Master of None (2015-Present)

I came late to this Netflix original sitcom created by/starring Aziz Ansari, checking it out over the summer when I had time to make a solid dent in my streaming queue.  I was “meh” on the pilot and there was some rockiness for me early on, but overall, I’d say the show got really good really quickly, and by the season finale, I was all in.

Dev is an actor in his 30s who, after making solid money in commercials, is trying to make the switch to film and TV.  Meanwhile, he tries to navigate the dating scene in 21^st-century New York, enlisting his friends help him craft his texts to prospective partners and worrying over how the stakes change in the dating scene as you move out of your 20s.

There are moments (just moments, mind you) when the humor gets a little bro-y for my taste, but by and large, Ansari and co. have created a pretty smart, relatable adult coming-of-age sitcom for the social media age.  Issues like a) feeling like your career’s not going anywhere, b) feeling unsure about the future of your relationship, and c) seeing a lot of your friends “settling down” when you’re still not sure you’re ready for that, are fairly universal, and with characters who are mostly flawed but likable, the episodes keep my attention really well.

I particularly enjoy Dev’s burgeoning relationship with Rachel (played by Noël Wells, formerly of SNL) over the course of the season.  Ansari and Wells have fun chemistry together – it really shouldn’t feel refreshing to see a couple enjoying one another’s company so much – and I like how the show explores dating in general but dating in your 30s in particular.  Season 1’s penultimate bottle episode completely focused on Dev/Rachel’s ups and downs is really stellar.  (Not to mention, this is an interracial relationship that I think plays really well.  It feels genuine in that there are cultural differences that come up between them and there are comments here and there, but it isn’t this whole big thing of “he’s Indian, she’s white, let’s see how they make it work!”)

For me, though, my favorite episodes are the ones with a particular social message to convey.  In one episode, Dev and his friend Brian try to make more of a connection with their immigrant parents.  In another, Dev starts to become more aware of feminism and how a woman’s experience of the world differs from a man’s; the montage of Dev and Arnold blithely walking through the streets after dark, set to “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” is fantastically intercut with the horror-movie soundtrack that plays over Dev’s female friend making the same journey home.  And finally, I love the episode in which Dev and a friend, a fellow Indian actor, try out for the same sitcom and Dev explores the unfortunately-prevailing “you can’t have two, or else it’s an ‘Indian show’” attitude toward Indians on TV.  But while these stories are my favorites, I think it’s good that the series varies a fair amount in its subject matter.  Ansari has room here to tell a wide range of stories about relationships, work, friends, race, family, and transitioning from a young adult to a “real” adult.

Warnings

Language, sexual content, drinking, and thematic elements.