Never Have I Ever (TV series)
Never Have I Ever is an American comedy-drama television series starring Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher. Though it takes place in the San Fernando Valley, the show has been reported to be loosely based on Kaling's childhood experiences in the Boston area, while Kaling herself has said it is based "in the spirit of my childhood". It premiered on Netflix on April 27, 2020, and is about an Indian-American high school student dealing with the sudden death of her father and the bumpy journey through her last three years of high school. The series has received critical acclaim.
The series has been described as a watershed moment for South Asian representation in Hollywood and has been praised for breaking Asian stereotypes. On July 1, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on July 15, 2021. Netflix renewed the series for a third season on August 19, 2021, which was released on August 12, 2022, and consists of 10 episodes, and a fourth and final season which was released on June 8, 2023.
Plot
The story centers around Devi Vishwakumar, a 15-year-old Indian-American Tamil girl from Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles. After her father, Mohan, dies suddenly, Devi enters paralysis due to psychological trauma, making her unable to walk for three months. One day, in an attempt to see her crush Paxton Hall-Yoshida, she miraculously recovers and stands on her legs. After having a socially horrible first year, she wishes to change her social status, but friends, family, and feelings do not make it easy for her. Meanwhile, Devi's friend Eleanor deals with learning her absentee mother has been back in town for months with no contact, while Devi's other friend Fabiola struggles to come out as lesbian. Devi's live-in cousin Kamala tries to hide her college boyfriend from her family, as her family expects her to wed Prashant, a man she's met once, in an arranged marriage.The following year, Devi tries to deal with her grief, her identity, and school life. At the same time, her relationship with her mother, Nalini, becomes strained. When Devi finds out she has to move to India, she and her mom get into a huge argument before they spread her dad’s ashes. While spreading Mohan’s ashes, Devi says sorry to her mom. Devi also has to deal with her feelings for Paxton and Ben, after she cheats on both of them with each other. She also finds out she isn’t moving to India any more, so she has to make up with Ben and Paxton. Adding to the mix is a new entrant in school, Aneesa Qureshi. Devi starts to feel jealous about her popularity/dating her ex, Ben, and starts a rumor about her anorexia, but they make peace and become close friends. Devi also finds her mother romantically involved with Dr. Jackson and is upset that she moved on so quickly from the death of her father, so Nalini ends things with Dr. Jackson for Devi. Paxton gets over Devi's betrayal and the two become romantically interested again after Devi tutors Paxton. Meanwhile, Kamala experiences sexism in her biology research lab. She grows close to Prashant before running away from their dinner because she was scared for marriage. Kamala does try to apologize to Prashant, but they both realize their relationship is not going to work out.
Paxton doesn't refer to Devi as his girlfriend, and publicly refuses her when she asks him to the dance, which makes Devi think that he is using her. They later talk, and Paxton says that they cannot date publicly because Devi cheated on him. Devi agrees to privately date him, but she later changes her mind and breaks up with him because that is what her dad would have wanted her to do. Paxton realizes his mistake and goes to the dance with Devi, apologizing to her. The two begin to date publicly, but Devi starts to feel insecure due to others gossiping about them. When Paxton has a friendly reconciliation with a girl he wronged in the past, Devi's insecurity turns to jealousy, causing Paxton to break up with her.
In the beginning of junior year, Devi finds out that Paxton has a new girlfriend, and Paxton thinks that Devi is really sad about him moving on so quickly. Devi later goes to a birthday party and her mom tells her to take her friend's son, Des, there because he has no friends. Devi is expecting Des will be a complete dork at the party, but is actually surprised as they get along and start dating without their mothers knowing. Paxton realizes that Devi has moved on and they are both in good relationships. Soon, Des’s mom, Ryah, finds out about Devi and Des dating and Nalini approves of them being together. Fabiola and Aneesa also start dating after Fabiola stood up for Aneesa and proved that she deserved someone better than Ben. Devi is really excited for her new relationship with Des, but Des’s mom tells Des to break up with Devi because she “has too many problems”. Devi finds out about this and Nalini stands up to Ryah and tells her that Devi does not have problems. Nalini helps Devi with her breakup. Paxton decides to breakup with Phoebe and Fabiola and Aneesa break up when they realize things are too awkward for them.
