By Sammi Schenkel, Film Critic.
Many know Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford in “Parks and Recreation” and as a comic with a variety of stand-up specials. Recently, Ansari released his new show “Master of None” which he stars in, writes and sometimes directs.
The show centers around Dev, a 30-something Indian-American actor in New York City. The audience gets to watch Dev navigate life, parents, relationships and the world.
From the first episode I was hooked. Ansari has created a funny cast including:Arnold played by Eric Wareheim of “Tim & Eric’s Awesome Show, Great Job!”; his best friend Brian played by Kelvin Yu, a writer on “Bob’s Burgers”; and Denise, his lesbian friend played by Lena Waithe of “Bones.” Everyone in this series is top-notch; I can’t wait to see who will show up in future seasons.
Every single episode was done so well, I can’t think of major fixes. “Master of None” hits so many subjects that everyone can relate to including dating, friends who have kids, aging parents, chasing your dreams, feminism and marriage to name a few. Every episode portrays each subject honestly, and through comedy Ansari shows what it takes to be a decent human being.
Ansari also does something that I don’t see done very well or often: he includes modern technology in every episode. He also keeps his cast and story full of diverse characters with new points of view.
One of the best parts of this show is that it reminds me of conversations I’ve had with friends, just funnier.
Another aspect that I love is Ansari’s perspective as an Indian-American in the entertainment industry and the difficulties he’s had to face in order to prove himself.Multiple times throughout the show he calls out the media industry for perpetuating racist stereotypes.
The only thing I can critique about this wonderful new show is that sometimes the points felt too forced. They could have been written to be smoother, but he’s done great so far.
I can’t wait to see where the next season takes Dev.
