Karl Puschmann: Is Netflix's new comedy Master of None any good?

Aziz Ansari plays a much deeper and more thoughtful character in his latest comedy Master of None.

Smart series tackles big issues but never forgets it’s a comedy, writes Karl Puschmann.

An Indian, an Asian, an African-American lesbian and a European giant walk into a bar. It's a hell of a set-up so I hope you're not too bummed to learn that there's no hilariously outdated punchline coming.

Instead this is merely an accurate description of what a typical scene in Netflix's terrific new show Master of None looks like.

Being a comedy the zings fly freely between these four friends, yet none of the humour arises from the creaky comic potential outlined in their group makeup.

Sure, the characters frequently talk about and analyse their race, sexuality and stature - occasionally all at once - but the show never milks these topics for cheap gags. What it does instead is a hell of a lot smarter.

What it does instead is treat its characters as actual, real people.

I know, I know. Put like that it sounds ridiculous, rather than a brand new, cutting-edge concept. Which is fitting, I think, as exasperated ridicule is never far from the show's creator, writer and star Aziz Ansari's mind. Especially when it comes to the issue of ethnicity. But also with all those other things too.

So really, that opening line should read, "four friends walk into a bar". Because that's the place Ansari is hoping his show will get us too. We're all just peeps. Everything else is incidental.

Ansari will be familiar to casual viewers from his sidekick role as the charmingly enthusiastic, style obsessed man-child Tom Haverford in Amy Poehler's fantastic sitcom Parks and Recreation. It was a great character and a total breakout role for Ansari. But comedy fans will know that he has been honing that persona for years through his various stand-up specials.

However, those traits were a double-edged sword. While they did work to make him an endearing and relatable comic, they also made it easy to dismiss him as slight or superficial.

Perhaps aware of this, his routines started to take on more substance. He moved away from telling funny stories about his young cousin's Facebook beef with Kanye West in favour of exploring the ever-evolving nuances of society and the deeper impact technology was having on modern romance and the interaction between the sexes.

And it's this more thoughtful and deeper iteration of the Ansari persona that drives Master of None. He's got things to say and he uses this platform to say it.

Much like the game-changing Louie, Ansari uses his show to shine a spotlight on various issues. But unlike Louie, Ansari never forgets he's making a comedy. Even when talking about the things that people generally don't he keeps the chuckles coming.

There's an overall season arc that loosely follows Dev's blossoming romance with a music industry publicist, but each episode tends to be draped around a single issue. This can be big stuff, small stuff or just stuff you have never really thought about.

The show takes on casual sexism, full-on sexism, racism, multi-culturalism, feminism, fidelity, infidelity, dating rules, planned parenthood, unplanned parenthood, love, marriage and the vastly different ways that society treats the sexes. There's a lot going on. But even with all that Ansari still finds space to dedicate an entire episode to remind you to call your parents and another to encourage you to spend time with your grandparents while you can.

I wouldn't call Master of None a subtle show. At times it can feel like a velvet hammer is smashing its message into your brain. But I would call it an important show. And that's because all these issues are important. They should be talked about. They should have this level of attention placed on them.

It's nice and reassuring to think that here in New Zealand we're living in a modern and fair society. But it's also incredibly wrong and stupidly naive to think that.

We've got radio stations encouraging women to deep throat cucumbers, we've got roast busters, we've got female politicians being thrown out of the debating chamber for revelations of past sexual abuse during this week's disgraceful ruckus over who does and does not support rapists.

Master of None won't solve any of this. We got problems, man. But it is a much needed voice saying stuff that people should hear. That it does so in such a highly amusing fashion is to Ansari's credit. Because the topics he's tackling really are nothing to laugh about.

* What do you think of Master of None? Post your comments below!