In the summer before senior year, Devi loses her virginity to Ben, but it ends awkwardly and Ben ghosts her soon after. Devi grows frustrated, which is amplified when her senior year begins, and she finds out Ben has a new girlfriend named Margot. The two girls get in an argument, which results in Devi yelling profanity that results in a principal's office visit for her and Margot. Margot gives her a series of back-handed apologies, but with the help of Devi's therapist, Devi tries to make up with Margot. This attempt fails and Margot only ends up more enraged with Devi, though they eventually make peace as Margot's father dates Nalini. Devi begins a sexual relationship with "bad boy" Ethan Morales, only to have to break up with him after he steals from a visiting Princeton rep. Devi's dream of getting into Princeton is complicated when Fabiola's mother forces her to apply for Princeton and she gets in ahead of Devi. Encouraged by her counselor and Ben, Devi works hard to get off the waitlist and finally gets accepted at Princeton. Given the proximity between her and Ben, the two decide to date during university life after confessing their feelings to each other the previous night. Pati, Devi's paternal grandma, marries her boyfriend Len, whom she dated for a brief time after overcoming her orthodox and conservative thoughts about aged widows being interested in love after their husbands' deaths which Nalini, Kamala and Devi are extremely enthusiastic about. Kamala is shown to be a little skeptical about Len but is proven wrong later. Paxton starts dating Ms. Lindsay Thompson, a fellow replacement faculty member at Sherman Oaks High. Fabiola is shown to be enjoying robotics at Howard University, as she previously decided that despite her acceptance at Princeton it was not right for her, and Eleanor is trying to make her way into the directing industry while happily dating Trent. Nalini has moved on by dating Margot's father, Mr. Ramos, after the two are set up by Devi and Ben's ex Margot. Kamala moves to Baltimore after her promotion under Dr. Logan and is shown to be with Manish there. On this note, the show comes to an end with every character being at their rightful happy place.
The majority of Never Have I Ever is narrated by professional tennis player John McEnroe particularly in scenes and episodes revolving around the main character Devi with the latter often showing flashes of McEnroe's legendary temper and references to past tennis matches. Two of the episodes are narrated by Andy Samberg for Ben, and another two by Gigi Hadid for Paxton. The narrators, often breaking the fourth wall, give insight into the thoughts of each character and his/her personal struggles.
Cast and characters
Main
- Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Devi Vishwakumar, initially a 15-year-old high school sophomore who wants to improve her life and harbors feelings for both Paxton Hall-Yoshida and Ben Gross. She is based on the show's creator, Mindy Kaling. She is known for her emotional and erratic behavior at times and sees a therapist to help deal with the loss of her father, who died prior to the events of the series. She is a star student and has dreamed of going to Princeton University since an early age.
- Poorna Jagannathan as Dr. Nalini Vishwakumar, a successful dermatologist who owns her own practice and mother of Devi, with whom she has a mixed relationship: she cares strongly for her daughter but believes in tough love and strict parenting, causing friction between the two at times. Over time, their relationship evolves and becomes a beautiful one at the end.
- Richa Moorjani as Kamala Nandiwadal, Devi's cousin who is staying with Devi's family while completing her PhD at Caltech. Although she is better behaved and more devoted to her culture than Devi, she struggles with expectations put on her to marry and develop her career.
- Jaren Lewison as Benjamin "Ben" Gross, also a high school sophomore. Initially Devi's nemesis at school as the two frequently compete for academic accolades, he becomes a good friend for whom she has complicated feelings. The two become more supportive of each other and eventually date.
- Darren Barnet as Paxton Hall-Yoshida, a popular, athletic 16-year-old high school junior and Devi's crush, later love interest. He used to be the captain of the high school swim team, but was forced to give up swimming after suffering a car accident. After graduating, he attends Arizona State University, but later becomes an assistant swim coach at the high school upon deciding university is not for him. However, he realizes the needs of life and moves back to ASU at the end of Season 4.
- Ramona Young as Eleanor Wong, one of Devi's best friends who has a passion for acting and struggles with the fact her mother is absent after abandoning her for acting when Eleanor was 7.
- Lee Rodriguez as Fabiola Torres, one of Devi's best friends who is on the robotics team and struggles with her sexuality, later coming out as lesbian.
- John McEnroe as himself, the narrator of the series and Mohan's idol. In the season 1 finale, he makes a brief on-screen cameo.
Recurring
- Sendhil Ramamurthy as Mohan Vishwakumar, Devi's deceased father, who appears in flashbacks and visions
- Niecy Nash as Dr. Jamie Ryan, Devi's therapist
- Eddie Liu as Steve, Kamala's secret boyfriend.
