Television series

Never Have I Ever

Name: Never Have I Ever
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Released: 2020
Cast: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Poorna Jagannathan, Darren Barnet, John McEnroe, Jaren Lewison

Coming-of-age

A grieving, hyper-competitive teenager tries to reboot her social life through sheer force of will, chaos, and a truly unhinged tennis-legend narrator. It's fast, funny, and unexpectedly tender about loss, culture, and the specific humiliations of being fifteen. Great for anyone who wants their coming-of-age comedy with real heartbreak underneath the jokes.

TVMaze rating

3.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like teen comedy that treats grief and family friction with a straight face, still lands a joke every few seconds, and doesn't mind a narrator who is John McEnroe commenting from the sidelines.

Skip it if you find sitcom-style cringe hard to sit through, since the central character is loud, impulsive and often makes choices that are painful to watch, and the bickering at home rarely lets up.

What it asks of you: Half-hour episodes that run quickly, forty of them across four seasons, so it suits a few evenings rather than one sitting, with the narration breaking into scenes now and then.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Sex Education2019

Same blend of raunchy comedy and genuine emotional intelligence about teenagers figuring themselves out, with an ensemble that gets richer every season.

But More explicit about sex than Devi's world, and the British setting shifts the cultural specifics considerably.

On My Block2018

Another Netflix teen dramedy juggling humor, first love, and heavier real-world stakes with a tight, loyal friend group at its center.

But Leans harder into crime-adjacent plotlines that feel tonally darker than anything Devi faces.

The Edge of Seventeen2016

A sharp, funny film about a prickly, grieving teen girl who is often her own worst enemy — Devi's cinematic older cousin in tone and bite.

But It's a single film, so you lose the multi-season slow-burn relationships the show builds.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Never Have I Ever

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Turning Red2022

Same engine — a girl caught between duty and desire, mortified by herself, loved fiercely by an overbearing mother — just recostumed as a giant red panda.

A Pixar film about a hyper-driven, embarrassment-prone teen girl clashing with immigrant-family expectations while her body literally betrays her.

But It's animated and aimed at a younger audience, so the humor and stakes are gentler throughout.

PEN152019

Excruciatingly accurate middle-school embarrassment played completely straight-faced, with the two leads (adults) acting alongside actual kids.

But The gimmick of adults playing thirteen-year-olds is either hilarious or distracting depending on your tolerance.

Everything Sucks!2018

A one-season gem about awkward 90s teens navigating identity and first crushes with real sweetness and a killer soundtrack.

But It was canceled after one season, so you're signing up for an unresolved story.

Freaks and Geeks1999

The gold standard of grounded, funny teen ensemble writing — cringe and heartbreak handled with total honesty and zero cynicism.

But Slower pacing and a very different, less internet-native sense of teenage life.

Ginny & Georgia2021

Another whip-smart teen girl narrator wrestling with grief, identity, and a complicated mother-daughter relationship at the show's core.

But The tonal whiplash between soapy melodrama and comedy is more extreme and divisive than Devi's show.

My Mad Fat Diary2013

British, diary-narrated, and unafraid to sit with mental health struggles while still being genuinely funny and full of teenage longing.

But Considerably heavier and sadder in its handling of self-image and depression.

Jane the Virgin2014

If you loved the eccentric narrator gimmick, this telenovela-satire runs the device even further with wit, warmth, and soap-opera absurdity.

But It's a much longer commitment with a sprawling, increasingly bonkers plot far removed from high school.

My So-Called Life1994

Devi's narrated inner monologue and messy romantic triangles descend directly from this show's DNA — same confessional intimacy, decades earlier.

The originator of the introspective teen voiceover, unpacking first love and identity with an emotional seriousness far ahead of its time.

But Only one season exists, and its pacing and 90s style feel distinctly unhurried by today's standards.

The Namesake2006

Takes the exact same grief-and-identity questions Devi jokes her way through and plays them with total, unflinching sincerity.

A quietly devastating drama about an Indian-American family across generations, grief, and the pull between two cultures and two selves.

But It's slow, melancholic, and adult in register — nothing like the show's comic energy or teenage pace.

People

Cast

Writing

Lang FisherCreator
Mindy KalingCreator
Aaron GearyExecutive Story Editor
Akshara SekarExecutive Story Editor
Amina MunirExecutive Story Editor
Ben SteinerExecutive Story Editor
Sonia KharkarExecutive Story Editor
Akshara SekarStory Editor
Asmita ParanjapeStory Editor
Beth AppelStory Editor
Marina CockenbergStory Editor

Production

Barbara StollCo-Executive Producer
Chris SchleicherCo-Executive Producer
Dave KingCo-Executive Producer
Erica OyamaCo-Executive Producer
Gabe LiedmanCo-Executive Producer
Amina MunirCo-Producer
Eric KoljanCo-Producer
Justin NobleConsulting Producer
Matt WarburtonConsulting Producer
David MinerExecutive Producer
Howard KleinExecutive Producer
Lang FisherExecutive Producer
Mindy KalingExecutive Producer
Tristram ShapeeroExecutive Producer
Aaron GearyProducer
Amina MunirProducer
Barbara StollProducer
Ben SteinerProducer
Leanne MooreProducer