History Series / NeverHaveIEver

* DiggingYourselfDeeper: Everything Paxton says to Nalini makes her more annoyed.

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-->-- '''Devi praying to the Hindu gods in "Pilot"'''

* AgeGapRomance: Implied with Ben's parents, Vivian and Howard, as they are portrayed by Creator/AngelaKinsey (b. 1971) and [[SummerOfSam Michael]] [[OBrotherWhereArtThou Badalucco]] (b. 1954) who look their real-life ages. Ben's father is actually older than most of the parents on the show, compared to his wife. Justified as Ben's father works as an agent in Hollywood who was looking for a TrophyWife.

* AsHimself: John [=McEnroe=] narrates as himself. Later, Creator/AndySamberg narrates for Ben's [[ADayInTheLimelight Day In The Limelight]], and Gigi Hadid narrates for Paxton’s. [[spoiler:[=McEnroe=] later appears in the S01 finale, in the flesh.]]

** Ben Gross has one. Instead of [=McEnroe=] narrating, it's Creator/AndySamberg. The audience gets a deeper outlook on his character and home life.
** Paxton gets his own in Season 2, narrated by Gigi Hadid. It focuses on his attempt to become more academically inclined.

** Lampshaded again when Kamala starts binging ''Series/{{Riverdale}}'':

* TwoTimerDate: In 2x02 "...thrown a rager", [[spoiler:Devi is now dating both Ben and Paxton. She ends up hosting a house party that both of them are attending]]. She plans on keeping them separate, so they don't find out she's seeing both of them.

** Devi's Betty and Shira's Veronica to Ben's Archie: Shira is more popular, glamorous, and distant than the supposedly homely and unpopular Devi, but Ben is more on Devi's level than he is on Shira's level.

** Paxton-Devi-Ben: Both guys have Betty and Veronicatraits. Ben is more similar to Devi and knows her longer (Betty) but he was primarily a RichKid and a male AcademicAlphaBitch (Veronica). While Paxton is her unattainable longtime crush and fits the popular boy persona (Veronica), he shows to be more relatable than the beginning and has a relatively normal family background (Betty).
** Devi-Ben-Aneesa: Aneesa starts as the new girl and becomes quickly popular (Veronica) but she's also the perfect Indian girl with nearly zero flaws (Betty). Despite Devi having more Betty traits (a good student, knows Ben longer...), she displays some Veronica traits (extreme jealousy over Ben, dated him and Paxton at the same time).

* LookBothWays: [[spoiler:When Paxton storms out of Devi's party after finding out she's two-timing him and Ben.]] He doesn't get seriously hurt, but breaks his arm which [[CareerEndingInjury puts his sports scholarship to college at risk.]]

* BettyAndVeronica:
** Ben-Devi-Paxton: Despite their longstanding rivalry, Ben and Devi have a lot in common and can keep up with each other intellectually (Betty). Paxton is the handsome, unattainable, popular guy with whom Devi doesn't have as much in common (Veronica).
** Devi-Ben-Shira: Shira is more popular, glamorous, and distant than the supposedly-homely, unpopular Devi, but Ben is more on Devi's level than he is on Shira's level.

** Paxton-Devi-Ben: Both guys have Betty's and Veronica's traits. Ben is more similar to Devi and knows her longer (Betty) but he was primarily a RichKid and a male AcademicAlphaBitch (Veronica). While Paxton is her unattainable longtime crush and fits the popular boy persona (Veronica), he shows to be more relatable than the beginning and has a relatively normal family background (Betty).
** Devi-Ben-Shira: Shira starts as the new girl and become quickly popular (Veronica) but she's also the perfect Indian girl with nearly zero flaws (Betty). Despite Devi has more Betty traits (a good student, knows Ben longer...), she displays some Veronica traits (extreme jealousy over Ben, dated him and Paxton at the same time).

** Paxton gets his own in Season 2, narrated by Gigi Hadid. It focuses on his attempt to become more academically-inclined.

* DoubleStandard: In the third episode of the second season, "...gotten drunk with the popular kids," we see Trent's mom flirting with Paxton, groping him to feel his muscles and asking who he's taking to prom. She's flirting with one of her teenaged son's teenaged friends, right in front of him no less. She even jokes about Paxton taking ''her'' to prom, "lifting" her up and "throwing her down." Trent shoos his mother away, and the incident is largely played for cringey laughs, whereas the exact same scene with the genders of the characters reversed would be a creepshow. The seventh episode "...been a big, fat liar," has Eleanor's mom, Joyce, refer to Paxton as "Sexton," calling him "sexy" and "a hunk." Imagine her dad describing one of her female friends like that.

* EatingLunchAlone: Jaya Kuyavar sits by herself at Ganesh Puja. After marrying an American Muslim man instead of the one chosen by her parents, she is an outcast in the Hindu Indian community. Seeing this adds further pressure for Kamala as she realized this is what can happen if she marries Steve instead of Prashant.

* GentleTouchVsFirmHand: The now-dead Mohan was the Gentle Touch, Nalini is the Firm Hand to Devi. This dynamic [[HatesTheirParent makes Devi resent Nalini greatly]], because she thinks Mohan was her only parent who loved her and actually made an effort to connect with her.

