Never Have I Ever

The high school world is a very popular and therefore a rather generic topic in the TV series field, so it is necessary to approach such a project in a distinctive way - whether as a colorful musical (Glee), a mystery thriller (13 Reasons Why), fantasy horror (Teen Wolf), or a probe into LGBT coming-of-age (Love, Victor) – so that it doesn't get lost in the big plethora of similar shows. Fortunately, this succeeds the first time around, and the series certainly doesn't just get buried under a layer of (bland) dust. Mindy Kaling and her creative team serves the audience with a well written multi-cultural coming-of-age comedy series that pokes fun at cultural differences (USA v India), the pitfalls of growing up and first loves in a sweet and appropriate way, while also presenting some more serious themes (loss of a loved one, depression, anxiety, anorexia, bullying, minority views) that, while found in (not just) any high school show, are so timely that they need to be talked about, either publicly or in artistic treatment. Thankfully, though, the comedic component prevails, and Never Have I Ever can really tickle the diaphragm nicely. At times I was a little annoyed by the actions of some of the characters and their abrupt changes in behavior, but these are high school kids after all, where the back and forth and emotional outbursts are the order of the day. Last but not least, it's probably needless to mention that not all the characters looked exactly 15-18 years old (that's why it was at times more difficult to empathize with their "high school spirit"). Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the series. Plus points for John McEnroe's commentary and the many pop culture references. (08/26/2022)