Following Ike Barinholtz’s recurring stint as cousin Benny in Season 2 of Netflix‘s Running Point, fellow writer/executive producer Mindy Kaling also will get in front of the camera of the basketball comedy.
Kaling has joined the Season 3 cast in a recurring role. She will play Divya, the outspoken, confident CEO of a popular gambling app. Much like Isla (Kate Hudson), she’s proudly the first female leader in her male- dominated field. Their similarities end there with Divya becoming a thorn in Isla’s plans all season.
The new season, which is currently in production in Los Angeles, also marks the TV directorial debut of star/executive producer Hudson who is directing the season premiere. She previously wrote and directed the 2007 short film, Cutlass, part of Glamour Magazine’s “Reel Moments” series, which was nominated for Best Narrative Short at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.
Running Point‘s cast includes series regulars Hudson, Drew Tarver, Scott MacArthur, Brenda Song, Fabrizio Guido, Chet Hanks, Toby Sandeman and Justin Theroux and recurring players Ray Romano, Uche Agada, Ken Marino and Jay Ellis.
During Running Point‘s Contenders Television panel in April, Deadline asked Kaling whether she would join the cast in Season 3.
“Nothing would make me happier,” Kaling said. “This is the happiest set I’ve ever been on, you can tell from the dynamic of the cast just when you watch them, like Scotty and Drew and Brenda, Fab. They love each other so much that you really do feel, especially when you’re a writer-performer working behind the scenes, you’re like, I want to get in on that. So I would love that.”
Running Point follows Isla Gordon (Kate Hudson), the new President of the Los Angeles Waves professional basketball franchise, and her siblings.
Kaling, David Stassen and Barinholtz are writers/executive producers, with Stassen serving as showrunner. Hudson, Howard Klein, Jeanie Buss and Linda Rambis also executive produce. The series is produced by Mindy Kaling’s Kaling International in association with Warner Bros. Television where Kaling and Stassen have overall deals.