I have a soft spot for comedies that add a dash of chaos into the mix. There’s something endlessly charming about a series attempting to mask its flaws with wild comic energy. At its best, you get shows like Community or The Good Place that use the chaos to further develop characters. Deli Boys is the latest show to follow this madcap blueprint with hilarious results.
The series follows Mir (Asif Ali) and Raj (Saagar Shaikh) sons of the multimillionaire owner of a popular chain of delis. The brothers are polar opposites in the vein of The Odd Couple. Mir is a hardworking member of DarCo, the corporate arm of their father’s empire. Raj is a party boy with a sex cabal and a shaman who knows just what combo of drugs he needs. Forced to work together in the wake of their father’s demise, the brothers discover DarCo is a front for a vast criminal enterprise. Together with their father’s closest confidante Lucky (Poorna Jagannathan), they must juggle the criminal and public-facing aspects of the company.
Deli Boys takes many story cues from other crime capers. The pilot follows the Breaking Bad method of introducing us to our duo in a dangerous situation before looping back to at the episode’s end. The show features plot twists you’ll likely see coming if you have a passing knowledge of these types of stories. That the show succeeds despite the predictable plot is largely thanks to the writers’ knack for taking criminal cliches and turning them into a comedy playground. The story is merely our way of getting from one comic set piece to the next.
Of course, none of this would work nearly as well without a game cast. Ali and Shaikh prove to be an incredible comedic duo, finding new ways to bounce off each other as their situation grows more intense. They are a reliable foundation for the show’s comedy, but the actual star of the show is Poorna Jagannathan. Lucky Auntie, the name bestowed to her by the brothers, is the show’s comic weapon. Jagannathan makes a meal out of every scene. Whether she’s trading barbs with a criminal rival or cursing the ineptitude of our heroes, every moment sings.
Deli Boys’ lack of depth may lose it a few points, but the show is such a force of chaotic energy that it still charms. The plot and characters likely won’t hook you, but the rapid-fire dialogue and bloody comic set pieces just might. Despite its potentially dark subject matter, this is a light and breezy watch that begs you to laugh at the absurdity of it all. In other words, it’s a welcome distraction.
Deli Boys is currently streaming on Hulu.