s done and everything she stands for, you can’t help but to feel confident that she sees something in you,” Duvernay, who plays Kel, shared in May.
The nine-episode comedy completes a trilogy of projects based on Kaling’s life, with Netflix’s Never Have I Ever taking inspiration from Kaling’s youth and HBO Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls pulling from her college years.
Not Suitable for Work also prides itself on its fun — and surprising — cameos. In the premiere, Gigi Hadid made a memorable appearance as a fictional model dating Ellis’ character.
“They did not tell me in advance that Gigi was coming in to play [Jay’s onscreen love interest],” Hunt, 28, shared with Us. “When Gigi came in, I saw her from a distance. I saw just this blonde woman with a beautiful coat on and I went up to her. She eventually sent me a coat — which was incredibly generous — but she crushed that scene where she throws a Birkin bag at me.”
While looking ahead at the rest of the season, Avantika, 21, teased how the show will keep pulling from real experiences — especially when it comes to the onscreen romance.
“It’s very being in your 20s in this generation to be like, ‘I have to explore every option in the room and I can’t get settled down with someone,’” she shared. “It is this fear of committing or this pretense that it has to be your end-all be-all.”
Not Suitable for Work airs Tuesdays on Hulu.
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