Original Content podcast: Netflix’s ‘Never Have I Ever’ turns teenage pain into comedic bliss

“Never Have I Ever” is a new Netflix comedy created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, loosely based on Kaling’s own teenage years.

The show focuses on Devi (played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), who’s desperately hoping for a good sophomore year after the sudden death of her father — cue the awkward attempts to get a boyfriend, to lose her virginity and to become one of the cool kids at school.

On the latest episode of the Original Content podcast, we’re joined by TechCrunch writer Natasha Mascrenhas to review the show. While some of us had some trouble getting into the first episode (the oddball voiceover narration by tennis legend John McEnroe may have been a factor), we all ended up loving it — the inventive humor, the impressive supporting cast and the deft mixing of laughs with emotionally affecting storylines.

We were particularly happy to see an Indian American coming-of-age story that wasn’t solely focused on assimilation, and that didn’t paint Indian culture solely as a repressive force that needs to be escaped. Instead, it suggests that second generation kids can have a more complicated relationship with their immigrant parents’ culture.

We also discuss a recent interview with Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzeberg, in which he blames “everything that has gone wrong” with the service’s launch on coronavirus.

You can listen to our review in the player below, subscribe using Apple Podcasts or find us in your podcast player of choice. If you like the show, please let us know by leaving a review on Apple. You can also send us feedback directly. (Or suggest shows and movies for us to review!)

If you’d like to skip ahead, here’s how the episode beaks down:
0:00 Intro
0:46 Quibi discussion
11:44 “Never Have I Ever” review
33:47 “Never Have I Ever” spoiler discussion