Master of None (Season 1-2; 2015-now)
At one look it may look like a satire of non-Caucasians trying to act and to fit in into contemporary American society. It is not. It starts with the story of four friends, Dev Shah (Aziz Ansari) as the first generation Indian American; Brian, son of a Taiwanese immigrant (Alan Yang); Arnold, a white friend who enjoys eating and Denise, a black lesbian lady and a childhood friend.
Unlike most American TV shows which put down the Indian actors as social misfits to find it difficult to blend with the American society, here Brian and Dev, being born, bred and educated in the American system, blending is not the issue. Their predicament is mostly the first world kind. Dev still goes around thinking that he is discriminated against for his ethnicity. The question is whether it is just his perception or is it just what the society wants. Being a part time advertisement actor, he goes on life working occasionally, still waiting for his big break.
He feels the bane of the millennials - too many choices to choose from! Unlike, his father who just followed the path that came his way- (Dev's father is a doctor who migrated from Chennai, worked hard, married the first girl that was arranged for him and found happiness), Dev is at wit's end trying to decide what to do in his life. He is thinking of a change in vocation, but what? He likes his girlfriend, Rachel, but is he committed to spent the whole of his life with her? He likes children but a weekend with his ex-girlfriend's kids stirs the doubt of his opinion about kids! In another episode, he discovers about growing old and the hardship one faces as they go into their twilight years.
An entertaining half-an-hour per episode sitcom which just went into its second season as Dev and Racheal go separate ways for a journey of self-discovery. Dev heads to Italia to learn pasta making and Rachael goes to Japan.
In the second season, the first episode, being done of his escapades in Italy, is shot in black and white, based on the classic 'Bicycle Thief'. Only this time, the thief runs away with his mobile phone. One of the controversial topics that he tries to cover is the issue of religion, fasting and consumption of pork. Dev and his family are Muslims and naturally, his parents want him to portray a nice image in front of their family friend. The episode ended amicably by a surah which is quoted as saying, 'for you is your religion, and for me is my religion'.
The later episodes in the second season are a reflection of the meaning of life, of sorts, and it takes on more serious subject matters, albeit in a lighthearted manner. The storytellers, in most cases are Ansari and Alan Yang, tackle plights of the minority, including LGBT, the minor religion practitioners, the hearing impaired and many more. The recurrent theme of this show is to show the superficiality of the modern society. It shows the extent that people who go to be politically correct and how much of the minority group would demand 'others' to show them respect. In their own way, they seek recognition in society. Affairs of the heart are depicted as meaningless as everyone seeks for that elusive perfect love. An entertaining show that makes you think. Life used to be so simple!
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