- Christina Kartchner as Eve Hjelm, Fabiola's love interest who later moves away
- Alexandra Billings as Jennifer Warner, the school's college counselor
- Benjamin Norris as Trent Harrison, core member of the Hot Pocket, Paxton's best friend, and later Eleanor's boyfriend
- Dino Petrera as Jonah Sharpe, a boy who comes out as gay and helps Fabiola with her sexuality
- Tembi Locke as Elise Torres, Fabiola's mother
- Jae Suh Park as Joyce Wong, Eleanor's absent mother who is a bumbling actress prioritizing her non-existent career over her daughter
- Adam Shapiro as Mr. Lyle Shapiro, a history teacher who tries to relate with his students and be the 'cool' teacher
- Cocoa Brown as Principal Grubbs who is often tired with Devi and Ben's rivalry
- Martin Martinez as Oliver Martinez, Eleanor's boyfriend and later ex-boyfriend
- Jack Seavor McDonald as Eric Perkins, an unpopular student and member of the robotics team who later trains for the swim team with Paxton in season 4
- Lily D. Moore as Rebecca Hall-Yoshida, Paxton's sister who is interested in fashion design, Paxton is very protective of her as she has down-syndrome and is targeted by bullies. She and Devi develop a friendship
- Hanna Stein as Shira Liedman, a popular, shallow student and Ben's girlfriend in season 1 using him for his money
- Angela Kinsey as Vivian Gross, Ben's mother who is barely around, prioritizing retreats and herself over her son
- Michael Badalucco as Howard Gross, Ben's father who is a big-time entertainment lawyer who like his mother is also an absent parent
- Donna Pieroni as Patty, Ben's housekeeper who is more of a parent to Ben than his own
- Dana G. Vaughns as Marcus Jones, Paxton's friend
- Aitana Rinab as Zoe Maytag, Shira's friend
- Megan Suri as Aneesa Qureshi, a new Indian student at Sherman Oaks and Devi's new acquaintance and Ben's girlfriend for a brief period. While Devi and her family are Hindu, Aneesa is a Muslim
- Rushi Kota as Prashant, an engineer Kamala is set up with by their families. Prashant and Kamala like each other and date briefly until Kamala realises she is not ready to settle down just yet
- Tyler Alvarez as Malcolm Stone, a former Disney actor and an elementary school friend who transfers to Sherman Oaks briefly dating Eleanor
- Utkarsh Ambudkar as Mr. Manish Kulkarni, an English teacher who is friends with Devi and also coaches the girls' soccer team, later dating Kamala and moving with her when she gets a job offer in season 4.
- P. J. Byrne as Evan Safstrom, a head research assistant at Caltech
- John Mawson as Dr. Elgin Peters, a Nobel prize-winning scientist at Caltech
- Common as Dr. Chris Jackson, a dermatologist who works with Nalini and develops an interest in Nalini
- Tohoru Masamune as Kevin Hall-Yoshida, Paxton's father
- Kelly Sullivan as June Hall-Yoshida, Paxton's mother
- Ranjita Chakravarty as Nirmala Vishwakumar, Mohan's mother, Nalini's mother-in-law and Devi's paternal grandmother who moves in with them in season 2
- Clyde Kusatsu as Ted Yoshida, Paxton's paternal grandfather
- Helen Hong as Sharon Wong, Eleanor's stepmother
- Sarayu Blue as Rhyah, Nalini's new Indian friend and mother to Des
- Victoria Moroles as Margot Ramos, an artistic student at Sherman Oaks High School who dates Ben and has a rivalry with Devi
- Anirudh Pisharody as Nirdesh "Des", an Indian student who goes to an elite private school; Rhyah's son and briefly Devi's boyfriend
- Michael Cimino as Ethan Morales, a rebellious high-school senior whom Devi briefly dates
- Jeff Garlin as Len, a man who begins a relationship with Nirmala and later marries her in the season 4 finale
- Ivan Hernandez as Andres Ramos, Margot's single father who works as a contractor in Nalini's home and becomes her love interest
- Genneya Walton as Lindsay Thompson, a new AP Literature substitute teacher at Sherman Oaks High School who later dates Paxton
Guest
- Aarti Mann as Jaya Kuyavar
- Markus Jorgensen as Boris Koslov, a Russian exchange student
- Gilberto Ortiz as Alex Gomez, a young man interested in Fabiola
- Chelly as Parvesh, a Vishwakumar family friend
- Peter James Smith as Mr. Chan, the orchestra teacher
- Kikéy Castillo as Christina Harrison, Trent's mother
- Atticus Shaffer as a young man who participates in model UN as Russia
- Iqbal Theba as Aravind, Mohan's brother and Devi's Paternal Uncle who visits to be the male chaperone when Kamala meets Prashant
- Mark Collier as Andy, the Vishwakumars' neighbor
- Adriyah Marie Young as Carley, Shira's friend
- Andy Samberg as himself, the narrator for Ben Gross' thoughts in two episodes
- Pragathi Guruprasad as Preethi's sister
