'Office's Mindy Kaling Moves To Fox With Comedy Pilot, Network Also Picks Up Josh Berman Drama, Port/Guarascio Comedy

Mindy Kaling is moving to another office. Fox has given the green light to two medical pilots, a comedy from Office co-executive producer/co-star Kaling and a drama from the Drop Dead Diva duo of creator Josh Berman and producer Rob Wright. Additionally, the network has picked up to pilot the half-hour El Jefe from comedy veterans Moses Port and David Guarascio (Aliens In America).

Kaling wrote the single-camera comedy, in which she stars as a young Bridget Jones-type Ob/Gyn doctor balancing personal and professional life, surrounded by quirky co-workers in a small office. The project, which she executive produces with Howard Klein, has a personal element — Kaling herself is the daughter of an ob/gyn mother and an architect father. If the project goes to series, Kaling won’t be able to return to The Office next season. Like most core cast members, her contract is up at the end of this season. Universal TV is producing the pilot, originally developed for NBC. When the peacock network passed on the script, the studio took it to Fox, which immediately jumped on it. This marks the second outside pilot order for Universal TV this season, following CBS’ pickup over the weekend of a Spike Feresten/Louis CK comedy. This is also the studio’s consecutive medical pilot at Fox. Last year, Universal TV’s predecessor UMS was behind drama Weekends At Bellevue.

Michael Dinner has come on board to direct the Josh Berman/Rob Wright medical drama pilot, about a female doctor working for the mob in Chicago. Sony Pictures TV is producing, with Berman, Wright and Dinner exec producing. This was one of 4 hourlong projects vying for Fox’s last drama pilot slot. Word is that the network could still give spec Hieroglyph an off-cycle order.

Port & Guarascio’s El Jefe (aka The Boss), also from Sony TV, is about an upper-middle class 30-year-old guy who finally gets booted out of his dad and step-mom’s house and moves in with his cleaning woman’s family since he had nowhere else to go.