‘Not Suitable for Work’ Review: Mindy Kaling’s Charming Hulu Comedy Makes an Old Formula Feel New Again

'Not Suitable for Work' Disney/Cara Howe

Mindy Kaling’s latest ensemble comedy may borrow from the sitcom playbook of the past, but its lovable cast and effortless chemistry make it one of Hulu’s most enjoyable new binges.

Not Suitable for Work arrives carrying the weight of a familiar premise. Five twenty-somethings share an apartment building in Manhattan, spend their days trying to survive demanding jobs, and spend their nights making increasingly complicated decisions about love, friendship, and adulthood. On paper, it sounds like a premise television has revisited dozens of times before. In practice, Mindy Kaling’s latest Hulu comedy succeeds because it understands that the appeal of these stories has never been originality. It’s about finding characters audiences genuinely enjoy spending time with, then trusting that chemistry to carry the journey.

The show’s biggest challenge is also its most interesting quality. Although it’s positioned as a comedy about Gen Z, much of its worldview feels inherited from an earlier era of television. This is not the hyper-online New York of endless content creators, side hustles, algorithm anxiety, and economic doomscrolling. Instead, Not Suitable for Work exists in a version of the city that feels closer to the sitcom fantasies many viewers grew up watching. The apartments are improbably spacious, the friendships are constantly accessible, and people’s lives still revolve around actual conversations rather than text messages. Depending on your perspective, that either makes the show out of touch or strangely refreshing.

Personally, I found myself leaning toward the latter.

Television has become increasingly obsessed with documenting generational trauma, economic instability, and social dysfunction. Those stories have value, but there’s also something appealing about a series that isn’t constantly trying to explain why modern life is broken. Not Suitable for Work acknowledges that its characters face challenges, but it approaches those challenges with a fundamentally optimistic spirit. The result feels less like a sociological study and more like a comfort watch in the best possible sense.

'Not Suitable for Work' Disney/Hulu

The ensemble is what ultimately sells the premise. Ella Hunt anchors the series as AJ, bringing a mix of ambition, vulnerability, and self-awareness that makes her immediately compelling. Hunt has always had a natural ease on screen, but this role allows her to explore both the comedic and dramatic sides of the character without ever feeling forced. Around her, Avantika continues proving she’s one of the most effortlessly charismatic young performers working today. Her Abby could easily have been reduced to a collection of sitcom quirks, but Avantika gives her enough personality and warmth to feel fully realized.

Nicholas Duvernay emerges as another standout. Kel’s combination of confidence and uncertainty makes him one of the more relatable figures in the group, particularly as he navigates career ambitions that don’t always align with reality. Jack Martin and Will Angus round out the central ensemble effectively, each finding ways to make their characters feel distinct even when the scripts occasionally lean into familiar sitcom territory.