Cheers! Rhea Perlman Joins Cast of FOX's THE MINDY PROJECT

TVGuide.com repoorts that Rhea Perlman has signed on for the third season of the FOX comedy THE MINDY PROJECT.

The actress is best known for her role as Carla the waitress on the long-running NBC series Cheers, for which she received four Emmy Awards. She will have a recurring role as the mother of Danny, portrayed by Chris Messina.

Perlman recently reunited with her Cheers co-star Kirstie Alley in the new TV Land comedy 'Kirstie.'

The third season of The Mindy Project premieres Sept. 16 at 9:30/8:30c on Fox.

About THE MINDY PROJECT

THE MINDY PROJECT is a single-camera comedy created by and starring Emmy Award-nominated writer/producer and New York Times best-selling author Mindy Kaling ("The Office"). Returning for its second season, the series follows a skilled OB/GYN trying to balance both her personal and professional life.

Dr. MINDY LAHIRI (Kaling) is a talented obstetrician with a hectic personal life, who struggles to find the right guy, the right outfit and the right attitude. Mindy shares a practice with two doctors, neither of whom makes life any easier for her. Dr. DANNY CASTELLANO (Chris Messina) is a hothead and a guys' guy who criticizes her for everything, including her struggling love life and her lack of professionalism - even though it's obvious to everyone except Mindy that he secretly admires her work. In contrast, Dr. JEREMY REED (Ed Weeks) is the walking definition of bad news, and everything comes easy to this suave skinny jean-wearing Brit.

Rounding out the medical staff is male nurse MORGAN TOOKERS (Ike Barinholtz), a reformed ex-con with a heart of gold who, despite his best intentions, always seems to land himself in trouble; the hospital's resident cheerleader, BETSY PUTCH (Zoe Jarman), a young, earnest and easily excitable receptionist; the grumpy and absent-minded nurse BEVERLY (Beth Grant); and the newest addition to the nurse station, TAMRA (Xosha Roquemore), a girl who would rather dish gossip and dole out beauty tips than do anything resembling work.

Having traveled to Haiti at the end of Season One, Mindy returns from her volunteer mission hoping to save the practice from disarray, but finds that The Office has gotten along fine without her, thank you very much. Danny has brought in a new physician, Dr. PAUL LEOTARD (guest star James Franco, "This is the End," "127 Hours"), who has taken over Mindy's office. Meanwhile, Jeremy begins to play a bigger role in the practice and Morgan is spending his spare time saving dogs. In addition to Franco, guest stars for Season Two include Adam Pally, Anders Holm, Bill Hader, Kris Humphries and rock group The National, among others.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos