Mindy Kaling created this semi-autobiographic comedy about a nerdy 10th-grade girl of Indian descent. Like many adolescent comedies, she’s obsessed with boys and being cool, but one thing that sets this apart is that the cast is refreshingly full of ethnic diversity. Besides the insights into how her culture affects her family, it also provides some enjoyable supporting characters. The tone is sweet with a bit more sass than many teen shows and also includes a dark underpinning. While the jokes aren’t sitcom easy, there are plenty of lighthearted interactions and some of the best punch lines are almost throwaways. It’s also fun having John McEnroe as the narrator. A bonus: These actors more or less look their age. There’s even a dig at Riverdale, where many of the high schoolers are in their 30s. (Ten 30-minute episodes on Netflix)
(4 / 5)