Six reasons why I love Never Have I Ever
I finished the Netflix comedy-drama Never Have I Ever over the weekend and am once again sad that I have no more episodes left to watch! Why do I love it so much? Let me explain…
The show is the equivalent of a warm, comforting hug
I watch a lot of dark, depressing and complex TV shows so it’s nice once in a while to tune into something so heartwarming, uplifting, charming and hilarious. It is a light-hearted, easy-going watch that doesn’t demand too much – you just need to stick it on and hang out with Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), Eleanor (Ramona Young) and Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez) and listen to them freak out about their love lives.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
The series was co-created by Mindy Kaling and is loosely inspired by her childhood, so Ramakrishnan’s Devi is basically a stand-in for Mindy. Despite not being a professional actress, the Canadian was picked out of 15,000 people to play Devi and it’s clear why – she has buckets of personality, an innate charm and wit, excellent comic timing and a wicked sense of humour. Yes, Devi is primarily boy and sex-focused, but she is more complex than most leads in a teen high school show – her insecurities sabotage relationships and she can be incredibly selfish and emotional. Her decisions can be frustrating to watch but she feels like a realistic hot-headed teenager.
How it deals with grief
As someone who has lost a parent, I can relate to Devi and how she experiences grief following the death of her father Mohan. Kaling lost her mum ten years ago and you can tell that the writing comes from a real place. In season one, Devi’s grief is acute and very present, and by season three, it comes and goes. She has learned to cope with life without her dad but the loss still knocks her down at times. This may make the show sound a bit dark and depressing but it’s not at all. It balances serious subjects with light-hearted banter so well.
The writing
I love Kaling’s writing, from The Office to The Mindy Project and The Sex Lives of College Girls. Never Have I Ever is just as hilarious as her other work. The scripts are fantastic – they are filled with classic Kaling one-liners, burns and irreverent pop culture references. I laugh out loud constantly. The actors elevate the material even further with their zany performances and make it such a joy to watch.
Darren Barnet
Excuse me for getting shallow here but I need to give a shout-out to the show’s lead hottie. Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Barnet) is one of Devi’s main love interests and I develop a little crush on him whenever I watch the series. If I was a teenager watching this, it would have been an obsession! He starts off as the stereotypical hot guy but there’s more to him than you’d expect. His arc throughout the show, particularly S3, has been wonderful.
The narration
The fact that former tennis star John McEnroe narrates this show will always be funny to me. It’s such a rogue idea but it works so well. The way he comments on Devi’s choices cracks me up. I also love how Andy Samberg fills in as the narrator if it’s a Ben (Jaren Lewinson) episode or Gigi Hadid for Paxton.
All four seasons streaming now on Netflix