Master of None Season 2 Premiere Date Revealed

Netflix finally lets us know when to expect the next season of Aziz Ansari’s Master of None – and it’s just in time for this year’s Emmys.

As far as drama series go, Netflix has a rather shaky track record. It is home to House of Cards and Jessica Jones, but also Bloodline (a show that someone apparently watches) and, now, Iron Fist. Even Orange Is the New Black no longer draws the buzz it once did, despite continued critical praise and awards attention. Stranger Things was fun for a season, but it could easily fall victim to the sophomore slump.

Where Netflix really flourishes is in half-hour comedies. At first glance, Master of None looks square compared to the likes of Bojack Horseman and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Yet creator, writer, and star Aziz Ansari imbued it with a unique fusion of observational wit and earnest soul-searching, turning the traditional sitcom format into something not only fresh but hip. Its initial 10 episodes were as promising a debut as any.

Soon, we can see if Ansari fulfills that promise. Netflix announced Wednesday that Master of None will return on May 12, sneaking into the 2017 Emmys eligibility period, which ends May 31.

A brief promo video accompanied the news – our first peek at the upcoming season. You can watch it below:

There isn’t a whole lot to decipher from a 15-second clip of two dudes riding on mopeds. But it appears that season 2 will pick up where season 1 left off, with Ansari’s aimless comedian Dev Shah roaming Italy. Whether he followed through on his plans to attend pasta school isn’t clear.

Dev’s companion is Arnold Baumheiser, his “token white friend” played by Eric Wareheim, who directed episodes of season 1. Also returning are Brian (Kelvin Yu), Denise (Lena Waithe), and Dev’s parents, played by Ansari’s real-life parents, Shoukath and Fatima Ansari. Angela Bassett, in what will presumably be a 180°-turn from American Horror Story, joins the cast as Denise’s mom.

With part of the new season taking place across the Atlantic Ocean, we wonder if Master of None will continue its send-up of Hollywood. The season one finale implied that Dev has given up on his acting career, but the show drew much of funniest, sharpest material from Ansari’s insider knowledge of show business (see the stellar episode “Indians on TV”). We would love to see more of that.

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Master of None received several Primetime Emmy Award nominations for its freshman season. Ansari, co-creator Alan Yang, and Samuel Valle won for writing the episode “Parents”.