On April 27, 2020, Netflix introduced to us a new brand of nerds, and we can never be the same again. Never Have I Ever is coming of age American Comedy series from the point of view Devi Vishwakumar, a 15-year-old Indian American who is dealing with a lot and we can’t help but love her for her witty remarks, her quirkiness and yes, her desire to own the sophomore year.
Devi is a breath of fresh air because despite being a bookworm, she refuses to be a wallflower. Her “last year sucked for a number of reasons”. She lost her father, and the shock left psychosomatically paralyzed for months.
She has this perpetual confusion regarding her identity because at home she is and India and at school, she is an American. But Devi is determined to leave all of that behind and carve a new identity for herself; a process that involves losing her virginity.
Never Have I Ever comes with the addictive sweet doses of adolescence that makes one want more and waiting for the next season is a difficult wait. So to get you through this tiresome period, we bring to you a collection of television series like Never Have I Ever.
Here are the Best Shows like Never Have I Ever:
Jane the Virgin
Jane the Virgin, following the life of Jane Villanueva, an aspiring romance novelist who’s accidentally artificially inseminated with her boss’ sperm, is admittedly different from Never Have I Ever, where our protagonist is trying to become what she calls a ‘normal’ American teen.
But as much as Never Have I Ever is Devi’s story, it also traces the epiphanies of her mom Nalini and her cousin Kamala. For Jane the Virgin, it’s Jane, her mom Xiomara and her grandmother Alba. Both shows explore the relationship between three women from different generations and one can’t help but compare the equations between these women.
Jane the Virgin effortlessly blends in critical issues like parenthood, religion, and reproductive rights never once making it too serious to handle. A far cry from ‘white-people-in-a-white-neighborhood’ rom-com, both shows highlight the heroine’s immigrant culture, realistic emotions and journeys of self-realization.
These patently different storylines rub off the same emotions, making Jane the Virgin a must in the list of all Never Have I Ever fans.
On My Block
Admit it. You all loved the quirky friendship between Devi, Eleanor and Fabiola and more so the way the character arc. On My Block deliciously lays out the same concept of friendship via best friends Monse, Ruby, Cesar, and Jamal who are about to step into the first year of high school.
Having grown up in South Central Los Angeles, these young teens now also have to deal with the struggle of being high school students besides a rough neighborhood where hearing gunshots is pretty normal.
Monse, like Devi has suffered a lot, probably more, but carries on with her life never once faltering and we adore her for it. Credit also goes to her gang, which has uplifted not only our girl but every other member of the group time and again. If you liked Never Have I Ever for the wacky teenage moments, you will love the hilarious banter, incessant teasing and the funny faces these four pull in On My Block.
With diverse characters without being accompanied by the usual stereotype, this tv series lends a realistic and wider perspective to the different communities of the society.
The Bold Type
Although they aren’t teens and are definitely not in high school, the thick as thieves best friends Jane Sloan, Kat Edison, and Sutton Brady remind us of Devi, Fabiola, and Eleanor.
Pitting women against each other has been normalized by various television series over the years but The Bold Type brings to us a trio that has been through several emotional turmoils but these girls never lose sight of one another. They look past bad decisions, trivial fights and are cheer each other. These three women are unapologetic and strong in their own ways. Not without their flaws, these ladies are unashamed of themselves, their identity and exist beyond their relations with a man.
The Bold Type doesn’t shy away from speaking loud about sexual assault, feminism, breast cancer, racism, sexual orientation and identity and truly represent the ‘woke’ generation.
Perhaps a tad bit serious than Never Have I Ever but with the same vibes and intentions for a completely different set of people, The Bold Type is a must-watch coming of age drama.
Atypical
Remember how Devi thinks that she is ready to move on from the setbacks that life has had to offer and move on to the next big thing and take a bold step? Well here Sam, is an eighteen-year-old who embarks on a similar journey.
Sam is on the autism spectrum and is looking for ways to escape from his family. His bid for independence creates a butterfly effect in the Gardner family and the family learns that they have a lot of growing up to do and make the best use of lemons that life has thrown at them.
Atypical is more than a teenager’s story of stepping up his life. It is a beautiful representation of several aspects of humanity. Despite, autism being a part of who Sam is, it doesn’t define him. He just wants to step out of a shell and date girls, something that many boys of his age try to do.
Comedy, drama with the right doses of humor makes Atypical worth watching.
Sex Education
High School can be tough. And it gets tougher if you are socially awkward like Otis Milburn in Sex Education.
It is ironical enough that a sex therapist’s son is a virgin but things take a more awkward route when he sets up a sex clinic at his high school. Touching on like experimenting with one’s sexuality, to unrequited love and uncontrollable pubic hair, there is no topic left that’s not discussed in the show.
