Master of None

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For the song by Beach House, see Beach House (album).
Master of None
Masters of None Intertitle.png
Genre Comedy-drama
Created by
Starring
Composer(s)
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 10 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Producer(s) Igor Srubshchik
Location(s) New York City
Cinematography Mark Schwartzbard
Editor(s)
  • Jennifer Lilly
  • Suzy Elmiger
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 26-31 minutes
Production company(s)
Distributor Netflix
Release
Original network Netflix
Picture format Anamorphic
Audio format Dolby Digital 5.1 with Descriptive Video Service track
Original release November 6, 2015 (2015-11-06) – present (present)

Master of None is an American comedy-drama web television series, which was released for streaming on November 6, 2015 on Netflix.[1] The series was created by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, and stars Ansari in the lead role of Dev, a 30-year-old actor who attempts to make his way through life in New York City. The first season consists of 10 episodes.[2][3] The show was well received by critics, appeared on multiple year-end top ten lists, and receiving multiple awards and nominations. The show was renewed for a second season in February 2016, scheduled to premiere in 2017.[4]

Conception[edit]

The show's title alludes to the figure of speech, "Jack of all trades, master of none"[5] and was originally suggested by Ansari.[6] The series later incorporated a song of the same name by Beach House.[7][8] Ansari says it took months to come up with the show's title and he and Yang did not ultimately agree on it until all of the episodes were completed.[9]

Cast[edit]

  • Aziz Ansari as Dev Shah, a commercial actor whose best-known work was a Go-Gurt commercial.[10][11]
  • Noël Wells as Rachel, Dev's primary romantic interest. Rachel works as a music publicist.[12][13][14][15]
  • Eric Wareheim as Arnold Baumheiser, Dev's friend who Ansari describes as the "token white friend". Wareheim notes his character's friendship is based on his real-life friendship with Ansari as they both enjoy eating.[13][14][16]
  • Kelvin Yu as Brian Cheng, Dev's friend who is the son of Taiwanese immigrants.[13][16][17] An interview with Yu in Vulture.com noted that Brian represented the "onscreen version of co-creator Alan Yang, Dev’s chill, super-good-looking friend" and that he was a "hottie".[18]
  • Lena Waithe as Denise, Dev's friend, who is a lesbian.[13][16] In an Entertainment Weekly interview, Waithe said that her character wasn't originally intended to be African-American or gay but that Ansari wanted Denise's personality to reflect Waithe's own, so they rewrote her part.[14]

Also making recurring appearances in the series are Todd Barry, who plays a movie director named Todd;[19] Colin Salmon, who plays a fictionalized version of himself;[20] H. Jon Benjamin as Benjamin, an acting colleague on the film The Sickening; and Ansari's real-life parents Shoukath and Fatima, who play Dev's parents.[21][22] There have been guest appearances by Danielle Brooks, Claire Danes, David Krumholtz, and Noah Emmerich.[9]

Episodes[edit]

