Never Have I Ever: parents' guide
Best for ages 14 and up. Rated TV-14.
A sharp, funny coming-of-age comedy that suits young teens watching with a parent, built around a brainy, impulsive Indian American girl grieving her father. Much of the story follows Devi's push to lose her virginity, so frank sex talk, crude jokes and making out are constant, and in the final season she has sex with two boys, shown only before and after under the covers. Expect s-words in most episodes and an occasional f-word, teen drinking and some marijuana, a coyote attack, and a college guy accosting Devi at a party. Her father's sudden death, replayed in flashbacks, and her therapy sessions give the comedy real emotional weight.
What's in it
Violence
ModerateOccasional realistic injury: a coyote claws Devi's arm, a student is hit by a car and wears a cast, her grandmother slaps her, and in season 4 a college guy accosts Devi at a party and punches Ben when he steps in.
Language
ModerateS-words turn up in most episodes, along with bitch, damn, hell, dick and frequent misuse of God's name. The f-word is said occasionally and cut off or swapped out in other spots, and a teen calls her mother a bitch.
Sex and nudity
ModerateSex is the main topic: crude jokes, stuffed animals used to act out positions, and a long plot about losing virginity. Teens make out, and in season 4 Devi sleeps with two partners, with couples shown in bed afterward. No explicit scenes or nudity.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateTeens drink at parties, and in one episode a drunk Devi wanders outside and ends up in the hospital. Some students smoke marijuana, a boy gives pot as a gift, a stoned teen shows up at Devi's door, and there are jokes about harder drugs.
Scary or intense scenes
ModerateDevi's father collapses and dies at one of her school events, shown in repeated flashbacks without gore. Her grief, a stretch of stress-related paralysis, panic attacks, her mother's mourning and a classmate's anorexia, which Devi spreads a rumor about, are handled seriously.
Sensitive topics
- Death of a parent
- Eating disorders
Worth talking about
Devi often tries to fix her pain with schemes about popularity and sex instead of facing her grief. What actually helps her, and what does her therapist get right?
On our lists
Similar picks around 14+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, Wikipedia. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.