It has been about a year since the internet learned about Mindy Kaling’s new television Project, Never Have I Ever, a show with connections to her life as a rebellious South Asian-American. In recent years, we have seen a large influx of shows highlighting minorities and giving representation, and this show continues that trend. However, what is unique about Never Have I Ever is the opportunity it gave to people who wanted to apply for a role. Kaling chose to have a unique casting call where students could send in submissions to get roles. This is how Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, a South Asian girl born in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, ended up playing Devi Vishwakumar, the 15- year old rebellious teenager in the show. 

Never Have I Ever is a Netflix Original that features Vishwakumar as she lives through a stressful and traumatic experience while simultaneously showing her growth and her attempts to become more popular in school. 

This is a 10 episode show but gets off to a bit of a rough start with the first 3 episodes being choppy and not as good as the rest. The beginning is not representative of how good the show becomes, however, and it is definitely a slow burn. It struggles in setting up the characters, however, it establishes create a humorous tone that goes on to define it. 

After the choppiness of the first 3 episodes, one may have doubts, but the show takes on a new life of itself! The plot truly starts to represent the lifestyle, customs, and traditions of a teenage girl with a South Asian background in America. We see a deep characterization taking place, and the show speaks very authentically and humbly to the cultural differences that Vishwakumar has to go through. The show portrays the difficulty in family dynamics and the strain between American culture and South Asian culture Vishwakumar faces and mirrors an identity crisis that is felt by many South Asian teenagers, putting a particular spotlight on young girls. 

Never Have I Ever showcases advanced character development in its diverse cast and helps reflect the lives of not only South Asians but girls, as well as people with Down Syndrome. Rather than taking on the forgetful trope of being pitied as shown in many TV shows, this character is cool, kind, and a trendsetter, a huge statement and an important step forward for television. 

Finally, the show is not afraid to explore the sexuality of girls and highlights it just as much as the sexuality of guys thus giving a fair exploration for both genders. With this in mind, I would have to give this wild, swashbuckling, and crazy adventure a 9/10. Make sure to go check it out, available on Netflix!