Series Captures the Cringe and Beauty of Adolescence- ‘Don't Ever' is a candid look at friendship while coming of age in Winnipeg.

‘Don’t Ever’ is a candid look at friendship while coming of age in Winnipeg. The new comedy series “Don’t Even” stars Leenah Robinson, left, and Victoria Gwendoline as best friends embarking on an uncertain future after high school graduation in Winnipeg in the late 1990s. The series starts streaming Friday on Crave.

- By Aisling Murphy

High school graduation isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

At least, that’s the case for new grad Violet, who’s desperate to make the most of her summer following a humiliating valedictorian speech.

With bestie Harley in tow, Violet vows to make the waning days of her adolescence count before she embarks on an uncertain future. Of course, there will be stumbling blocks along the way — but hey, isn’t that the magic of growing up?

That’s the premise of “Don’t Even,” a new Indigenous comingof-age comedy series that starts streaming on Crave on Friday. Set in Winnipeg in the late ’90s, “Don’t Even” is the brainchild of Anishininew comedian and filmmaker Amber-Sekowan Daniels.

Directed by “Little Bird” alum Zoe Leigh Hopkins, who is Heiltsuk and Mohawk, the half-hour comedy offers a loving, candid look at the friendship between Violet and Harley (played by newcomers Leenah Robinson and Victoria Gwendoline), and features a surprising number of beauty shots of downtown Winnipeg and its surroundings.

“It’s surreal that it’s finally getting released,” said Daniels in an interview. “This show was picked up almost immediately; it happened really quickly. Within a couple of months of my pitch, we were in prep and writing.”

Much of “Don’t Even” pulls from Daniels’ life story — “a lot of the show is personal, because comingof-age stories are often very universal,” she said.