The Netflix series follows Dev, played by co-creator Aziz Ansari, as he dips his toe into a different aspect of modern life each episode, never quite completely understanding any of them, hence the title. Dev discusses his problems with his diverse friend group including the handsome Asian Brian, black lesbian Denise, and the token schlubby white guy Arnold. Ansari isn't exactly the best actor in the cast, but he has good chemistry with everyone else, especially his romantic interest played by Noel Wells, who had a brief but respectable tenure at SNL during the big adjustment period two years ago.
In the first episode Dev considers parenthood after a miniature pregnancy scare. He spends the day babysitting a friend's kids and decides it's not for him. (The friend is Polly from Orange Is The New Black by the way. I nearly went crazy trying to figure it out. I got so desperate I read the YouTube comments on a trailer which thankfully pointed me in the right direction.) The second episode is about Dev and Brian's relationships with their respective immigrant parents. Dev's parents are played by Ansari's actual mother and father, who are excellent. In the third episode Dev gets mixed up by the dynamics and decorum of communicating through text. Digital communication is a difficult thing to portray on screen and the show handles it effortlessly.
Everything about Master of None is stylistically fresh and engaging yet comfortable. The subject matter is familiar but that's the point. The narrative of unappreciative second generation immigrants is older than the main cast combined but it's never been told quite like this. Aziz Ansari is a comedian first and foremost. With this show all he needs to do is make a few observations that ring true and maybe expand your point of view. He also has to be funny, which is not even in question. Master of None is a smart, hilarious, vaguely autobiographical series. It's like Louie if Louis C.K. were as young as his audience. And a tiny Indian man. So how much will it distract me from watching Mad Men?
Mad Men threat level: 9/10
Updates:
The Muppets
The latest TV series starring Kermit and the crew was pretty highly anticipated despite "controversy" but soon after it premiered critics started tearing it apart. No one could have predicted a work-place mockumentary for the Muppets and the tone certainly takes some getting used to but I stand by the good words I had for the premiere. The jokes are excellent and the concept allows for more absurdity than the typical workplace sitcom. In the sixth episode Broadway legend Kristin Chenoweth goes on a road trip with the Electric Mayhem band and when she accidentally upsets them they abandon her in the middle of the desert. Kristin Chenoweth might be dead for all we know. No one on The Office ever killed a Tony winner except for Creed maybe. Now The Muppets is getting retooled but I think that's a mistake. All the show needs is some time to grow on the audience.
Mad Men threat level: Holds at 8/10
Quantico
Network TV has been missing a good spy show lately so there was plenty of opportunity for Quantico. The only other contender is Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. which, with some exception, has struggled to balance its espionage aspects with its comic book roots. I said before that a full blownsies spy show that wants to be a Shonda Rhimes show has appeal. Unfortunately, the performances on Quantico are just too wooden. I don't care about any of the characters or story lines save for the cop from Sense8 who died in the first episode and Eddie Thawne from The Flash but even that could just be good vibes carrying over from The Flash itself.
Mad Men threat level: Down to 2/10
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