Never Have I Ever

Plot

The story centers around Devi Vishwakumar, a 15-year-old (at the start of the series) 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 Indian-American in school, Aneesa Qureshi. Devi starts to feel jealous about her popularity/dating her ex, Ben, and starts a rumor about her anorexia, at the track race because there's a tent that Trent started to hook up, and Devi saw Ben and Aneesa in there and spreads the rumor but then after Devi finds out Aneesa and Ben are just friends, 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.

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.

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 (season 1), Kamala's secret boyfriend.

Christina Kartchner as Eve Hjelm (seasons 1–2; guest season 3), Fabiola's love interest who later moves away

Alexandra Billings as Jennifer Warner (seasons 2, 4), 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 (seasons 1–3), a boy who comes out as gay and helps Fabiola with her sexuality

Tembi Locke as Elise Torres (season 1, guest seasons 2, 4), Fabiola's mother

Jae Suh Park as Joyce Wong (season 1; guest season 4), 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 (season 1–2), 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

Guest

Aarti Mann as Jaya Kuyavar (season 1)

Markus Jorgensen as Boris Koslov (season 1), a Russian exchange student

Gilberto Ortiz as Alex Gomez (season 1), a young man interested in Fabiola

Chelly as Parvesh (season 1), a Vishwakumar family friend

Peter James Smith as Mr. Chan (seasons 1, 3), the orchestra teacher

Kikéy Castillo as Christina Harrison (season 1), Trent's mother

Atticus Shaffer as a young man who participates in model UN as Russia (season 1)

Iqbal Theba as Aravind (season 1), Mohan's brother and Devi's Paternal Uncle who visits to be the male chaperone when Kamala meets Prashant

Mark Collier as Andy (season 1), the Vishwakumars' neighbor

Adriyah Marie Young as Carley (seasons 1–3), Shira's friend

Andy Samberg as himself (seasons 1–3), the narrator for Ben Gross' thoughts in two episodes (plus a short cameo in a season 2 episode)

Pragathi Guruprasad as Preethi's sister (season 1)

Anjul Nigam as Raj (season 1), a pandit at the Ganesh Puja celebration

Gigi Hadid as herself (seasons 2, 4), the narrator for Paxton Hall-Yoshida's thoughts in two episodes

Pooja Kumar as Noor (season 2), Aneesa's mother

Episodes

Production

Development

On March 20, 2019, it was reported that Netflix had given a 10-episode series order to a then-untitled "semi-autobiographical comedy" created by Mindy Kaling, who would also serve as a writer, executive producer and showrunner alongside Lang Fisher. 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 "[Devi's] 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".

On July 1, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a second season.

On August 19, 2021, Netflix renewed the series for a third season.

On March 8, 2022, Netflix renewed the series for a fourth and final season.

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

Principal photography of the first season began on July 14, 2019 and concluded on October 31, 2019. Filming for the second season started on November 10, 2020, at the Universal Studios in Los Angeles, and concluded at the end of March 2021. Filming for the third season started on November 29, 2021 and concluded on March 1, 2022. Filming for the fourth and final season concluded in early August 2022.

Release

The first season was released on Netflix on April 27, 2020. The second season was released on July 15, 2021. The third season was released on August 12, 2022. The fourth and final season was released on June 8, 2023.

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's 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 Ever's sophomore season at times suffers from tonal commitment issues, nuanced writing and an utterly charming cast make it easy to forgive and enjoy," while the website's critical consensus for the third season reads, "Never has this charming coming of age series ever let down its fans, and this third season continues the winning streak by approaching the angst of teenage romance with frankness and charm." The fourth season, the website's critical consensus reads, "Chronicling its lovable band of high schoolers' senior year with characteristic charm and grace, Never Have I Ever graduates with full honors as an exemplary ode to growing pains." On Metacritic, the show has a overall weighted average score of 81 out of 100 based on 39 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Rohan 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 [behavior] makes her a real person". Petrana Radulovic from Polygon stated that it was "easy to invest in [the] 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".

Jewish representation

Many critics have described the depiction of the Jewish character Ben Gross as being anti-Semitic. Mira Foxs from The Forward says "[Ben Gross is] 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 (objectively terrible) 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 [laughter], 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. Deeksha Sharma of The Quint felt that Sendhil Ramamurthy's Indian accent was "fake". He received flak from Tamil audiences for saying "thakkali sambar" (transl. Tomato lentil soup) 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.