Never Have I Ever(2020-Present)
“Never Have I Ever” is the teen sitcom equivalent of running with scissors, used hypodermic needles, and a fully operational chain saw. It could also be considered the meta-high-school series of our time.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who plays Devi, the show’s first-generation Indian-American hero, is the obvious star, but this new Netflix series does something fundamental, if not necessarily unprecedented. As any student of American situation comedy knows, the majority of the great shows have revolved around a sun-like figure, around which wacky, beloved characters orbited like oblong planets. “Never Have I Ever,” a comedy created by actress/comedian Mindy Kaling and loosely based on her life, lacks a stable central character. It’s all about the sidekicks.
As one of the few pieces of popular western media that depicts South Indian representation in a mainstream light – from the celebration of Ganesh Puja to Devi’s Tamil-speaking household, to the shrine of gods set up for prayer that is a staple in every Hindu household – this show fills a
role for a subsect of Indian representation that was previously woefully neglected.
Prior to this, as a young South Indian adult, the Indian representation I saw in American cinema and television was heavily influenced by more North Indian customs and religions. While many Indians speak Hindi, watch Bollywood movies, and eat meat, seeing this more specific representation of my own family’s customs and habits was the depiction I didn’t realise I craved until I saw it. Though primarily a comedy, the show does an excellent job of highlighting central struggles and issues that I have encountered in my own life.
The conflict between Devi and her mother – her trying to reconcile her own feelings of always disappointing her mother with the fact that her father, the buffer in their frequent arguments, is no longer with them – hits close to home for many mothers and daughters I know who are in the same demographic as this show. We see touching flashbacks of Devi and her father watching sports and planting gardens together, which is reminiscent of happier times, in contrast to the current discord in her family life.
This same family life depicts additional aspects of Indian culture through Devi’s cousin Kamala’s own arranged marriage subplot, and how, contrary to popular belief, the decision to proceed with one is not inherently demoralising or abusive on the part of the family. It demonstrates how Indian children can have high academic and collegiate aspirations for themselves, and not just because of stereotypical parental pressure.
One of Never Have I Ever’s standout features is its recognition of the cultural dissonance that many young adults face growing up in a culture so different from their parents’.
While Devi’s rejection of her Indian heritage can be overly self-deprecating at times, her sense of not “being Indian enough” through her hobbies and actions (e.g., not learning traditional dances, how to cook regional foods, etc.) resonated with me and my own struggles with reconciliation. We see Devi’s other Indian peers discussing how they, too, felt disconnected from their culture until they learned to appreciate it more in college, and how participating in Indian functions and customs is not something to be ashamed of, even though it may feel that way when we are young.Even Kamala, who was born and raised in India and thus has a stronger cultural connection than Devi, struggles to reconcile her perceived duty to be a good future traditional wife with her current project of pursuing a PhD at Caltech.
Despite everything it does for South Asian representation, this show is not without flaws. It’s not for those who are easily offended by some waves of secondhand embarrassment, and some South Asian references – such as the infamous shot of Devi’s dream sequence in which she is told she has “the beauty of Priyanka Chopra” – feel contrived and forced at times. Devi is prone to rage and can be downright unlikeable in her worst moments, but this makes the show a more accurate representation of many South Indian girls.Her character is not intended to be an all-encompassing depiction of what it is like to grow up South Indian; rather, it focuses on some of the commonalities of the experience and expertly hones in on their resulting intricacies.
Overall, Never Have I Ever is a funny, sweet, and relatable show that is appropriate for a wide audience. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, the show’s lead actress and her first acting role, has excellent comedic timing and portrays an overall sympathetic character. Back-to-back scenes make the audience laugh one minute and cry the next, and each side character is given a subplot and background to give them depth and ensure that no one person or episode feels like filler.
