Never Have I Ever

Indian American TV show leads are rare, and Devi makes a great one: She's complex and has admirable inner strength. Ethnicity isn't the main focus of her character, but viewers do see important reminders of it -- e.g., she prays to Hindu gods, and her older immigrant cousin grapples with potential arranged marriage. Mental health (Devi sees a therapist) and grief are major themes. Cast has extensive diversity, including love interests who are mixed-race, Jewish, and Indian. Devi's close friends are Chinese American, Afro-Latina, and Muslim. (Behind the scenes, the show was created by Indian American writer/actress Mindy Kaling.) Same-sex relationships take place throughout the series and are treated naturally. Kamala encounters sexism in her PhD biology program. A main character's sister has Down syndrome but is defined by her love of fashion, not by her disability. All of that said, the show does mishandle some key things. In particular, Devi's temporary paralysis before suddenly walking again falls into the "miraculous cure" cliche, and there are ongoing fatphobic jokes about a minor recurring character.

The death of Devi's father is shown repeatedly in flashbacks; he's seen collapsing, his wife screaming for an ambulance, then he's limp on a gurney. He also appears in dreams to give his daughter advice. Devi's acceptance of his death plays a major role in the story. One character hits another lightly during an argument; he threatens to sue. Someone is hit by a car and injured (no blood); they wear a cast for several episodes. A character has a panic attack.

Sex talk is graphic and frank: A character schemes to lose her virginity (which she refers to as "popping my cherry" and being "ready to bone"). A male character repeatedly removes his shirt and is admired by girls, who say (out of his earshot) that he looks like he's "smuggling a pepper grinder." Teens use stuffed animals to demonstrate sexual positions, calling out names like "reverse cowgirl" and "love seat." There are jokes about "boinking," watching "teenage boobs bouncing around," foot fetishes, and other mature material. On-screen kissing and flirting, which eventually turns into sex (not depicted) in later seasons.

Frequent swearing includes "s--t," "hell," "damn," "goddamn." A boy calls a group of girls "unf--kable," and a teen calls her mom a "bitch." Other words that make an appearance: "d--k," "boobs," "frigging," "sucked," "suck it." A teen struggling with anxiety is called "crazy."

Teens drink at parties, in one scene scheming to provide alcohol for a school group. At a party, Devi drinks to the point of drunkenness and winds up injured after making a fool of herself. In one scene, Devi urges her therapist to prescribe her drugs like Paxil and Klonopin. A few characters mention weed.

Parents need to know that Never Have I Ever is a series (co-created by Mindy Kaling) about an Indian American teen girl who's mourning the death of her father. Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) learns to be more emotionally honest and to accept her grief as she navigates typical teen problems related to friendship, school, and romance. Expect lots of mature talk about sex (referred to as "boinking" and "boning," etc.). Teens scheme to have sex, but it takes multiple seasons before anyone actually winds up having it (off-screen). They do kiss, flirt, and talk about boyfriends, girlfriends, and romance. They also talk about characters' looks and bodies, including a scene in which girls say a boy looks like he's "smuggling a pepper grinder" under his pants. In another scene, teens use stuffed animals to demonstrate sexual positions, which they name ("reverse cowgirl," "love seat," etc.). Various teens grapple with their sexuality and work through it in healthy ways. Teens smoke pot and drink, at times to the point of acting foolish and leading to an injury that requires hospitalization. A girl urges her therapist to prescribe drugs including Klonopin and Paxil (the therapist doesn't). Violence is infrequent, but there are repeated flashbacks of a character's death (no blood or gore), someone has a panic attack, and one character hits another during an argument. Language is frequent and includes "s--t," "hell," "damn," and "goddamn." A boy calls a group of girls "unf--kable," and a girl calls her mom a "bitch." Instances of ableism and fatphobia are flaws in a series that's otherwise great for representation, especially for Indian Americans. The show's multicultural group of teens are capable of great integrity and self-control: They make mistakes and learn from them, they treat others unkindly and then regret their actions and make amends. They also learn how to accept each other and live more authentic, happy lives.