After first hearing about a new show with an Indian lead, I was excited for its release and awaited its arrival on Netflix. When the show Never Have I Ever came out, I was eager to start watching and ended up binging the entire first season in one day. The show was interesting to me in many ways, and even though I can't say it met my expectations exactly, it was a start to the type of representation I have been wanting to see. The show revolves around an Indian, American-born teenager, Devi Ramakrishnan, living and attending high school in California after the death of her father.

There were many things I really liked about the show as I watched it. First, the show depicts a lot of diversity in its cast and the characters, and most of the characters looked their age, which was amazing. Second, the main point of the show, an Indian female lead, was very refreshing to see because there just aren't many American shows or movies with desi leads. They did a lot to showcase the life of an Indian American teenager, and how it is unique compared to the lives of the mainly white leads portrayed in the media. The show had very realistic desi topics of arranged marriage, religious celebrations such as the scene with Ganesh Puja, and strict parentage as shown by Devi's mom. The focus on Devi's struggle with accepting her culture and trying to fit in seemed very accurate, and although it is not something I struggle with, I know many desi people in America do. The show depicted Devi's problem as a constant battle between becoming whitewashed to fit in, or embracing her roots. I also really admired the ability of the actors to emphasize the emotional scenes, and I thought their acting was very good.

I did have several complaints about the show, despite its success post-release. Devi's dialogues and mannerisms sounded like they were written by an adult attempting to portray a teenage girl, which is exactly how the show was written. Furthermore, the show portrayed Devi as an "Indian nerd" desperate to become "cool" by sleeping with the most popular guy in her school, which is a very harmful, damaging stereotype that has swept across the desi community. Making brown people look nerdy and only book-smart is something I wish the show hadn't done because it simply perpetuates stereotypes. They also had Devi not participate in any athletics or leisurely activities, and rather had her focusing entirely on school, which is not true with many Indian Americans. Furthermore, the portrayal of the "gossip-hungry" aunties is not one I exactly agree with as it is outdated in my community; it may happen in other south Asian communities, but I personally have no experience with it and cannot relate to it.

Overall, the show wasn't perfect, and they definitely could've done more to stop the perpetuation of stereotypes against Indian Americans and first-generation desi kids. However, I believe that Never Have I Ever was a good start to Indian American representation in the US and am excited to see where the second season takes Devi. I would definitely recommend this show to others because in addition to representation, the show also deals with mental health, loss of a parent, and other topics that are prevalent to every teenager.