As fans of "The Mindy Project" might have noticed, this week's episode rendered Stephen Tobolowsky's character, Dr. Shulman, somewhat obsolete -- effectively removing him from the show by way of a retirement note. According to HitFix, Tobolowsky is officially exiting the show, and the actor shared his side of the story with the site via email.
"I wasn't in the Thanksgiving show. That was a bad sign. I was told that they wanted Dr. Shulman to be more of an authoritarian. Then I was told that they didn't really want Mindy to have a boss in the office. Then Mindy told me I was being written out of the show," Tobolowsky told Hitfix. "I don't think anything untoward happened. I suspect I was a casualty of a show meeting many different demands from different sources. The people involved were very talented. I hope they succeed."
"Mindy" executive producer Matt Warburton confirmed the exit to Hitfix, explaining, "We really love Stephen and Dr. Shulman was one of the writers' very favorite characters to write for. We ended up realizing that Mindy would have more interesting challenges at the workplace if she didn't have an avuncular figure to go to for mediation. She has to take on problems with Danny and Jeremy on her own."
Amanda Setton was also recently written off the show, while Anna Camp was downgraded from regular to recurring status.
In other casting news ...
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" is hosting a "Goonies" reunion. Corey Feldman recently reunited with Sean Astin for a secretive but recurring guest role on the Nickelodeon series. [TV Guide]
Brooklyn Decker will visit "New Girl." The supermodel/actress will play Holly, a woman who is specifically attracted to brokenhearted men, in Episode 15. [The Hollywood Reporter]
Mark Pinter will recur on "The Young and the Restless." He'll play Marcus Wheeler, "a powerful and sophisticated congressman involved with Victor [Eric Braeden] and Jack [Peter Bergman], who will go to any lengths to protect his image and career." [TV Guide]