No. Title Directed by Written by Original release date Prod.
code [23]
1 "Plan B" James Ponsoldt Aziz Ansari & Alan Yang November 6, 2015 (2015-11-06) 101
Dev hooks up with a girl named Rachel, though their night ends awkwardly after his condom breaks during sex. Later on, Dev and his friend Arnold attend the birthday party of their friend's one-year-old son. He runs into another friend and her kids there and babysits them for a while. Already 30, he begins to wonder if he might want kids someday. In the end, he decides that for now he enjoys being childless.
2 "Parents" Aziz Ansari Aziz Ansari & Alan Yang November 6, 2015 (2015-11-06) 102
After auditioning for a movie called The Sickening, Dev and his friend Brian discuss how their entire lives are the way they are because their immigrant parents sacrificed everything to move to America. They thank them by taking them to dinner, and discover the harshness of the lives they went through. Dev hopes that this will all help bring him and his parents closer together.
3 "Hot Ticket" James Ponsoldt Story by: Harris Wittels
Teleplay by: Aziz Ansari & Alan Yang		 November 6, 2015 (2015-11-06) 103
Dev gets two tickets to a secret show and starts asking girls out. Only two respond, and the one he takes, Alice (Nina Arianda), ends up being overly aggressive and a kleptomaniac, and she is kicked out of the club. He then runs into Rachel and they have a good time, but when he attempts to kiss her, she turns him down romantically, and is told that she is trying to make it work with her ex-boyfriend.
4 "Indians on TV" Eric Wareheim Aziz Ansari & Alan Yang November 6, 2015 (2015-11-06) 108
Dev runs into Ravi (Ravi Patel) at an audition and they discuss how the majority of roles they audition are for accented, stereotypical Indians. After auditioning for a sitcom called 3 Buddies. Dev accidentally receives an email thread from the producer saying they can cast only one Indian and includes a racist remark. The producer tries to apologize by treating Dev to a Knicks game and visiting a VIP area. Still upset, Dev begins to involve an Indian advocacy group. However, the producer dies and the replacement producer goes with a Perfect Strangers concept.
Special Guest Star: Danielle Brooks as Dev's agent.[24] Cameo: Busta Rhymes. [25]
5 "The Other Man" Eric Wareheim Joe Mande & Aniz Ansari[26] November 6, 2015 (2015-11-06) 104
Dev's friend Denise invites him to a work party, where he meets her publication's food critic, Nina (Claire Danes). Nina is intent on having sex with him, but before they do the deed, Dev discovers she is married and backs out. After conferring with Denise and Benjamin, a fellow actor from The Sickening, they agree that an affair may be doable if she does not have kids or if the husband never finds out. However, one day when the husband (Noah Emmerich) cuts in front of him at an ice-cream store and buys and destroys the last special, Dev goes ahead with the affair. The husband eventually finds out. Weeks later Dev and Denise run into them and learn that the affair brought up several problems the couple faced, and Dev's sleeping with Nina actually saved their marriage.
6 "Nashville" Aziz Ansari Aziz Ansari & Alan Yang November 6, 2015 (2015-11-06) 105
Rachel texts Dev that she and her boyfriend have broken up, and to make their first date memorable, he asks her if she would like to fly to Nashville for a day with him. She agrees, as long as she would get home in time for her niece's recital on Sunday night. The two have a fun time together, but he takes a detour on their way to the airport and they miss their flight, and she misses her niece's recital. But she still likes him and they keep dating.
7 "Ladies and Gentlemen" Lynn Shelton Story by: Andrew Blitz
Teleplay by: Sarah Peters & Zoe Jarman		 November 6, 2015 (2015-11-06) 106
While working on a commercial, Dev finds out that a colleague had been pursued by a man on her way home. When Dev tells Denise and Rachel about it, the women share similar experiences. Dev realizes he is privileged just by being male, and he identifies himself as a feminist. While hanging with the cast of his commercial one night, he discusses with the director that all the women in the commercial are just there for eye candy. The director revises the commercial so that all the main speaking roles are given to the women, and Dev is later removed from the ad for not being a good fit with his new role in it. Although he is disappointed, the women are thankful that he stood up for them.
8 "Old People" Lynn Shelton Aziz Ansari & Alan Yang November 6, 2015 (2015-11-06) 107
When Arnold's grandfather dies a week after Dev and Arnold visited him, Dev re-evaluates his relationship with his own grandparents and Rachel feels guilty for not visiting her own grandmother more often. Dev and Rachel visit her grandmother (Lynn Cohen), but Rachel is summoned to a work emergency and Dev stays with her grandma. The two get along and he sneaks her out of her retirement home to enjoy a fancy dinner, but she escapes when he isn't looking. He and Rachel search for her, and finally find her singing at a popular jazz club.
9 "Mornings" Eric Wareheim Aziz Ansari & Alan Yang November 6, 2015 (2015-11-06) 109
Rachel moves in with Dev and the two have good times together and fall in love. But as the months pass, they start finding problems: their conflicting amounts of cleanliness; the fact that Dev hasn't told his parents that he's even seeing Rachel. Then Rachel learns that a work promotion would require her to move to Chicago for six months. She has a breakdown about whether or not she wants to keep her job. She decides to go to Chicago for the interview. At home, Dev starts using a pasta-maker she gave him when they first moved in together, and he discovers that he's great at making pasta. She returns and says she turned down the job, but her PR firm will make accommodations for her to make sure she's happy with them. Their relationship continues happily.
10 "Finale" Eric Wareheim Aziz Ansari & Alan Yang November 6, 2015 (2015-11-06) 110
Dev and Rachel attend a wedding, and Dev considers a life together, believing that if they get married, it might only be because it's the point in life that society dictates they should settle down. Dev meets his dad for advice, who asks if he really wants to be an actor, and Dev is unsure. He, Rachel, his friends, and his parents then attend The Sickening's premiere. Dev's scenes were cut from the film, and Rachel drunkenly lambasts the director's apathy. Later, Dev shares with Rachel his concerns about their future and asks what their relationship's end course is if they're not 100% sure they'll be happy with each other forever. Rachel unhappily goes to stay with her friend, and a few days later informs Dev that she's moving to Tokyo to salvage the rest of her young adult life. Dev meets up with Benjamin (who was also cut from the film), and both talk about their relationships, with Benjamin opining that relationship stability can fluctuate depending upon small gestures for a lasting passion. Determined to overcome his stagnant attitude, Dev makes up his mind to move to Italy and study pasta-making at culinary school.

