“Master of None” proves to be a Master of All

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When I think of Aziz Ansari, I picture his six year role as the exuberant government work/aspiring entrepreneur Tom Haverford on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation.” But Ansari’s days in Pawnee, Indiana are long gone.

On Nov. 6, Netflix released an original series, “Master of None”, which stars Ansari as Dev, a 30-year-old actor attempting to make his mark in New York City. The premise isn’t original- a struggling millennial trying to adapt to the big, bad city while everyone around them seems to have their lives together. Ansari’s delivery, however, is anything but a cliche.

“Master of None” is written entirely by Ansari and Alex Yang, a writer and producer for Parks and Rec. Although there are some familiar faces- Noel Wells plays Dev’s love interest and Claire Danes plays a married woman who pursues Dev- most of the cast is unrecognizable, and most significantly, incredibly diverse.

It was incredibly refreshing while watching “Master of None” to see an accurate representation of the myriad types of people one encounters in a city as large and diverse as New York. The diverse cast allows the viewer to gain perspectives they wouldn’t in a show like “Girls”, where the main characters are white and straight, with one exception.

For example, in the episode Ladies and Gentleman of “Master of None”, Dev’s girlfriend Rachel and his friend Denise discuss the multiple microaggressions they face as women on a daily basis, none of which Dev will encounter. On shows where the cast is primarily male, these issues are not brought up for no better reason except for a lack of perspectives.

“Master of None” raises many important questions and topics, such as the lack of representation of Indians on television and how there can be one Indian on a show, “but not two, because then it becomes an Indian show,” as Dev frankly recalls to a producer.

Although incredibly informative, “Master of None” is in no way a lecture at any time. Ansari’s delivery is witty, incredibly raw and relatable and keeps one hooked from the first episode. If you have a hole in your heart where Tom Haverford once was, as I did, I suggest you immediately trek to Netflix and begin “Master of None”.