Deli Boys moves fast. It starts out as a simple succession story, then it quickly evolves into a crime caper that’s also, subtly, a commentary on being brown and Muslim in America. It’s impressive enough in those respects, but above all else, Deli Boys is a well-written comedy. The fast pace helps, but it’s the characters’ ability to effortlessly quip and riff off one another that makes it highly watchable, if not downright addictive. The only downside to the show’s easygoing humor and cool capers is that the characters, though likable, lack real depth. But that’s easy enough to mine if the show is (hopefully) given a shot at another season.
Synopsis
When their convenience store-magnate father suddenly dies, a pair of pampered Pakistani American brothers lose everything and are forced to reckon with their Baba’s secret life of crime as they attempt to take up his mantle in the underworld.
Storyline
Mir and Raj Dar (Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh) are sons of a successful deli franchise owner in Philly, but when their father passes away, they come to realize that the business is just a front for a drug dealership, which they now have to run.
TLDR
This show is many things, but it’s a comedy before anything else—a well-written and easily hilarious one at that.
What stands out
Never underestimate the power of a good cliffhanger. Each episode of Deli Boys ends with a very interesting one that prompts you to click on the next without even thinking about it.
