Interview: Alan Yang drew on Yasujirō Ozu and Chantal Akerman to find meaning in the melancholy of the third season of ‘Master of None’ [VIDEO]

The third season of Master Of None is a lesson in patience.

After two highly successful seasons, the team didn’t want to come back until they were ready and had a proper story to tell. So, they took a break. For over four years.

Upon its return, the series looks completely different. Pivoting from a story mostly about Dev (Aziz Ansari), the protagonist is now Denise (Lena Waithe) and the unfurling of her relationship with wife Alicia (Naomi Ackie). Ansari directs and co-writes all five episodes and appears briefly as a guest star, but the new season, called “Moments In Love,” is an intimate look at two women trying to find themselves as they simultaneously attempt to figure out each other.

The patience is found within the material, too. The show employs long stretches without dialogue, lingering shots of everyday mundanity and a particularly tranquil scene featuring Waithe eating a burger alone inside her car.

Master of None co-creator Alan Yang spoke with Daniel Trainor about why they wanted to take their time with Season 3, films that acted as influences, the revelation that is Naomi Ackie’s performance and…that burger scene.

All episodes of Master of None are available to stream on Netflix. Alan Yang is Emmy eligible for Outstanding Comedy Series.

Photos: Ovidiu Hrubaru/Shutterstock; Netflix

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Daniel Trainor

Daniel Trainor is writer, podcaster, son and friend from Los Angeles, California. Originally from Michigan, his love for all things pop culture started early, once using pancakes to bribe his way onto the Oscars red carpet bleachers with his mother. In addition to writing for AwardsWatch, he is an huge sports fan and hosts the LGBTQ sports podcast “Same Team.” One day, he hopes Jane Krakowski will win an Emmy.

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