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 100%, based on 53 reviews, with an average score of 8.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Exceptionally executed with charm, humor, and heart, Master of None is a refreshingly offbeat take on a familiar premise."[27] On Metacritic, the series holds a score of 91 out of 100, based on 31 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[28] James Poinewozik of The New York Times called it "the year's best comedy straight out of the gate" and a "mature rom-com."[29] IGN's Matt Fowler gave the entire first season an 8.8 out of 10, saying "by the second episode it takes flight and offers up a very funny, unique take on food, dating, relationships, etc (the usual suspects). Ansari is a smart and engaging presence and his perspective on things lends itself very well to this type of single-camera comedy. And his supporting cast, particularly Wells, is on point. A few episodes may have fizzled out right at the finish...but there's no denying Master of None's success overall."[30] James Dempsey of Newstalk described the show as "like a transatlantic cousin of Ricky Gervais’ Extras, another story of an actor navigating show business and his personal life. But whereas that show relied heavily on stunt cameos of Hollywood actors playing pantomime versions of themselves – along with painfully blunt awkwardness that attempts to wring every possible laugh out of increasingly cringe comedy – Master of None is content and confident to let the viewer warm to it entirely on its terms. And it's all the better for it."[31] Ansari's father, Shoukath, also received widespread acclaim for essentially playing himself, with many critics considering him a "showstealer".[citation needed]

Top Ten Lists[edit]

Master of None was included on many Best TV Shows of 2015 lists.[32] Jaime Lutz from Time Out New York has called it the best TV show of 2015. In addition, it was awarded the runner-up position by Matthew Gilbert from The Boston Globe, Mark Peikert from TheWrap, and Paste. Master of None was also ranked as one of the top 10 shows of the year by many publications, including Complex, Entertainment Weekly, Film School Rejects, The Guardian, IGN, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, People, TIME, TV Guide, Vanity Fair, Variety, Vogue, and The Washington Post.

Accolades[edit]

