If you haven't been on Netflix in the past week, then you probably wouldn't have realized that an amazing new show just began streaming on the site. "Master of None" is a brand new Netflix Original show staring, comedian and "Parks and Recreation" star, Aziz Ansari. Not only is Ansari the star of this great new show, he is also one of the writers and directs a few of the episodes.
Whats so special about this show?
"Master of None" is centralized around the life of Dev, a 30-year-old Indian-American aspiring actor who, as the shows tagline states, "has a lot of questions." In every episode Dev deals with these questions; some are very personal and deal with his current situation, and others are evocative of larger issues in society. In the first episode, Dev explores questions such as: "Do I want to settle down? Do I want to have kids?" These real life questions came to fruition when Dev goes to a friends house for his kid's birthday party. He ends up spending a day with children and realizes it would be hard but it would also be very rewarding to have a family.
In another episode, he deals with racism towards Indian-American actors, as well as sexual harassment, sexism, relationships, and the ungratefulness first-generation Americans have for their immigrant parents. Although these issues are somewhat heavy and serious, Ansari somehow makes them seem light and adds a comical twist to these real life issues. In doing this, he is able to do what many other comedies today are begging to do, bringing important issues to light while making them comical and relatable to all.
The Logistics
The first season aired on Netflix on November 6, 2015. It includes 10 episodes, each about a half hour long. So like many other sitcoms, it is a fairly quick watch and if you are an avid Netflixer you could definitely get through the show in under a week. But also if you're not sure about the show, just give it one episode, pretty sure you will love it, but if you don't no worries, you have only wasted a half hour.
The show also has some pretty cool guest appearances including: Musician Father John Misty, actress Claire Danes, Busta Rhymes, and Ansari's parents, Shoukath and Fatima Ansari.
Who would like this show?
For me personally I was drawn to this show because I'm a huge "Parks and Recreation" fan. This being said, Aziz Ansari's character in "Parks" (Tom Haverford) is probably my least favorite character in the show; however, I have seen some of his stand-up and other things he has done such as "Aziz Ansari Buried Alive." Along with this, Alan Yang, the co- executive producer of "Parks and Recreation" is also Ansari's co-creator for "Master of None" so I figured I'd give it a try, and I'm really happy that I did.
If you like the type of humor in shows like Louie, you will probably find yourself enjoying this show. However, if you are someone who likes laugh out loud, in-your-face comedies, this will not be your cup of tea. When watching "Master of None" you can go five to 10 minutes without laughing, but then crack up at other scenes. Personally, this is the type of humorous shows I like. I tend to like more subtle, relatable sitcoms, rather than ones that seem so out of the ordinary and that are constantly trying to get a laugh out of the viewer rather than carrying a compelling story line.
Watch the full trailer for the show here and try out an episode of this new hilarious and yet very relevant new show. Who knows, it may end up being your new favorite Netflix binge!