Where to Stream: Master Of None

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This past year has been epic for brown entertainers: news broke that Mindy Kaling would be starring in Oceans 8 and creating a new network comedy, Riz Ahmed has been appearing in everything from Star Wars to Girls, and Priyanka Chopra is the newest “it” girl in Hollywood. Hell, we even had an Indian contestant on The Bachelorette this season! When four of the hottest names took a picture at the Met Ball—a group that comedian Hasan Minhaj aptly named “Brilluminatti”— the Internet exploded. The picture is still my Facebook cover photo.

It’s clear that South Asians are having a moment, finally being cast in complex and interesting roles after years of being on the sidelines. Streaming giant Netflix has been a major contributor to the trend via their original content. Earlier this year, CEO Reed Hastings even announced a partnership with Shah Rukh Khan, one of Bollywood’s biggest names, to distribute films from his production company Red Chillies. In a statement, Hastings said, “…working with some of India’s top artists, we cannot wait to bring more locally produced series and films to our more than 93 million members’ households around the world.” While the vision to expand to India is business-based, it also serves to satisfy millions of South Asian diaspora.

The company is known for reviving beloved nostalgic shows (hi, Gilmore Girls), but they’ve also committed themselves to niche artistry. Not only in casting, but also in greenlighting shows with diverse storylines, Netflix is giving artistic license to South Asian creators. “We are working as hard as we can to make sure that television is diverse in front of and behind the camera,” said Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, and whether they are involved in development and production or solely in distribution, Netflix is dedicated to explicitly exploring and discussing real immigrant and minority stories by giving a platform to artists of different backgrounds.

One of the most talked about examples is the Netflix original series Master of None, co-created by and starring comedian Aziz Ansari. Master of None‘s first season was revolutionary; in the Emmy-winning episode “Parents,” Ansari and co-creator Alan Yang wrote an ode to immigrant parents that prompted most of us second-generation kids to pick up a phone and call our folks. Master of None even got academic on us by tackling representation in the first season’s “Indians on TV” and faith in the second season’s “Religion.” Ansari and Yang forced discussion within the community as well as outside of it, and Ansari has gone on record about Netflix’s commitment to the stories they wanted to tell, stating, “Netflix was enthusiastic….They believed in us.” At a time when the only South Asian lead on television was Mindy Kaling on The Mindy Project, it was a huge step forward for Netflix to showcase Ansari’s vision and the paths of life that aren’t normally given a voice.

The lesser known South Asian-focused and Netflix-distributed comedy Brown Nation is more slapstick and less stylized than Master of None, but still puts the immigrant experience at the center of the action. Featuring a more dysfunctional “fresh-off-the-boat”-style family, Brown Nation is more closely tied to the parents’ generation on Master of None rather than the second-generation’s experiences, and in turn provides an entirely unique view that NBC’s Outsourced tried to tap into a few years ago. Creator Abi Varghese was actually approached by Netflix, and even though they weren’t involved in production, their decision to pick the comedy up for distribution plays directly into their vision to expand and appeal to South Asian audiences by being an outlet for their stories.

Netflix has allowed brown comedians to carve out a space for themselves not only in scripted programs, but also in comedy specials. Prior to Master of None, Netflix produced two of Ansari’s standup specials —Buried Alive and Live at Madison Square Garden— which featured material from his Modern Romance tour. In 2017 itself, the streaming service has released Hasan Minhaj’s excellent Homecoming King, based on a one-man show that Minhaj toured across the country, and India-based comedian Vir Das’s special Abroad Understanding. Both comedians funnily harp on a similar line of brown pride (“once you go brown…”), but their approaches and execution couldn’t be more different: Homecoming King tackles tough topics like covert racism and discrimination, while also making immigrant stories relatable for all audiences by leaning on Minhaj’s trademark charm; Abroad Understanding swings in the opposite direction, crafting a standup set around the current events and stereotypes.

Much has been said about Netflix’s domination in content creation, and it has no doubt fueled their commitment to diversity. While rival Amazon Video signed deals with 14 Indian comedians, Das is arguably one of the largest names in the Indian subcontinent and his special is—dare I say—special as the first Netflix original from India. The ball is continuing to roll as Netflix signed Aditi Mittal (notably the only Indian female currently involved in discussions with either Netflix or Amazon) for her own special that will be released in July 2017.

The streaming service only launched in India in 2016, but Netflix is wasting no time: a new scripted show based on the best-selling novel Sacred Games by Indian author Vikram Chandra is in development and will be filmed on location in India. Erik Barmack, Vice President of Netflix’s International Original Content department, said, “Sacred Games reinforces our commitment to bring the authenticity of local stories to Netflix members across 190 countries worldwide.” Authenticity starts at the local level, and it’s promising that Netflix is taking the necessary steps to deliver on that promise.

All of this is to say that Netflix has shown their commitment to reaching brown audiences around the world. Whether it’s their deep pockets or their investment in colorblind artistry—most likely a combination of the two—Netflix has paved a way into the South Asian zeitgeist, capturing audiences both in the United States and abroad. With a nation of 1.3 billion people and a diaspora of over 16 million, it feels wrong to give Indian content the label of “minority programming.” But, even if it is, Netflix is making a case that it can be enjoyed by everyone. As it should be.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer living in New York City. Her work has appeared on The TV Addict, Brown Girl Magazine, Breadcrumbs Mag and Syndicated Magazine. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.

Watch Master Of None on Netflix