While novels tend to take a serious view of the community but television brings warmth & humour
With a global population of over 32 million, the Indian diaspora stretches across continents, from Silicon Valley to South Africa, from London’s suburbs to the remote islands of Fiji. In most countries, the Indian community is often dubbed the “model minority”, educated, economically successful and socially well-assimilated. Each member, it seems, comes with a degree on one hand and a mortgage on the other.
On the surface, the Indian diaspora appears to be thriving, visible in boardrooms, universities and high streets. But beneath this success lies a more layered reality, a life marked by constant navigation between integration and identity, between belonging and being ‘othered’.
While novels often portray the diaspora through a serious, sometimes tragic lens, television brings in warmth, humour, and the occasional feel-good moment. Here are five series that, capture the lives and quirks of Indians living abroad.
Never Have I Ever (2020-2023)
In 2020, a coming-of-age series burst onto the screens — well, not quite screens, but Netflix and changed the way Indian-American stories were told. Never Have I Ever, unlike many shows and books that focus on Indian-origin adults juggling careers and family life, dives into something far more chaotic and entertaining, the life of an Indian-American teenager in high school.
Created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, the four-season series follows Devi Vishwakumar, a sharp, ambitious teen trying to move on after the sudden death of her father. Her coping mechanism? Focus on becoming popular, acing her classes, and in her own words losing her virginity to Paxton Hall.
While the plot is packed with awkward humour and high school drama, Devi’s experience as an Indian-American teenager navigating cultural traditions and family expectations remains central. Her struggle to balance heritage with hormones feels both hilarious and deeply relatable.
Due to relatability and the peek into the life of an Indian-American teenager, this show quickly became a breakout hit, soaring to the number one spot on Netflix’s “Top 10” list shortly after its release.
Also Read: Words between worlds: Journey of Indian diaspora across generations
Brown Nation (2016)
While Never Have I Ever dives into the chaos of teenage life through the eyes of an Indian-American high schooler, Brown Nation shifts the lens to adulthood, offering a dry, witty glimpse into the everyday struggles of an Indian immigrant entrepreneur in the United States.
Directed by Abi Varghese, the series centres on Hasmukh Parikh, a Gujarati Indian-American who runs a modest IT consulting firm, Shree Ganesh Computers Limited Inc., at Jackson Heights in Queens, New York. Unfortunately, his company is anything but thriving, staffed by a cast of disinterested and eccentric employees, the business lurches from one unproductive day to the next.
At home, things are not much smoother. His wife, Dimple, a Punjabi Indian-American and a frustrated, out-of-work artist, spends most of her time bemoaning the lack of space for her creativity, all while tending to their needy dog, Bobby.
Unlike Never Have I Ever, which leans into emotional highs and existential crises, Brown Nation keeps it simple, subtle and grounded, finding comedy in the mundane and charm in the everyday absurdities of immigrant life.
Available on Netflix, the show received positive reviews from critics and steadily gained popularity through word-of-mouth, a quiet success story driven by its relatable humour and understated charm.
Also Read: Indian-American judge Sri Srinivasan named as chief judge of federal circuit court
Goodness Gracious Me (1998–2001)
It is not just the United States where the quirks of the Indian diaspora come to life on screen, the United Kingdom has long embraced its own vibrant community of British Indians, whose stories reflect a unique blend of tradition, identity, and everyday absurdities, all delivered with a distinctly British sense of humour.
One of the earliest and most iconic examples is the sketch comedy series Goodness Gracious Me, a clever and satirical show that took refuge in music, parody, and cultural mash-ups.
Originally aired on BBC Radio 4 from 1996 to 1998, and later adapted for BBC Two from 1998 to 2001, the show was created and performed by a powerhouse ensemble of British Indian talent, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal, Kulvinder Ghir and Nina Wadia.
The show brilliantly dissected British Asian life, often flipping perspectives to show the British through an Indian lens, while also poking fun at cultural clichés, family dynamics and the clash between old-world values and modern British life.
Its sharp wit and cultural relevance made it a hit with audiences and critics alike. Its radio version won Gold at the Sony Radio Academy Awards in 1997, cementing its legacy as a ground-breaking piece of British-Asian television.
Also Read: Indian diaspora festivals: Celebration of cultures across continents
Master of None (2015–2021)
Returning to the North American continent, back in 2015, Netflix introduced a unique show based in the United States that explored the life and experiences of an Indian-origin man. Spanning three seasons over six years, this series stood apart from others in its genre.
While many shows tend to focus on the teenage years of Indian-American families, cultural clashes, and coming-of-age dilemmas, this one follows Dev Shah, a young architect living in the iconic city of New York.
Rather than centring on generational conflict, the story delves into Dev’s personal life, exploring modern dating, career ambitions, and the subtler challenges faced by someone raised by immigrant parents in a rapidly changing society.
Throughout the series, Dev grapples with questions of identity, cultural expectations, and how his background informs his choices, especially in his relationships and professional journey. Unlike typical community-based narratives, this series adopts a distinctly individualistic lens, reflecting the American ethos of personal agency and self-exploration.
Thanks to its honest, relatable storytelling and nuanced portrayal of modern life, Master of None didn’t just strike a chord with audiences, it made waves in the industry. The series earned widespread critical acclaim, going on to win three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe, cementing its place as a standout in contemporary television.
Mind Your Language
To conclude the list, a television classic that offered a surprisingly early glimpse into the Indian immigrant experience, long before English Vinglish hit the big screen, there was Mind Your Language. Premiering on the BBC in 1977, this British sitcom featured Jeremy Brown, a mild-mannered English teacher tasked with the uphill challenge of teaching English to a room full of international students, from China, France, Germany, and Spain, to Greece, Italy and notably, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Enter Ranjeet Singh, a turbaned Sikh gentleman, and Jamila Ranjha, a modestly dressed Indian woman and Ali Nadim, a Pakistani, three of the show’s most memorable characters.
While the laughs flowed freely thanks to mispronunciations, mistranslations, and general chaos in the classroom, Mind Your Language quietly offered something deeper, a portrayal of the first-generation Indians who left home in search of a new life in a foreign land.
Through Ranjeet and Jamila, we see the early South Asian diaspora, those who navigated cultural dissonance, language barriers, and the often unspoken pressure of assimilation.
Their sincere, if often comically flawed, efforts to learn English symbolise more than just grammatical ambition; they reflect the hopes of an entire generation trying to make a home away from home. It is this very struggle that later generations, more integrated, more confident, stand upon today.
Directed by Stuart Allen, Mind Your Language used humour as a vehicle to explore themes of cultural misunderstanding, linguistic mishaps, and the clumsy but genuine attempts at integration.
From mispronounced English lessons to high school heartbreaks, these shows capture the Indian diaspora in all its messy, funny, and moving glory. They go beyond the glossy success stories to reveal the real journey of finding your place while straddling two worlds. For millions, these aren’t just stories on screen they are reflections in motion.