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Created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, Netflix's Never Have I Ever is a coming-of-age drama series which follows the life of a first-generation Indian-American teenager, Devi Vishwakumar. The first and second seasons of the series premiered in April 2020 and July 2021 respectively. The 10-episode long third season is set to be released on August 12, with the fourth and final season scheduled to be released in 2023.
Starring Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Poorna Jagannathan, Richa Moorjani, Darren Barnet, Jaren Lewison, John McEnroe, Lee Rodriguez, and Ramona Young, Never Have I Ever provides an authentic representation of how traditional South-Asian culture survives in America through a relatable and funny narrative. The show also tackles sensitive topics associated with adolescence, such as body issues, sexual identity, mental health, racism, the immigrant experience, and rocky friendships.
In the first season of Never Have I Ever, the 15-year-old Devi avoids facing the trauma of her father’s recent death by focusing on getting a boyfriend. But in the second season, she goes overboard with not one, but two boyfriends. The series follows her journey through the ups and downs of high school with her mother, Dr. Nalini Vishwakumar, and her two best friends, Eleanor Wong and Fabiola Torres, by her side.
If you're somebody who's invested in such high school teenage dramas, don't worry because we've got you covered. Take a look at this list of Netflix shows that deal with similar issues in the same light-hearted comedic manner.
5 Netflix shows like Never Have I Ever for you to binge
1) Sex Education
Created by Laurie Nunn, this Netflix original series is yet another coming-of-age drama that follows the lives of the students at the fictional Moordale Secondary School as they contend with various personal dilemmas regarding sexual intimacy. The first, second, and third seasons of the series premiered in January 2019, January 2020, and September 2021 respectively. As of late, the series was officially renewed for a fourth season in September 2021.
The show has an ensemble cast of Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, Connor Swindells, Kedar Williams-Stirling, Alistair Petrie, Mimi Keene, and Aimee Lou Wood. Focusing on the diverse teenage issues, the show revolves around Butterfield's Otis Milburn, a socially awkward teenager, whose mother Jean is a sex therapist. This led him to secretly start acting as a sex therapist to his peers with the help of his classmate Maeve, played by Emma Mackey.
The critically-acclaimed show highlights what love and friendship looks like in high school as the friendships between the characters change and their love life gradually develops. It also deals with a number of complex topics such as sexual assault, the personal journey of exploring one's sexuality, and a discourse on actual sexual health executed with the help of its charming characters who have an uninhibited sense of humor.
Like Never Have I Ever, it explores the lives of young, sexually confused teenagers coming to grips with their sexuality and all the other complications that it brings.
2) On My Block
This Netflix original series is also a coming-of-age story created by Lauren Iungerich, Eddie Gonzalez, and Jeremy Haft. The story follows a group of four misfits, Monsé Finnie (played by Sierra Capri), Ruby Martinez Jr (played by Jason Genao), Jamal Turner (played by Brett Gray), and Cesar Diaz (played by Diego Tinoco), residing in Freeridge, a fictional neighborhood mainly consisting of Hispanic and Black citizens.
First premiering on Netflix in March 2018, the series was followed by second, third, and fourth seasons in March 2019, March 2020, and October 2021 respectively. The show deals with the group's struggles inside and outside of high school as they tackle the challenges of puberty, evolving dynamics of their friendships, and life in a neighborhood that is sometimes riddled with violence.
Similar to Never Have I Ever, the series is both hilarious and heartbreaking, focusing majorly on teens of color.
3) Derry Girls
Created and written by Lisa McGee, this teen sitcom premiered on Channel 4 in January 2018. The second season was broadcast in March and April 2019 while the third and final season premiered in April 2022. The series is available to stream on Netflix.
Set in the small town of Londonderry in the 1990s, also known as Derry, the show follows the life of the 16-year-old teenager Erin Quinn, played by Saoirse-Monica Jackson. The narrative also includes her cousin Orla McCool (played by Louisa Harland), best friends Michelle Mallon (played by Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) and Clare Devlin (played by Nicola Coughlan), and Michelle's English cousin, James Maguire (played by Dylan Llewellyn), as they attend Our Lady Immaculate College.
Like Never Have I Ever, the show is extremely heartwarming and funny as it explores the strong yet dysfunctional friendship of a group of high school girls. Like Devi and her best friends, Fabiola and Eleanor, the Derry girls also struggle to find dates, while trying to escape their boring lives by becoming popular, but often finding themselves in trouble instead.
4) Heartstopper
Directed by Euros Lyn, this Netflix coming-of-age romantic comedy is adapted from Alice Oseman's graphic novel of the same name. The series premiered in April 2022 and was renewed for a second and third season in May 2022.
The show revolves around Joe Locke's Charlie Spring, a shy gay teenager studying at Truham Grammar School, who falls in love with his classmate Nick Nelson, a rugby player played by Kit Connor. It also explores the lives of Charlie's friends Tao (played by William Gao), Elle (played by Yasmin Finney), Tara (played by Corinna Brown) and Darcy (played by Kizzy Edgell).
Following the light-hearted vibe of Never Have I Ever, this is yet another sweet teenage romantic comedy that is both romantic and comedic.
5) Outer Banks
This Netflix original series is also a coming-of-age story created by Lauren Iungerich, Eddie Gonzalez, and Jeremy Haft. The first and second seasons of the series premiered on Netflix in April 2020 and July 2021 respectively. Netflix renewed the series for a third season in December 2021.
Starring Chase Stokes, Madelyn Cline, Madison Bailey, Jonathan Daviss, Rudy Pankow, Austin North, Drew Starkey, and Carlacia Grant, the show revolves around a community living in a coastal town along the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Unlike the other shows listed, this story explores the stark social divide between wealthy residents, called “Kooks”, and working-class locals, called “Pogues”. A close-knit group of Pogue teens attempts to find the missing father of their ringleader, John B, while fighting a group of Kook teenagers. Along the way, they also discover a mysterious treasure map associated with John B's father.
At the outset, the series may seem very different from Never Have I Ever, but this show also deals with the themes of love, friendship, and loyalty.
Before you binge Never Have I Ever on August 12, make sure to watch these brilliant Netflix shows based on similar themes.
