“Master of None” is not the typical Netflix series. Its second season was not announced in a surprise Super Bowl commercial. There aren’t parties held to binge the newest episodes.
When “Master of None” was initially released, there was a quiet, small audience that sat down to watch; they told their friends about it, and those friends told their friends. That word of mouth has led here. Me telling you that you’ve been skipping over one of the best shows on Netflix since 2015.
“Master of None” is the brainchild of Alan Yang and Aziz Ansari, the latter of whom also stars in the series. Both men are probably best known for their work together on the series “Parks and Recreation” where Yang worked as a writer and director on several episodes and Ansari starred as Pawnee, Indiana’s resident entrepreneur Tom Haverford. Together, both men cowrite seven of “Master of None’s” 10 episodes.
Ansari’s patented form of high energy and offbeat humor from “Parks and Rec” returns in full force. “Master of None” follows Ansari as Dev Shah, an actor who’s finally worked his way up from commercials to his first major film role in “The Sickening.” Episodes follow Dev’s everyday life and the weirdness that comes with living in New York, the struggles of being an actor who hasn’t yet made a name for himself and trying to maintain a healthy relationship.
It’s easy to compare “Master of None” to “Louie,” and, in a lot of ways, they are very similar. Both are shows created by comedians that follow a vague and hilarious portrait of their own lives with excellent cinematography. But “Master of None” differentiates itself by following a man in his early 30’s. Dev doesn’t have kids, he doesn’t even know if he wants any and he’s just beginning to question if he went down the right path.
In case you didn’t realize, this show is perfect for college students, especially seniors getting ready to enter this world.
“Master of None” offers Netflix something it doesn’t have: A comedy that is as stylish as it is funny. Strangely enough, this oddball comedy has a cinematic feel that a lot of films struggle to replicate.
“Master of None” is a classic that will only get finer, and more popular, with age. It may never get a Super Bowl commercial, but “Master of None” is easily one of Netflix’s best shows.
