'Master Of None' Hits Close To Home

I hope your Netflix marathon-ing skills have been sharpened, because Nov. 6 marks the release of Master of None , Aziz Ansari's new comedy series. It tells the story of Ansari's Dev, as he tries to navigate his way through New York City and life. While the themes of trying to figure out dating, friendship, and more as an adult likely resonate with many, they probably hit even closer to home for the star, writer, and executive producer. Master of None appears to be at least loosely based on Ansari's real life.

If you're familiar with Ansari, you might recognize him from his long stint on Parks and Rec as suave Tom Haverford, or his stand-up comedy specials (which are also available on Netflix). But the other TV and movie roles Ansari has played up to this point have been smaller parts. This is his first outing as a true leading man, and he seems to draw inspiration from his life for Master of None, though it is not meant to be autobiographical.

Ansari explained this to the Los Angeles Times, saying, "There is some overlap with real life ... Observations are based on things that really happened to you. Take Curb Your Enthusiasm, Chris Rock in Top 5 or Amy Schumer in Trainwreck. There's overlap there too. But, yeah, I'm Indian and I'm an actor, so there's definitely that." So it seems that while broader concepts or ideas stem from reality, the details and storylines of Master of None are realistic and relatable, but fictional. You can see some of that in the trailer for the series below.

The biggest draw from Ansari's life has to be his family in Master of None. To play Dev's parents, Ansari actually cast his real parents, Fatima and Shoukath Ansari, explaining to Parade, "I’m doing what Judd Apatow does, but it’s the reverse. Put my parents in the show, not my kids. I don’t have kids, I use my parents.” He elaborated on their casting to the LA Times, "But [my] characters are really important to me because every time I see Indian parents portrayed on film or TV they're not three-dimensional, they're excuses for hacky ethnic jokes ... I wanted the parents to feel real."

From the reviews that have come out so far, it seems like Master of None has nailed its authentic, humorous tone, and I can't wait to watch all 10 episodes when they hit Netflix on Nov. 6.

Image: K.C. Bailey/Netflix