- Anjul Nigam as Raj, a pandit at the Ganesh Puja celebration
- Gigi Hadid as herself, the narrator for Paxton Hall-Yoshida's thoughts in two episodes
- Pooja Kumar as Noor, Aneesa's mother
- Andrew Tinpo Lee as Paul Wong, Eleanor's father
- Sunit Gupta as Karthik, Nalini's father, and Devi's maternal grandfather
- K.T. Thangavelu as Charu, Nalini's mother, and Devi's maternal grandmother
- Alex Felix as Haley Garcia, a girl who was wronged by Paxton and trolled Devi via direct messages
- Alli Albrecht as Phoebe Hayward, the captain of the gymnastics team, whom Paxton briefly dates
- Deacon Philippe as Parker, one of Des' close friends
- Terry Hu as Addison, a non-binary friend of Des and Fabiola's current partner
- Dwight Howard as himself
- Janina Gavankar as Akshara, a representative for Princeton University
- Pete Gardner as Coach Noble, the swimming team coach; he was also mentioned to be the gym teacher in season 2
- Claudia O'Doherty as Baby, Len's Australian real-estate agent
- Jade Bender as Blair Quan, a former alumna of Sherman Oaks who was idolized by Devi and is supposed to give Devi a personal tour of Princeton.
- Ken Marino as Stoo, the limo driver
Production
Development
On March 20, 2019, it was reported that Netflix had given a 10-episode series order to the then-untitled "semi-autobiographical comedy".In an interview with The New York Times, Kaling said that Netflix was open to have a show "set in the '80s or the '90s, but I'd seen that done so well with shows like Fresh Off the Boat and Everybody Hates Chris. I really wanted to speak to kids now". The show's name, Never Have I Ever, was created by co-creator Lang Fisher, and Kaling said it was chosen because " ego is so caught up in the things she hasn't done yet, hasn't been exposed to yet. And that felt really kind of natural to her personality". Speaking to The Hindu, Kaling said the show was "definitely not based on my childhood but it is in the spirit of my childhood", adding "I was a shy nerd, but did not have the confidence Devi has".
Casting
In July 2019, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan was reported to be cast as Devi after Mindy Kaling put out an open casting call and received over 15,000 responses. John McEnroe was offered the role of narrating the series after Kaling had approached him during an Oscar party hosted by Vanity Fair.All the actors met at the first table read and no "chemistry reads" were done between characters.
Filming
of season 1 began on July 14, 2019, with production wrapping up on October 31, 2019. Season 2 commenced on November 10, 2020, at the Universal Studios in Los Angeles and wrapped at the end of March 2021. Season 3 began filming on November 29, 2021, and wrapped on March 1, 2022. The fourth and final season wrapped filming in early August 2022.Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 97% based on 61 reviews, with an average rating of 8.0/10; the second season holds a 94% based on 36 reviews and an average rating of 8.30/10; the third season has a rating of 92% and an average rating of 8.30/10 based on 25 reviews; the fourth season holds a 96% based on 23 reviews. The website's critical consensus for the first season reads, "Never Have I Ever fresh take on the coming-of-age comedy is hilariously honest, sweetly smart, and likely to have viewers falling head over heels for charming newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan". The website's critical consensus for the second season reads, "Though Never Have I EverRohan Naahar from The Hindustan Times described the show as "something like Fresh Off the Boat, but it does a much better job at balancing the comedy and the drama", along with praising how Devi, Nalini, and Kamala were "written with depth". Naahar also praised how Devi's "repulsive makes her a real person". Petrana Radulovic from Polygon stated that it was "easy to invest in characters because they feel like real teenagers with real specificities", also praising the series for "highlighting little details in the Indian-American, first-generation immigrant, and Gen-Z high-school experiences", along with praising the "specific humor, which then fold into the plot and turn from just funny bits into meaningful commentary". In contrast to most other critics, Pallabi Dey Purkayastha from The Times of India described the show as going "overboard with stereotyping", mentioning "clichés circling the Indian diaspora that would have held some relevance if this were the 80s or 90s", although still rating the series 3.5 out of 5 stars and describing John McEnroe's narration as "hilarious".