** Devi and her friends are referred to by fellow students like Ben as "the UN" which has more lookist meaning (Unfuckable Nerds) than racist implications. Justified as they are attractive young women but live in a suburb not too far from Hollywood and Ben's father is a celebrity lawyer (which probably would have colored Ben's perception somewhat).

** In [=S01E05=], this is part of Devi and Ben's banter. She calls him pretentious and unlikable; he follows it up by saying he can't be those things because his dad drives a Porsche Cayenne. He says she has a somewhat difficult personality; she responds by threatening to punch him in the Adam's apple.

** Jonah is very friendly and sweet, helping Fabiola out and being her's and Eleanor's support system as they deal with Devi at her worst.

** Though he goes over the top at times, he's trying genuinely to help his students and be inclusive of everybody. E.g., his reaction upon learning Aneesa's a Muslim is immediately offering her a prayer rug and a place to pray if she wants.

* PopularIsDumb: The cool kids at Sherman Oaks High are all airheads. Paxton is a DumbJock who relies on his prodigious swimming skills for college admissions; his friends Trent and Marcus are dudebros who are slow on the uptake. Their female friends Shira and Zoe are {{Brainless Beaut|y}}ies. Conversely, Devi, Fabiola, and Eleanor are all rather brainy and/or passionate about hobbies and are at the bottom of the food chain; Devi's rival Ben is not very well-liked and is only proximate to the "Hot Pocket" because Shira is dating hm for his money.

** BettyAndVeronicaSwitch: Both triangles cited above have shades of this:
*** Paxton-Devi-Ben: Both guys have Betty's and Veronica's traits. Ben is more similar to Devi and knows her longer (Betty) but he was primarily a RichKid and a male AcademicAlphaBitch (Veronica). While Paxton is her unattainable longtime crush and fits the popular boy persona (Veronica), he shows to be more relatable than the beginning and has a relatively normal family background (Betty).
*** Devi-Ben-Shira: Shira starts as the new girl and become quickly popular (Veronica) but she's also the perfect Indian girl with nearly zero flaws (Betty). Despite Devi has more Betty traits (a good student, knows Ben longer...), she displays some Veronica traits (extreme jealousy over Ben, dated him and Paxton at the same time).

* Foil: Kamala and Season 2 new character Shira possibly works as JuniorCouterpart as well. Both fit the perfect Indian girl persona (especially at Nahili's eyes) though they showed to deviate this archetype (in terms of boyfriends for example). They are also considered very pretty and are/were targets of Devi's jealousy.

* Foil: Kamala and Season 2 new character Shira possibly works as JuniorCouterpart as well. Both fit the perfect indian girl persona (especially at Nahili's eyes) though they showed to deviate this archetype (in terms of boyfriends for example). They are also considered very pretty and are/were targets of Devi's jealousy.

* BollywoodNerd: An important part of the setting. The [=SoCal=] Indian-American community is very academically focused and high-achieving. Protagonist Devi's dream is to get into Princeton, her cousin Kamala is getting her [=PhD=], and Kamala's would-be fiance Prakash is an MIT alum. When Devi speaks to a college counselor, he tells her that there's nothing unique about her story as there are many overachieving Indians vying for Ivy League spots.

* DoubleStandard: In the third episode of the second season, "...gotten drunk with the popular kids," we see Trent's mom flirting with Paxton, groping him to feel his muscles and asking who he's taking to prom. She's flirting with one of her teenaged son's teenaged friends, right in front of him no less. She even jokes about Preston taking ''her'' to prom, "lifting" her up and "throwing her down." Trent shoos his mother away, and the incident is largely played for cringey laughs, whereas the exact same scene with the genders of the characters reversed would be a creepshow. The seventh episode "...been a big, fat liar," has Eleanor's mom, Joyce, refer to Paxton as "Sexton," calling him "sexy" and "a hunk." Imagine her dad describing one of her female friends like that.

* StrictParentsMakeSneakyKids: Devi and Aneese grow up in a South Asian subculture where teens generally aren't allowed to date, sneak out, or get piercings and it seems to not stop them. The latter only grows bolder after meeting "an rebellious Indian kid."

* ButtMonkey: While Devi is sneaky and a little dishonest, she gets a lot of flak. She's called "crazy Devi" by her peers, she gets [[spoiler:suspended for mishandling a moment of jealousy]], and Paxton's friends treat her pretty invisibly.

** Grown men and boys alike salivate at the sight of Kamala. Even [[spoiler:Eleanor's]] dedicated boyfriend Oliver can't stop his attentions from straying when she's around.

* StrictParentsMakeSneakyKids: Devi and Aneese grow up in a South Asian subculture where teens generally aren't allowed to date, sneak out, or get piercings and it seems to not stop them.

** [[spoiler:Devi is super attracted to MrFanservice Paxton and behaves like the standard HormoneAddledTeenager. However, she gets cold feet the first time they actually attempt sex together, due to her lack of experience and her age.]]

