'Deli Boys' is a new South Asian comedy depicting two spoiled brothers unfit for life of crime
The new series “Deli Boys,” rife with humor and drama, introduces two pampered Pakistani American brothers who find themselves facing tax evasion, cocaine smuggling and absurd family dynamics.
The new series “Deli Boys,” rife with humor and drama, introduces two pampered Pakistani American brothers who find themselves facing tax evasion, cocaine smuggling and absurd family dynamics.
“Deli Boys,” which premieres Thursday on Hulu, offers a depiction of South Asian American life told through a rare uproarious lens. The crime comedy follows a pair of coddled Pakistani American brothers — highly educated, type-A Mir (Asif Ali) and hippie Raj Dar (Saagar Shaikh) — who are stunned to learn that their late father’s Philadelphia convenience store is actually a front for an international cocaine smuggling operation.
“We’ve never seen this type of person on TV before, and while we know they exist, it’s rare to see it on such a big scale,” Shaikh told NBC News, noting that past depictions of South Asians have largely been limited to high-paying occupations — doctors, lawyers, engineers — or lower-paying service jobs.
Now, with the help of their dad’s right-hand woman Lucky (Poorna Jagannathan), the helpless brothers must assume the position as co-heads of his drug cartel. (Think “The Sopranos,” but this time with South Asians who have no idea what they are doing.)
Brian George, Poorna Jagannathan, Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikhdeli in DELI BOYS.James Washington / DisneyLike many children of South Asian immigrant families, creator Abdullah Saeed grew up working for his parents’ franchise businesses. He watched as his mother did thankless work for a better life. But to create his first scripted series, the Pakistani American writer imagined a world in which an immigrant parent who, in pursuit of the American dream, had spun an intricate web of lies for their children to unwittingly unravel after their death.
Rating: 5