Reviewing the second season, Nahaar from The Hindustan Times described the show as being "clearly the creation of someone who is separated by a palpable generational distance from their culture. But then again, this conflict is what Devi, and perhaps Kaling herself, are hounded by". Joshua Rivera from Polygon described the second season as "continuing to nail a tricky balance between heartfelt realism and Disney Channel absurdism". Divya Kala Bhanavi, writing for The Hindu, said the season "forces us to look at ourselves and acknowledge how much, during our teens, we were more problematic than we like to admit", along with praising how the season "tells the story of different shades of brown feminism across generations. Nalini's notions of what she must do for her family clash with that of her mother's, while Devi's beliefs in expressing her independence varies to those of Kamala". Candice Frederick from TV Guide felt it was "increasingly clear" that the narrator John McEnroe was "merely reciting lines with little authenticity". Inkoo Kang from The Washington Post felt the season was "crowded with characters", with conflicts that made it feel "bloated and weighed down".
Reviewing the third season, Meera Navlakha from Mashable criticized it for the "sheer number of relationships examined", stating that it meant some were "given less brevity and depth" and that plotlines were "often discarded too quickly". However, Navlakha also praised the season for "the idea of "being Indian" explored in a nuanced storyline" and for "some fantastic one-liners and scenarios that blend culture in a way that's rarely seen on screen", along with noting a "thematic shift in the series, focusing more on identity, self-esteem, and change". Sonikka Loganathan from The Hindu praised Devi's character development, while adding that there were "arguably too many subplots afoot".
Jewish representation
Many critics have described the depiction of the Jewish character Ben Gross as being anti-Semitic. Meena Venkataramanan from Harvard ''Political Review wrote, "The show's anti-Semitism is exacerbated by academic rival's characterization as a Jewish caricature and the jokes his religion and wealth generate at his expense". Mira Foxs from The Forward says " a wildly rich nerdy suck-up, with an absent, workaholic Hollywood lawyer for a dad and negligent Jewish-Buddhist type for a mom. He falsely cries anti-Semitism when his classmates reject his idea for a class project. And he's dating a painfully stereotypical Jewish american princess named Shira, who he doesn't even like, in order to raise his own social clout; Shira, he tells Devi, is dating him for his money." By contrast, most of the supporting characters, such as Fabiola or Paxton, have been written to defy their ethnic stereotypes.Evan Greenberg, writing for the feminist Jewish culture site Hey Alma, lodged similar complaints about Gross's character being "rooted in lazy stereotypes". Greenberg highlights Kaling's response to possible jokes being sensitive in an NPR interview, "...because I think the lead is what people would call, like, a marginalized person, like a young Indian American girl, I think we're able to get away with stuff because of a certain powerlessness that that demographic has in society , honestly," as problematic for a "young, impressionable audience."
In contrast, writer for Jewish parenting site Kveller'', Lior Zaltman, praised the show, saying that Gross's character, set up as a typical high-achieving assimilated Jew, breaks into surprising depth and compares Devi's assimilation struggle between her cultural heritage and wanting to be a "cool American teen" to being raised Jewish in a secularized American education.
Indian representation
The portrayal of Indians in the series was inaccurate according to some critics. Meena Venkataramanan from Harvard ''Political Review felt that despite the main character being South Indian, several North Indian tropes were shown throughout the series including eating samosas and playing Hindi songs during Ganesh Puja. Deeksha Sharma of The Quint'' felt that Sendhil Ramamurthy's Indian accent was "fake". He received flak from Tamil audiences for saying "thakkali sambar" as "thakli sambar" despite being part Tamil himself. She added that the whole notion of the character of Jaya telling Kamala that she wished she just listened to her parents and "married the guy they chose" and that then she wouldn't have got divorced is problematic.Audience viewership
At their Q2 report meeting in July 2020, Netflix reported the series had been viewed by 40 million households globally since its release.Media Play News, citing U.S. streaming estimates from PlumResearch, reported that the fourth season of Never Have I Ever registered 2.8 million unique viewers on Netflix during the week of June 26–July 2, 2023.