Another fan-beloved Netflix series has officially gotten the chop. Although, unlike many other Netflix original series, Never Have I Ever's fanbase can go out knowing that Mindy Kaling's co-created comedy earned the distinction of making it past one season, and that fans still have quite a bit more to watch before it goes away.
According to Mindy Kaling’s Twitter, Never Have I Ever earned itself a Season 4 renewal from the streaming service, but it will also serve as the final batch of episodes. Check out her message below:
‼️‼️‼️ @neverhaveiever pic.twitter.com/xAaANAZWwaMarch 8, 2022
After the first two seasons garnered rave reviews, Never Have I Ever was renewed for a third season in 2021. Mindy Kaling, who created the show with Lang Fisher, confirmed that Season 3 will drop sometime this summer, and revealed that the show will end with a to-be-produced fourth round of episodes.
Narrated by tennis pro John McEnroe, Never Have I Ever tells the story of Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), an Indian-American Tamil teenager living in Los Angeles. After her father dies unexpectedly, Devi attempts to deal with her grief while simultaneously climbing the social ladder at her high school and navigating her feelings for two different boys. The series was praised for its groundbreaking depictions of modern Indian-American culture, and its star turn by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan.
While it will be sad to see Never Have I Ever go, the show has managed to successfully escape the Netflix trap of one-season-and-done series. The streaming service has made its mark on the entertainment industry with a slew of original programming, but it has been criticized in the past for ending many of its newest series after just one season. It happens even when the programs have been well-received by fans and critics alike, and Netflix rarely offers much by way of insight or statistical data to explain the decisions.
There are a few too many examples of this phenomenon, with just a few examples including Katherine Langford’s Cursed, the live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop, Kenny Ortega’s Julie and the Phantoms, and the animated Tuca and Bertie (although the latter was picked up by Adult Swim for an additional season). To add insult to injury, many of these series ended on cliffhangers, including the ill-fated Hit and Run and the hyped-up superhero series Jupiter’s Legacy. Thankfully, that won't be the case with Never Have I Ever, which can plan for its conclusion accordingly.
TV experts have theorized that Netflix’s binge-watch model encourages the streaming platform to greenlight shows that wouldn’t have made it past the developmental pilot phase on cable. Thereby making the first season a ‘pilot’, so to speak, which influences the company's decision to order more or cancel, based on the immediate viewership totals. Critical reception occasionally enters the picture, but numbers don’t lie. Luckily for fans of Never Have I Ever, Mindy Kaling’s dramedy made the cut to keep earning new seasons, at least until Season 4 is done.
You can stream the first two seasons of Never Have I Ever now with your Netflix subscription. If you’re already caught up, you can check out these upcoming TV releases while you wait for Season 3 to drop this summer. Season 4 is expected to hit Netflix sometime in 2023.