** [[spoiler: Devi gives a public apology to Aneesa about the rumor she spread. But when you're suspended and standing on a school bench, it won’t take long for a teacher to notice. Devi gets sent back home and finishes her apology after Aneesa visits her.]]
* StealingTheCredit: Throughout the second season, Kamala works her ass off at her lab rotation and eventually makes a major discovery. However, when it's time to turn it in as a journal article, [[spoiler:her name is left off by her asshole lab supervisor, with the Nobel-winning scientist who leads the lab being hands-off about it. Indignant, she adds her name to it and leaves the lab.]]

** [[spoiler: Devi gives an public apology to Aneesa about the rumor she spreaded. But when your suspended and standing on a school bench, it won’t take long for a teacher to notice. Devi gets sent back home and finishes her apology after Aneesa visits her.]]

** When Devi is desperate to join her mother and cousin to spread her father's ashes with them, Ben proclaims that he'll get her there in time. However, while he can technically drive, he's also a ''really'' awkward beginner who's really nervous about getting into an accident, so he doesn't so much dramatically race her to her destination as they nervously putter and wobble their way there. Devi [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] that he made it sound like they'd be going a lot faster.

* AgeGapAlgebra: Implied with Ben's parents, Vivian and Howard, as they are portrayed by Creator/AngelaKinsey (b. 1971) and [[SummerOfSam Michael]] [[OBrotherWhereArtThou Badalucco]] (b. 1954) who look their real-life ages. Ben's father is actually older than most of the parents on the show, compared to his wife. Justified as Ben's father works as an agent in Hollywood who was looking for a TrophyWife.

* GossipyHens: The "aunties" (older women) in the Indian Hindu community are all huge gossips, thus avoided when possible by others who find this annoying.

* ButtMonkey: It could be argued that while Devi is sneaky and a little dishonest, she gets a lot of flak. She's called "crazy Devi" by her peers, she gets [[spoiler:suspended for mishandling a moment of jealousy]], and Paxton's friends treat her pretty invisibly.

* CallingOuttheOldMan: Devi is disciplined for sneaking out and spying on her mother. It turns out [[spoiler:her mother was seeing Dr. Jackson and lied to her about it.]]

* StrawCharacter: Mr. Shapiro for teachers catering to wokeness.

* IMissMom: The whole series is thematically built around Devi and her mom adjusting to life without dad

* Strawman: Mr. Shapiro for teachers catering to wokeness

* AgeInappropriateDress: The principal chews Devi out for her self-imposed makeover. She's a fifteen-year-old high school sophomore in a tiny skirt and strappy heels, dressed "[[ShoutOut like]] Film/ErinBrockovich."

* CallingTheOldManOut: GenderInvertedTrope. Devi calls out her mother Nalini for [[spoiler:saying she isn't her daughter and expressing how she doesn't like her.]]
* CampGay: Jonah is not out at first, but he's highly effeminate, speaks with the classic vocal fry associated with gay men, and is dedicated to "stanning" the likes of Music/ArianaGrande. [[TransparentCloset Nobody's at all surprised]] when he comes out as gay during a party, with everyone having a "We already know" bored reaction.

* CerebusSyndrome: The penultimate episode of Season 1 really delves into the strained mother-daughter relationship between Nalini and Devi, ending with [[spoiler:Devi chewing Nalini out for the deeply hurtful words she's said about her when she thought Devi couldn't hear and saying she wished Nalini were the one who died instead]].

* GayBestFriend: Jonah becomes this to Eleanor and Fabiola. He's very camp and offers fashion advice, while never seen with a romantic/sex life (in fairness, at first he wasn't out, though [[TransparentCloset everybody knew]]). Eleanor is also delighted when [[spoiler:Fabiola]] says she's gay, as she always wanted a [=GBF=] ([[spoiler:Fabiola]] however doesn't fit the stereotype).
* {{Gaydar}}: Eve instantly discerns that [[spoiler:Fabiola]] is gay, probably due to her {{longing look}}, inviting her to an LGBT youth event. This is before [[spoiler:Fabiola]] herself realizes. They later start dating.

* LoveConfession: In "...been a perfect girl", [[spoiler:Fab]] says she loves [[spoiler:Eve]] while they're at the dance.

* SingleGirlSeeksMostPopularGuy: Paxton is a mega hottie, and Devi is super into him. [[spoiler:It turns out he reciprocates -- sexually, at least. It's not until the end of Season 1 that he realizes his romantic feelings for her.]]
* SpeakingLikeTotallyTeen: Mr. Shapiro's attempts at this are a rich source of CringeComedy.
-->'''Mr. Shapiro''': Genocide is not 100. And systemic racism is not litty. As we travel through all of humanity's most horrific atrocities, I want you to feel shooketh. Thank you. Trust. [dabs in front of his students]

* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Kamala knows NOTHING about casual dating! She has never known anything about having boyfriends and she'll only ever date the man who will become her husband.

* TransparentCloset: After [[spoiler: Fabiola accidentally outs herself to the school]], Jonah tells everyone he's gay. The reaction from all present is, "Obviously."