

Her problems just sort of suck everybody in.” It’s a no-brainer that Kaling picked her out from an open casting call that involved 15,000 potential Devis.Īs Devi’s academic rival and former love interest Ben (Jaren Lewison) says, “You know how Devi is. This is where Ramakrishnan excels portraying a high school student for whom the world is constantly ending. And though Ramakrishnan and Barnet’s chemistry isn’t entirely believable, it perhaps serves to emphasize Devi’s self-consciousness and insecurities about their relationship that disrupts the social hierarchy. Shockingly, having a boyfriend or girlfriend doesn’t solve all of their problems.Ī boyfriend who, by the way, must be kept secret from Devi’s mom, Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan), who doesn’t allow her to date. In Episode 1, we pick up after overachieving student Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and reformed jock Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet) became official during the winter dance at the end of Season 2.ĭating the most popular guy in school - a relationship hard-launch that involves just as much slow-motion handholding in the hallway as you’d hope from a high school dramedy - has Devi “feeling truly confident” for the first time.Īnother first: Devi and her best friends Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez) and Eleanor (Ramona Young), as well as Season 2 addition Aneesa (Megan Suri) are all in relationships. 'High School Musical': Why I've 'Gotta Go My Own Way' after HSMTMTS Season 3 Devi and Paxton are finally together in ‘Never Have I Ever’ This season also appears to address some fans’ criticisms of previous seasons while still fumbling with some stereotypes.


It's all underscored, of course, by executive producer Mindy Kaling’s signature brand of cringe humor. Season 3 has it all: breakups, hookups, struggles with overprotective parents, reconciliations with overprotective parents, personal grief and exaggerated teen drama. And I’m here to confirm that it’s something that fans can look forward to seeing. The much-anticipated third installment of Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever,” a coming-of-age story about an Indian American girl living in Sherman Oaks, California, releases on Aug. Their sorrow, and the ways they try to move forward, have added an emotional underpinning to all of Devi’s kookier exploits.View Gallery: 'Never Have I Ever' Season 3: Photos from the Netflix show
#Never have i ever season 4 casting call series#
Devi’s father died before the series began, but her grief - and that of her mother, played by Poorna Jagannathan - has been in the background (and sometimes the foreground) throughout. Like so many shows these days, from “The Bear” and “The Last of Us” to “Somebody Somewhere” and “Life & Beth,” the action in the series is initially triggered by the death of a loved one. The cool guy? The dependable one? The geek? One constant for Devi, though, is her desire to attend Princeton, and whether she will or not forms part of the final episodes. It’s all built around Devi Vishwakumar, a buoyant, brainy teenager coming of age in the San Fernando Valley and torn between different kinds of boys.

It has no pretensions to be anything other than what it is: A giddy high school comedy about love lives, early friendships, peer anxiety, family pressures, and social media. “Never Have I Ever,” which returns Thursday on Netflix for its fourth and last season, is one of my favorites.
