Teen television shows come in many different flavors, from the comedic leanings of Netflix’s Sex Education to the superpower infused I Am Not Okay With This. No matter what the overall tone, one aspect shared by each story is the preoccupation with having sex. Long before the streaming giant joined the TV production fray, this rite of passage was a preoccupation for Angela Chase (Claire Danes), Buffy Summer (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Felicity Porter (Keri Russell), and many other famous TV teenagers. Adding something new to the portrayal of adolescent desire isn’t an easy task, but Never Have I Ever creators Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher have taken typical high school archetypes and added nuance to the depiction of horny nerds and jocks.
“I think about sex 24/7, but I don’t really know how to do it,” high school sophomore Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) tells her two best friends Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez) and Eleanor (Ramona Young) in the second episode. Movies only show so much — "Does the woman kissing down a man’s body stop at his penis or foot?" Devi asks with all sincerity — which is why this extracurricular study session is required.
Montages are typically reserved for makeovers in a coming-of-age story, but in the case of Devi and her friends, kegel exercises and a sex positions pop quiz with teddy bear visual aids replace the wardrobe overhaul. Taking the same approach to sex as academia, Devi’s overachieving qualities will only get her so far.
On the surface Never Have I Ever has the same rom-com sensibilities as The Mindy Project, with just as many pop culture references. However, the problems of a teenage girl differ from that of a thirty-something career woman; in Devi’s case, she is dealing with a complex recipe of grief and everyday adolescent dilemmas. Flashbacks reveal her father died after suffering a heart attack midway through a music recital she was performing in, which subsequently led to Devi’s temporary paralysis. Instead of confronting her feelings about this defining moment, she channels her energy into getting a boyfriend and losing her virginity. Arguments with her strict mother are another factor she is contending with, as a first-generation Indian American teenage girl she is caught between tradition and the perception of her peers.
Sex and dating are not an unusual preoccupation for a 15-year-old, but turning it into an avoidance method adds an extra layer of complexity to this depiction of teen lust. Sure, sex has been utilized to deflect from a cocktail of personal issues, from My So-Called Life to Gossip Girl, but those storylines typically portray characters who have sex and then regret it. Devi doesn’t get that far, even if the whole county ends up thinking she hooked up with the hottest guy in school, Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet).
Love triangles are an expected feature of both romcoms and coming-of-age stories, but Never Have I Ever goes meta and mentions this concept early on. Devi has two potential suitors: dreamboat jock Paxton and academic nemesis Ben Gross (Jaren Lewison). Enemies-to-lovers is an established dynamic, and the early sparring between these characters is a flashing sign signifying these two will smooch by the end of the season.
What makes Never Have I Ever stand out as a fresh take on the teen romance set-up, occurs at the end of the pilot: Devi approaches Paxton and lays it all out; she wants to have sex with him. Upon first watching this scene, you would be forgiven for thinking this is a fantasy and a cut will reveal what actually happened. Instead, Devi is shown to have agency in asking for what she wants. She doesn’t expect Paxton to agree to it — the “twist,” as she notes, is when he says okay to her offer. They even shake on it.
It’s a no-strings arrangement, but for anyone who has seen any friends with benefits arrangement on-screen (including the movies No Strings Attached and Friends With Benefits), these plans are rarely uncomplicated or feelings-free. Ending triumphantly on Devi writing in her grief journal “I'm gonna have sex with Paxton!!,” the first episode also underscores how entwined her desire to have sex and her desire to be over her dad’s death are — Freud would have a field day.
Whereas shows like My So-Called Life and Felicity offer further character insight via the protagonist’s own narration, Never Have I Ever serves up (pun intended) a surprising famous figure. John McEnroe — yes, the John McEnroe — is our access to Devi’s past and present. On the surface, a 61-year-old former tennis pro voicing the concerns of a teenage girl is a bizarre choice, however, this casting is a charming secret weapon. The writing purposefully leans into the awkwardness and is very self-aware when it comes to thirsty comments, such as the descriptors of the guys who hang out in the Hot Pocket.