Sex Education nudges real-life sexual questions that teens may have in a non-judgemental way. For once such topics aren’t treated as the forbidden fruit.
The series doesn’t stop highlighting undiscussed topics just there. Slut-shaming, trauma, homophobia, toxic masculinity, consent, disability, self-harm, and anxiety and everything that is usually sub-played as undertones of teen drama speak loud and clear here.
Exploring teen sexuality, albeit dissimilarly from Never Have I Ever, Sex Education makes it to our list.
Gilmore Girls
Devi might have had a few love interests during the show, but the real love story that anchors the plot is between her and her mother Nalini. She disapproves of her daughter’s social life her daughter aspires to have and sets rigid rules against which Devi rebels. But at the end of the day, the mother-daughter duo finds comfort in one another.
Gilmore Girls is one of the first television series to explore such unconventional mother-daughter dynamics. Lorelai has always been fiercely independent and a rebel to the core. Rebelling against an affluent but oppressive family eventually leads her to get pregnant with Rory at age 16. She finds a job to makes ends meet and eventually works her way up to the ranks of an executive manager. In the meantime, she develops a friendship and bond different from any other mother-daughter relationship, especially from relation she had with her mother, Emily.
A story about these ladies striving to fulfill their dreams, confronting their complicated past, and mending their bonds, Gilmore Girls is still relatable after so many years.
Related: Shows like Gilmore Girls
One Day at a Time
Trauma, Depression, and anxiety are difficult issues to live with. More difficult is coming in terms with it and living with. Never Have I Ever and One Day at a Time, both deal with issues concerning mental health in their own ways.
The show centers on the Alvarez family, with 3 women who are some of the most inspiring female characters in the world of television. Penelope, a single mom who is a nurse and a war veteran, is dealing with unresolved issues from her time in the war. Her daughter, Elena, is an outspoken feminist who embraces her sexuality. Lydia, Penelope’s mother, is the coolest grandmother who despite being conservative and very Catholic accepts her granddaughter.
The family deals with PTSD, injustice at their workplace, immigrant policies, mansplaining, and microaggressions, and sexism, and reverse sexism, and racism. They also argue and more often than not it’s hilarious. They hear each out and sort things out with hugs because arguments are temporary and family is forever.
One Day at a Time is refreshing and endearing to its core.
I Am Not Okay with This
Dealing with the death of a parent is always hard. Sydney and Devi undergo similar pain when their dads, to whom they are closer than their moms, die suddenly. Life is no longer the same for them, and each girl adapts new ways to deal with her loss.
I Am Not Okay with This, is a gripping tale of a teenage girl struggling with grief, puberty, latent queerness, thigh acne, and newly emerging superpowers fueled mostly by anger. Her bouts of anger are a result of depression, anxiety, confusion, loneliness, and shame and things don’t get easier when her new powers suddenly emerge and wreak havoc on whoever tests her patience.
From the fear of growing apart from your best friend, a tense relationship with your mother to navigating high school parties when you are far from popular, every awkward teenage phase is here along with the superhero vibes that Syd sheds every now and then.
The O.C.
If there is one thing that Ryan Atwood and Devi have in common besides being high school students, it is their struggle to fit in with the crowd.
This show is about the family we build that might not necessarily be the same we are born with but surely the one we find along the way. The series focuses on Ryan Atwood, a troubled but talented boy from a broken home who is adopted by the wealthy and philanthropic Sandy and Kristen Cohen.
While adjusting to the high society life, which has nothing similar to the domestic abuse and poverty he was born into, Ryan faces a culture shock. But as the story progresses, he soon finds out that his peers face similar teenage issues of self-identity conflict, mental health issues, and familial estrangement.
Always high on drama, The O.C. is one of those television series that make some come back for more. Whether it is the friendship between Seth and Ryan, or the cool adults or even the music and pop culture reference, this show is a must-watch.
Black-ish
There isn’t a dearth of shows to watch is you are looking for a family sitcom. So what makes Never Have I Ever and Black-ish different? It is the fact that both series have characters that steer off from the stereotype that television loves to create and show the struggles of non-white people living in a white neighborhood and school.
The bouncy ride of a black family in a world that focuses on the white is beautifully represented by multi-layered characters that make the show more engaging.
True to its name the show never shies away from topics like police brutality in the community, the taboo of homosexuality, and how being biracial sometimes means that you don’t feel a part of either community. Despite the underlying seriousness, Black-ish is a hilarious show that never fails to make us laugh with and has adorable characters.
For all those who want to watch entertainingly effective shows that portray serious issues with humor and hope, blackish is your go-to series.
So here is the list of all those series you can binge on while you wait for the upcoming seasons of Never Have I Ever. I tried my best to not give spoilers to these amazing shows but apologies if I spoilt some surprises for you.
So what are you waiting for? Stream into these fabulous series and get ready to be a part of the fandom.