Year Award Category Recipients Result Ref.
2015 American Film Institute Awards Official Selection – Top 10 TV Programs of the Year Master of None Won [33]
2016 Critics' Choice Television Awards Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series Aziz Ansari Nominated [34]
Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Comedy Series Master of None Won
Golden Globe Award Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy Aziz Ansari Nominated [35]
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series Aziz Ansari, Alan Yang
Episode: "Parents"		 Nominated [36]
Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series Aziz Ansari
Episode: "Parents"		 Nominated
Peabody Award Master of None Won [37]
Television Critics Association Awards Outstanding Achievement in Comedy Master of None Nominated [38]
Outstanding New Program Master of None Nominated
Individual Achievement in Comedy Aziz Ansari Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series Master of None Nominated [39]
[40]
[41]
[42]
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Aziz Ansari Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series Aziz Ansari
Episode: "Parents"		 Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Aziz Ansari, Alan Yang
Episode: "Parents"		 Won
Gotham Awards Breakthrough Series - Long Form Master of None Pending [43]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Netflix renews 'BoJack,' sets premieres for 'Longmire' & Aziz Ansari comedy". HitFix. July 28, 2015. 
  2. ^ "Shows A-Z - master of none on netflix". The Futon Critic. Retrieved August 16, 2015. 
  3. ^ "Master of None Trailer: Aziz Ansari Gets a Netflix Show". Slashfilm. Retrieved October 25, 2015. 
  4. ^ Pedersen, Erik (February 11, 2016). "'Master Of None' Renewed For Season 2 On Netflix". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 11, 2016. 
  5. ^ Rob Thomas (November 9, 2015). "Bingeworthy: Treat yourself to Aziz Ansari's new Netflix series 'Master of None'". madison.com. Capital Newspapers. Retrieved December 12, 2015. 
  6. ^ "'Master of None's' Aziz Ansari: 'Coming up with a title is so hard' -". Zap2It. Retrieved December 12, 2015. 
  7. ^ "'Master of None' music supervisor explains the show's best musical moments - EW.com". ew.com. Retrieved December 12, 2015. 
  8. ^ "Aziz Ansari on the Music of "Master of None": Father John Misty, Aphex Twin, Arthur Russell, and More". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 12, 2015. 
  9. ^ a b Lesley Goldberg (July 28, 2015). "Aziz Ansari's Netflix Show 'Master of None' Will Build on His Stand-Up". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 19, 2016. 
  10. ^ "'Master of None' Is Completely Unsubtle, and That's What Makes It So Good". Splitsider. Retrieved December 10, 2015. 
  11. ^ J. Maureen Henderson. "Is Aziz Ansari's 'Master Of None' The Show That Aging Millennials Have Been Waiting For?". Forbes. Retrieved December 10, 2015. 
  12. ^ "Review: Aziz Ansari, in 'Master of None,' Negotiates Technology and Social Mores". The New York Times. November 6, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015. 
  13. ^ a b c d ABC News. "'Master of None' Cast: Meet the Stars of Aziz Ansari's Hit New Show". ABC News. 
  14. ^ a b c "Master of None cast reveal character similarities - EW.com". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Retrieved November 25, 2015. 
  15. ^ Shattuck, Kathryn. "Noël Wells on 'Master of None' and Her Plan B". The New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2015. 
  16. ^ a b c "Modern Romance in Aziz Ansari's Master of None". Vogue. 
  17. ^ "Parents". Master of None. Netflix. 
  18. ^ "Master of None's Kelvin Yu on Playing the Hottie -- Vulture". Vulture. Retrieved November 25, 2015. 
  19. ^ Maureen Ryan. "'Master of None' Review: Aziz Ansari's Netflix Comedy Is Terrific - Variety". Variety. 
  20. ^ Los Angeles Times (November 5, 2015). "Review: 'Master of None' a mature take on immaturity - LA Times". latimes.com. Retrieved January 19, 2016. 
  21. ^ "Aziz Ansari's Master of None Coming to Netflix in November". Netflix Life. 
  22. ^ "Aziz Ansari to Tackle "Sex, Racism" in New Netflix Series". Collider. 
  23. ^ "Public Catalog". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved September 23, 2016. Search: "Master of None" 
  24. ^ "Race in Master of None with Aziz Ansari: The Netflix show's depiction of Indian-Americanness took my breath away.". Slate. 
  25. ^ "Busta Rhymes breaks down his 'Master of None' cameo". MTV.com. 
  26. ^ Aziz Ansari [azizansari] (November 6, 2015). "My brother Aniz is also a writer on the show and got on some of my favorite jokes!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 10, 2015 – via Twitter. 
  27. ^ "Master of None: Season 1 (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 9, 2015. 
  28. ^ "Master of None: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved November 9, 2015. 
  29. ^ Poniewozik, James (November 5, 2015). "Review: Aziz Ansari, in 'Master of None,' Negotiates Technology and Social Mores". The New York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2015. 
  30. ^ Fowler, Matt (November 5, 2015). "Master of None: Season 1 Review". IGN. Retrieved November 7, 2015. 
  31. ^ "Outside the Box: Finding the funny in the unknown is the master stroke of 'Master of None' - Newstalk". newstalk.com. Retrieved January 19, 2016. 
  32. ^ "TV Critic Top 10 Lists - Best TV Shows of 2015 - Metacritic". Metacritic. 
  33. ^ "Here Are the AFI AWARDS 2015 Official Selections". American Film. Retrieved January 19, 2016. 
  34. ^ Guglielmi, Jodi (December 14, 2015). "Critics' Choice Awards Mad About Mad Max: Fury Road as Nominations Are Announced". people.com. Retrieved December 14, 2015. 
  35. ^ "Golden Globe Nominations: The Complete List". The Hollywood Reporter. December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015. 
  36. ^ "Writing - 'Creed,' 'Empire' Top NAACP Image Award Nominations; Full List". hollywoodreporter.com. February 4, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2016. 
  37. ^ Birnbaum, Debra (April 22, 2016). "'Black-ish,' 'Master of None,' 'Mr. Robot' Among 2015 Peabody Awards Winners". Variety. Retrieved April 23, 2016. 
  38. ^ Prudom, Laura (June 22, 2016). "'Mr. Robot,' 'The People v. O.J. Simpson' Lead TCA Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved June 22, 2016. 
  39. ^ Hipes, Patrick (July 14, 2016). "Primetime Emmy Nominations: 'The Americans', 'People Vs. OJ' Score, Defending Champs 'GoT' & 'Veep' Return". Deadline.com. Retrieved July 14, 2016. 
  40. ^ "'Master of None' Wins at Emmys, Celebrates Story of Immigrant Parents". nbcnews.com. Retrieved September 19, 2016. 
  41. ^ Miller, Ross (September 19, 2016). "Emmys 2016: All the winners from TV's big night". theverge.com. Retrieved September 19, 2016. 
  42. ^ "Emmy Awards 2016: O.J. Simpson Drama Dominates Emmys, Sweeping 5 Categories". The New York Times. September 19, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2016. 
  43. ^ "2016 Gotham Independent Awards Nominations". Rotten Tomatoes. October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016. 

External links[edit]

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