Hulu’s newest series ‘Deli Boys’ brings chaos and comedy without relying on stereotypes

If you’re looking for your next binge watch that puts South Asians at the centre of its humour, look no further than Hulu’s newest series, Deli Boys. 

In this laugh-out-loud comedy, the show follows Raj and Mir Dar, a pair of spoiled Pakistani-American brothers, who lose everything after the death of their deli-tycoon father. But as they try to salvage their family business, they are dealt with another shock – their Baba ran a drug empire, using his chain of deli stores as a front.

What ensues is a hilarious world of chaos where the brothers are thrown into a life of crime, accompanied by their only ally, a family friend named Lucky Auntie, played by Poorna Jagannathan.

The show has everything that a good comedy needs – a hilarious storyline, a stellar cast, and a few perfectly crafted cliffhangers – but where it truly shines is how it masterfully balances the portrayal of a Desi family in crisis without leaning too heavily on the stereotypes and tropes that have become all too common in the representation of South Asian stories.

This unique approach is what stood out most for leads Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh, who play the dysfunctional brothers.

“When I first read the pilot, I mean, it was unlike any pilot I had ever seen because usually you read pilots and you try to find space for yourself in it. This felt like it was specifically written for us but it was just so different compared to what else we read that is meant for us,” explains Shaikh. 

“It wasn’t just a standard sitcom,” adds Ali. “It is not normal for this type of show to be made. It’s so crazy and unique.”

The uniqueness is partly due to how the show touches on common immigrant themes in refreshing ways. A Brown bad guy? Check. But to have a well respected Baba secretly sell cocaine in containers of achar? Not so common. 

Or there’s the way the two brothers represent the two sides of an immigrant child’s inner dialogue. Mir being the golden child who wants to make his Baba proud and Raj who is just trying to enjoy the fruits of his immigrant parents’ labour – a juxtaposition very cleverly presented on screen.

At every turn, the show depicts familiar immigrant scenarios, without making it blatantly obvious. 

“One of the best things about Raj’s situation is his interracial relationship. It’s rarely ever seen on TV and people get really weird about it in real life. But I just loved that we didn’t even acknowledge it. It is what it is. You normalize it through just existing,” says Saagar. 

It’s these little details that make Deli Boys an entertaining rollercoaster. As you watch the characters hilariously (and sometimes dangerously) attempt to run a drug ring the undercurrent of who they are is never lost in any scene. 

“It is the way that we are eating with our hands, wearing Pakistani clothes, how we are praying on the show. It is just us in our daily lives. But the arc that the audience sees is very unfamiliar,” says Jagannathan. 

It is this unfamiliar familiarity that opens up the show to a diverse audience. You may not understand all the cultural nuances but it leaves you hooked at the end of every episode. 

Abdullah Saeed, the creator and writer of the show, credits this to the diversity behind the camera. 

“We did not only have Pakistani directors, but we had Queer directors, directors from different parts of Asia. So it was like this effort to tell this story from the Pakistani perspective, but to also open it up,” says Saeed. 

“In America, minority communities are inextricably linked, and this show reflects that. It was an incredibly diverse crew, which was really important to us, and you could see it on the show,” he adds.

With DEI practices being a current hot topic, Deli Boys serves as a great example of how a room full of diverse voices is not only welcomed but needed when creating shows that underserved audiences have been waiting to experience. 

And the cast hopes it does not stop here.

“I hope watching Abdullah’s and the writer room’s great work will inspire other creatives to be like, yeah, maybe I should write that thing that I thought was too crazy. Maybe I should actually put that at the front of my brain and make it,” says Ali. 

“We can tell these stories, and it can be successful,” he adds. 

Stream all ten episodes of Hulu’s Deli Boys on Disney+ Canada on March 6th. 

See also: Interior Chinatown brings main character energy to shatter Asian stereotypes