Master of None is an American comedy-dramaweb 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,[4] which premiered on May 12, 2017.[5]
Conception
The show's title alludes to the figure of speech, "Jack of all trades, master of none"[6] and was originally suggested by Ansari.[7] The series later incorporated a song of the same name by Beach House.[8][9] 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.[10]
Noël Wells as Rachel, Dev's primary romantic interest. Rachel works as a music publicist.[13][14][15][16]
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.[14][15][17] The role was originally set to be played by Harris Wittels before his death in February 2015.[18]
Kelvin Yu as Brian Cheng, Dev's friend who is the son of Taiwanese immigrants.[14][17][19] 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".[20]
Lena Waithe as Denise, Dev's friend, who is a lesbian.[14][17] 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.[15]
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.[26] Cameo: Busta Rhymes. [27]
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.
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.
Season 2 (2017)
No.
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original release date
Prod. code
1
"The Thief"
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari & Alan Yang
May 12, 2017 (2017-05-12)
201
Dev is an apprentice in a pasta shop in Italy. He has new friends and has improved his culinary skills over the past three months, but hasn't quite moved on from Rachel. After meeting a British woman named Sara, the two have a great day together and Dev gets her number. However, his phone is stolen, so he and his instructor's son must go looking for it. After not being able to find it, Dev is discouraged that he may never see Sara again. That night he emails Rachel.
2
"Le Nozze"
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari & Alan Yang
May 12, 2017 (2017-05-12)
202
Arnold comes to visit Dev, the two planning on driving out to the countryside together to attend a wedding while Dev tells him he's been emailing Rachel. Before the wedding Arnold reveals the bride is his ex-girlfriend, whom he dated for eleven years. When the two arrive, Arnold breaks down, antagonising the groom and confessing to his ex, Ellen, that he is still in love with her. Dev takes him aside, the two discussing how he and Ellen are different people now, and whatever he idealised is gone. Arnold then receives a message from a girl he met online, cheering him up. He apologizes to Ellen, who forgives him. Meanwhile, Dev messages Rachel that he thinks their messaging isn't helping either of them move on. He finishes his apprenticeship and says goodbye to his Italian friends, moving back to New York, where he lands an acting gig.
3
"Religion"
Alan Yang
Aziz Ansari & Aniz Adam Ansari
May 12, 2017 (2017-05-12)
203
Dev, being from a Muslim family, must faux being devout while his cousins are visiting. While hanging out with his younger cousin Navid, Navid reveals that while he believes in God and does Friday prayer, he does not wish to be confined to older practices, such as not eating pork. Navid convinces Dev to go with him to a food festival and skip Eid prayer. Dev later reveals to his family that he is not religious. His mother is upset, and doesn't wish to speak to him. Two weeks later, his father informs Dev since they raised him to be Muslim, his rejection of religion makes his mother feel like a failure. That night, he reads a copy of the Qur'an his mother gave him as a child, and texts her. They make up, coming to terms with the others' spirituality.
4
"First Date"
Eric Wareheim
Story by:Sarah Schneider Teleplay by: Aziz Ansari & Alan Yang
May 12, 2017 (2017-05-12)
204
Sucked into a popular dating app, Dev winds up on a string of awkward, fun and disorienting dates with very different women.
5
"The Dinner Party"
Unknown
Unknown
May 12, 2017 (2017-05-12)
205
After welcoming the Jabbawockeez to his show, Dev struggles to find the right date to take to a dinner party thrown by his celebrity chef boss.
6
"New York, I Love You"
Unknown
Unknown
May 12, 2017 (2017-05-12)
206
As Dev and his friends head to a theater to see the hit movie "Death Castle", the lives of several ordinary New Yorkers intersect in subtle ways.
7
"Door #3"
Unknown
Unknown
May 12, 2017 (2017-05-12)
207
A sweet job offer forces Dev to take stock of his priorities. Brian helps his dad with a romantic dilemma. A cupcake competition judge gets cold feet.
8
"Thanksgiving"
Melina Matsoukas
Aziz Ansari & Lena Waithe
May 12, 2017 (2017-05-12)
208
Over a series of Thanksgivings from the '90s to the present, Denise settles into her sexuality and faces the challenge of coming out to her family.
9
"Amarsi Un Po"
Unknown
Unknown
May 12, 2017 (2017-05-12)
209
When Francesca returns to New York for a month, Dev plays tour guide and finds himself caught in a whirlwind of confusing emotions.
10
"Buona Notte"
Unknown
Unknown
May 12, 2017 (2017-05-12)
210
Just as Dev's personal life reaches a tipping point, disturbing revelations throw his professional life into turmoil, too.
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 100%, based on 55 reviews, with an average score of 9.0/10. 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."[29] On Metacritic, the series holds a score of 91 out of 100, based on 31 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[30] James Poinewozik of The New York Times called it "the year's best comedy straight out of the gate" and a "mature rom-com."[31]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."[32] 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."[33]
