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For comedians, adapting a stand-up act into a sitcom can be a quick path to fame and fortune—best exemplified by the mega-hit Seinfeld—or a merciless and ignominious cancellation. Some successfully navigate between those two poles, using the format as a vehicle for their unique perspective and sense of humor to find their way to a specific audience without the need to be all things to all people. By combining his observations on ethnicity and personal relationships with a sharp cast and the freedom of the subscription streaming model, the fast-talking and acutely perceptive Aziz Ansari hits the sitcom sweet spot in his new Netflix series, Master of None.
Co-created with fellow Parks and Recreation alum Alan Yang, Master of None follows Ansari as Dev, an aspiring actor in New York who’s coasting on the success of a commercial he landed entirely by chance. Dev spends most of his days going on auditions, hanging with his friends, Arnold (Eric Wareheim) and Denise (Lena Waithe), and generally indulging in the breezy perpetual adolescence that seems so prevalent in media today.
The “struggle” of young actors in the big city is not a particularly new formula, so its success or failure hinges on whether or not Ansari and Yang can offer new insights amid familiar storylines and plot structures. As an Indian-American actor, Ansari finds much of his material in his ethnicity and the difficulties that creates for him both in finding role models and in landing roles himself. Representation in media matters to people, and one of the funniest bits in the series involves Dev’s childhood trauma at discovering that his favorite Indian film character, Dr. Ben Jahrvi from the ‘80s flick Short Circuit 2, was in fact played by a white guy in brownface.
That focus also allows him to play up generational differences. In an inspired move, Ansari cast his own parents in the show as Dev’s fictional family, and the episode that delves into their very different experiences of life in the U.S. generates both laughs and a real sense of warmth. The same holds true for Wareheim and Waithe, both of whom are able to riff with Ansari on a variety of topics that feel genuine while still loading in eminently quotable one-liners. After a brief and honestly somewhat clumsy appearance in the pilot, Noël Wells reappears midway through as new love interest Rachel, allowing Dev to grow up a little and Ansari to offer some of his thoughts on modern relationships, a recurring topic in his stand-up material.
If the season stumbles, it’s probably in that relationship. While it does take some great shots at the pitfalls of dating in the age of the Internet, Dev and Rachel’s relationship flies through several redefinitions in the space of a couple of episodes toward the end of the season, leaving the sort-of cliffhanger ending feeling a bit unearned. Given the incredibly positive reception the show has enjoyed, I’ve no doubt that Netflix will bring it back for another installment, but it’s a shame for such a strong freshman series to end its initial run on such a comparably weak note.
That aside, Master of None adds a new voice to a crowded field, but it does so with enough confidence and goodwill that it’s had no trouble finding an audience. By tackling his own experiences head on, Ansari leaves no doubt that, quite unlike his former hero Dr. Ben, he is indeed very real and very, very funny.