Rather than a random choice, McEnroe provides a connection not only to Devi’s father (he was his favorite player) but to her rage issues, as hot-headed reactions to spilled secrets and her own mistakes are a trait she shares with the “You cannot be serious!” tennis star. This level of raw emotionality and inability to hold it in isn’t normally associated with a nerd character, subverting another teen TV trope. In fact, the reason Desi first approaches Paxton is in reaction to Ben telling her what the nickname bestowed on her group of friends actually means. “The UN” isn’t the racist reference to their diversity she perceived it to be. Rather, it stands for “unfuckable nerd”; a title no high schooler dreams of earning.
On the first day of school, Devi declares a squad rebranding: “We are glamorous women of color, who deserve a sexy high school life!” While Ben dashes those dreams, nevertheless she won’t let her nemesis best her in academia or the delicate high school ecosystem. Devi fantasizes about her social status changing from pitied to popular, believing that sleeping with Paxton will not only tick the popping-her-cherry box, but also make people forget her “freshman shit-fest” in a year defined by tragedy. Of course, Devi is attracted to Paxton (have you seen him?!), but unfortunately, this doesn’t diminish the fact she is essentially using him.
What began as an accidental lie, after her BFFs wrongly assume she is glowing because she had sex, spirals when the whole school finds out about the alleged hookup. Devi isn’t intentionally bragging about a conquest that didn’t happen; she also doesn’t correct anyone who is in awe of her sexual prowess. Finally, she has the cool status she has been dreaming of, even if it is built on a foundation of deceit.
During therapy, Devi tells Dr. Ryan (the always excellent Niecy Nash) she is “ready to bone,” which is immediately met with skepticism from her doctor. The cringy phrase points to her lack of emotional maturity, which is backed up by her panicking when Paxton removes his shirt. It doesn’t help she had also just fled her first orchestra practice since her father died — again, her trauma and sex as a distraction are entwined.
However, rather than pressuring her to go through with the deed, Paxton is rather blasé about the whole endeavor. His detachment could be a turnoff, but it is much better than the alternative. Other than the actor looking much older than 17 (for those thirsting, he is 29 in real life), this character is maybe a little too good to be true. He cares about his sister, doesn’t act like a jerk, and posts a selfie with Devi to his Instagram grid (not just a temporary Story) to prove she didn’t die from the coyote bite. He’s at times annoyingly nonchalant, but also jumps into hero mode when Desi is attacked by an animal and is humiliated at another party. In another surprising move, rather than publicly humiliate her, Paxton doesn’t reveal the truth about her fabrication — he doesn’t fake kiss and tell.
A jock with a heart of gold isn’t an entirely new spin on this archetype, but Never Have I Ever acknowledging that not every dreamboat is also a dirtbag, and that someone like Devi can be a screw-up, blurs the stereotype lines.
Other recent Netflix teen shows have also played with high school clichés including the super raunchy Élite (if Never Have I Ever is PG-13, Élite is R-rated), which also softens the bad boy character while also dealing with a teenage girl with strict parents. One of Devi’s obstacles is her disciplinarian mother, who would not approve of her daughter’s straight-up proposition regarding her virginity. Defying parental guidelines is another teen rite of passage, even for a character that falls into the nerd bracket.
Desire isn’t just felt by those figures we repeatedly see represented on TV, which is why a show like Never Have I Ever feels so refreshing in its choice of protagonist. Academic overachievers can be angry and horny at the same. They can desire the hot popular guy and their rival. At a time when there are more TV shows than ever before, avoiding narrative clichés is one way to stand out.
One of this season’s highlights involves Fabiola coming out to her friends and family before embarking on a relationship with Eve (Kristina Kartchner); the portrayal of LGBTQ desire is a strength in the Netflix teen TV roster. This isn’t a case of reinventing the wheel. Instead, it’s widening the net, because including a cast of characters who don’t neatly fit into previously determined boxes is a guaranteed way to score.
"Never Have I Ever" Season 1 is streaming now on Netflix.