Aziz Ansari Is the First Ever South Asian Actor Nominated for Playing a Lead

Amidst all the revelations that came from Thursday's 2016 Emmy Award nominations, Aziz Ansari managed one particularly historic achievement. As BuzzFeed noted, the comedian is the first ever South Asian actor nominated for a lead role in a TV series, earning a bid for his portrayal of Dev Shah in Netflix's Master of None.

The series, which Ansari also created, wrote and directed, was praised for its diversity and progressive storytelling — going so far as to humorously include a "token white friend," as opposed to the usual stereotype of that friend being a person of color. 

Master of None — and Ansari, of course — earned recognition in other Emmy categories as well. The series is also up for outstanding comedy series; outstanding writing in a comedy series for Ansari and co-star Alan Yang; and outstanding directing in a comedy series for Ansari, for the episode featuring his parents, aptly titled "Parents." 

Master of None will return to Netflix for a highly anticipated second season in April 2017.

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