‘Master of None’ Season 2 and Three More Shows to Watch This Weekend — IndieWire TV Picks for May 12-14
Friday, May 12
“Master of None” Season 2, Netflix
Episode Title: Season 2 (10 episodes)
Network Synopsis: Best known for his role on the award-winning series “Parks and Recreation,” comedian Aziz Ansari stars, writes, and directs “Master of None,” a new Netflix original comedy series loosely based on his own life experiences. “Master of None” follows the personal and professional lives of Dev, a 30-year-old actor in New York who has trouble deciding what he wants to eat, much less the pathway for the rest of his life. Ambitious, funny, cinematic, and both sweeping in scope and intensely personal, Dev’s story takes him through subjects as diverse as the plight of the elderly, the immigrant experience, and how to find the most delicious pasta for dinner.
Why You Should Watch: “Master of None” is more confident in its second season, focusing its cinematic influences and inventive narrative structuring into a moving personal story. [Read IndieWire’s full review of Season 2 here.]
Saturday, May 13
“I Love Dick,” Amazon
Episode Title: Season 1 (eight episodes)
Network Synopsis: Adapted from the lauded feminist novel, “I Love Dick” is set in a colorful academic community in Marfa, Texas. It tells the story of a struggling married couple, Chris and Sylvere, and their obsession with a charismatic professor named Dick. Told in “Rashomon”-style shifts of POV, “I Love Dick” charts the unraveling of a marriage, the awakening of an artist and the deification of a reluctant messiah.
Why You Should Watch: Sarah Gubbins and Jill Soloway bring a memoir of unbridled sexual appetite to Amazon, assuredly turning the man into the muse and the woman into the voyeur. [Read IndieWire’s full review of Season 1 here.]
Sunday, May 14
“The Leftovers,” 9 p.m. HBO
Episode Title: “It’s a Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World” (Episode 5)
Network Synopsis: Convinced it is Kevin’s (Justin Theroux) destiny to be in Miracle for the coming seventh anniversary of the Departure, Matt Jamison (Christopher Eccleston) impulsively heads to Australia in an effort to bring Kevin home. Unfortunately, God gets in the way.
Why You Should Watch: There’s very little we can say without spoiling the comic and dramatic delights of this episode, but you should know by now a Christopher Eccleston episode of “The Leftovers” is absolutely worth your time. Don’t miss this one.
READ MORE: Why Do Machines Hate Carrie Coon on ‘Fargo’ and ‘The Leftovers’?
“Shades of Blue,” NBC 10 p.m.
Episode Title: “The Quality of Mercy” (Episode 11)
Network Synopsis: Harlee and Wozniak lead the crew on a dangerous mission to steal Bianchi’s secret ledger and take down the mobster once and for all. But the plan takes a tragic turn, forcing Harlee to turn to an unlikely source for help.
Why You Should Watch: Never, ever, ever take Ray Liotta for granted. The “Goodfellas” star has been delivering one helluva performance in “Shades of Blue” Season 2, and not enough people are watching it. He’s got serious sizzle across from Jennifer Lopez, as the two former friends have formed a bitter rivalry. Give it a shot. You won’t be disappointed. (And by that, I mean you should binge all of Season 2 on Hulu.)
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