The opening scene of the current #1 show on Netflix, “Never Have I Ever,” is enough to make colossal waves in a pool of Hollywood diversity, or rather lack thereof. Lead protagonist Devi Vishwakumar is seen praying to a shrine of Hindu gods on her first day of sophomore year, asking for a seemingly all-American list of party invitations, less arm hair and a boyfriend.

Mindy Kaling’s latest foray into the world of high school sitcoms is the amalgamation of important conversations revolving around sex, mental health, religion and most importantly the unique destruction of Indian stereotypes. 

Around her predominantly white school, Devi and her two best friends—an aspiring Chinese actress and a gay African-American—are coined the name UN, a nod to their diversity. Instead of standing up to this racist name-calling, Devi is seen trying to do what we all are too guilty of: fitting in. 

Her failure to assimilate is what ultimately makes her experience universal. Her frequent trips to therapy are a testament to the taboo subject of mental health in many South Asian families. Devi’s resistance to going to a Hindu prayer ritual puja depict the familiar scene of a teenager grappling with her identity and religion. The genuine love that existed between her parents breaks down cliches about Indian arranged marriage.

As a female Indian-American teen watching another female Indian-American teen on the silver screen, I’ll admit it can be hard to not get caught up in everything that went wrong in the show. The mispronunciation of a south Indian food classic like thakkali sambar or the overdone platitude of a popular, white love interest are enough to irritate me of a slight misrepresentation of my culture.

As I watched the bare exposure of my culture to millions of often judgmental eyes, I felt an inner desire to perfectly relate to Devi’s experience. I am also a second-generation Indian high schooler in California, home to a family that shares many of the same values as those of Devi’s mother. “Never Have I Ever” proves many of the “true” stereotypes right while ignoring some others.

The beauty of the show lies not in the relatability of its story but rather the melanin of its cast. In an entertainment world too-often plagued by the flagrant lack of POCs and the encouragement of racist tropes, seeing a lead actress with the same skin color as me is, in lack of better words, revolutionary. The number of high school shows featuring all-white casts is endless: “Gossip Girl,” “One Tree Hill,” “The O.C.,” the list goes on.

At the end of the day, I enjoy seeing a mesh of these two cultures. It’s interesting to watch Devi experience the all-too-familiar cultural identity crisis of the relationship between the  stereotype of the nerdy Asian-American combat with a new image of an Indian girl desiring to explore her sexuality. Although it is admittedly too easy to get caught up in all the faults of “Never Have I Ever” especially for those who see themselves in it, the show represents a cultural revolution—one that POCs worldwide should rejoice at.