Another season of Devi Vishwakumar making awful decisions, ruining people’s lives and stringing boys along like it’s her full-time job. With Mindy Kaling’s hilarious writing, soul-stirring discussions about grief, and Darren Barnet’s abs, this Netflix original series has it all.

Never Have I Ever follows the life of Indian-American high-schooler Devi Vishwakumar as she navigates the world after the death of her father. Complicated friendships, an unstable relationship with her mother and a messy love triangle involving her academic rival, Ben, and heartthrob Paxton, allow this show to nail the charm missing from the coming-of-age genre.

Season three picks up where we were left in Summer 2021. After the slow burn, Devi and Paxton are finally together. The friendship group is back together. Home life is better than ever. However, it’s not long before our beloved main character ‘Devis’ it up again. Her relationship with Paxton comes to an abrupt end as she lets her jealousy get the better of her. The self-sabotaging has started.

Indulge in the heart-stopping drama of Sherman Oaks High School

Okay, so we know Devi is not a perfect character. But who can blame her? Devi’s approach to dealing with the aftermath of her father’s death is irrational and sporadic, her grief hitting in waves. This presents the imperfect reality of coming to terms with the loss of a loved one. The way grief is depicted in this show forces the audience to hand over their sympathies to this helpless teenager. The back and forth of regret and resentment and anger and denial leaves Devi so overwhelmed that the rest of her world slowly crumbles. However, the guilt she experiences when these emotions are not heightened is the most heartbreaking. When will our main character be at peace?

This season shows the entrance of a third love interest: the seemingly perfect Des, with his beautiful face and early Stanford acceptance. Devi has finally found her person. But alas, all good things must come to an end. Des has an issue suffered by many men worldwide: mummy issues. And with that, and a thrown iced coffee, their relationship comes to an end and we return to the overarching question of the whole series: Team Ben or team Paxton?

This show is often praised for its diverse cast. Why is diversity so important in the coming of age genre? And how does Never Have I Ever do it so well? Young people are impressionable, and having romantic leads that never look like you can take a toll on your self-worth. To see a brown girl not only be the main character but be pined over by not one but three boys is deeply influential for the developing mind. Even better, the representation never seems tokenistic. Devi is more than her background. In fact, she represents a realistic view of second-generation immigrants, who often identify with their nationality more than their ethnicity.

Devi often makes mistakes. She can be a bad friend and a bad daughter. Yet, we are invested in her growth as she learns to handle the multitude of obstacles life has thrown at her. Despite her self-involved personality and irritability, the audience is left rooting for her after each episode. Just like her overbearing mother, we don’t like her, but we love her.

So what makes this show so unique? Never Have I Ever highlights the teenage experience more accurately than shows such as Riverdale and Euphoria. The drama is often petty and unimportant. There are no crazy sex scandals or widespread drug problems. The mean girls do not exist; Devi’s worst enemy is simply herself. All of this makes the show feel like real life. I admit, maybe we don’t all have rich kids and athletes chasing after us, but it is as close to reality as you can get.

If the ten-episode season is barely enough to hold you over for a day in summer, fear not; the show has been renewed for a fourth season (said to have been already filmed) and will be with us in a year. So, as England faces yet another heatwave, allow yourself to indulge in the heart-stopping drama of Sherman Oaks High School. Trust me, it’s worth it.