back for a third season, his goal was to completely reinvent the series.
Another major crutch for Ansari, which the filmmaker would look to do away with this season, was the use of “cool music.” Since Season 1, music supervisor Zach Cowie had played a major role in shaping the show’s tone, and this time around, the Emmy nominee would do so again, but in a completely different way.
The relative lack of music also allowed Cowie to explore “obsessions” with silence and time that had been brewing for years, only becoming more fascinating and relevant amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. “This is something I’ve been working towards for a long time. I think a number of my heroes have figured this out—like, the more you do something, the more you learn how to say more with less,” the music supervisor explains.
Ansari and Cowie find that the relationship they share as collaborators is a unique one. In truth, it’s not common for music supervisors working in TV even to get to see dailies. But on, Cowie has received scripts before almost anyone else, and his feedback has been consistently sought out.