Never Have I Ever isn't returning for season 5 - here's why

The Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher comedy follows Indian-American high school student Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) as she navigates life after her father's death, and it's been one hell of a ride since the show debuted its first season back in 2020, with plenty of heartwarming moments, romantic drama and twists and turns.

So, if you're wondering why we won't be following Devi as she heads into the next chapter of her life, read on for everything you need to know about why the show will be concluding with its fourth season.

However, beware, there are spoilers ahead for season 4!

Why won't there be a Never Have I Ever season 5?

Speaking to ET Online, Kaling emphasised the fact that Never Have I Ever was always written as a "high school show", so it "made sense" to wrap up once Devi headed off to college.

"They can’t be in high school forever," she added. "We've seen those shows. You've been in high school for 12 years. What is going on here?"

Kaling echoed that in an interview with E! News: "Unfortunately, young people grow up and you can't be 17 forever."

There's also the issue of adults playing teenagers, which can be distracting. Darren Barnet, who plays Paxton, is 32 years old, which has become a running joke among the show's faithful viewers.

"The actors get older and it starts looking insane that a 34-year-old is playing a 15-year-old," said Kaling, and she's got that right.

Barnet himself also revealed whether he could see the series returning for another instalment with new characters when chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com. He said: "Man, I'm an actor on the show. If I was a writer, I might know, but I don't know nothing."

But while fans of the show will undoubtedly be sad to say goodbye to Devi and co, achieving a four-season run in Netflix's current economy is cause for celebration.

"We got to know the characters," she told ET Online. "We really told the story of this 15-year-old girl and that felt like the perfect amount of time."

Kaling also praised the streamer for giving them the opportunity to "tell stories that you wouldn't necessarily be able to tell in traditional network shows", adding: "And so we feel good."

In an interview with E! News, she emphasised the importance of people able to chart "the characters' growth", adding: "It was a very emotional finale. I truly love this world and what the actors brought to these characters. It made it one of the best creative experiences of my life."

As for the future, Lang told E! that they "did talk about" revisiting the world of Never Have I Ever further down the line, but came to the conclusion that it's a "hard jump to make".

She continued: "It's hard to get people to care about [characters] as much as you cared in the first iteration. It just felt like if we ever wanted to come back to these characters again, we would just have to start with a whole new show.

"It just felt a little tricky to make that leap."

Never Have I Ever seasons 1-4 are available to stream now on Netflix. Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.

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