Next month sees the arrival ofHulu’s latest original series,Deli Boys,and it’s going to give us that subgenre we’ve always been secretly fascinated by — organized crime via the medium of convenience stores. The series focuses on a couple of Pakistani brothers who’ve had a privileged upbringing but who suddenly find themselves in some deep trouble after their father dies. The series premieres on March 6, andHuluhas just released the first full-length trailer for the crime/comedy mix.
At the heart ofDeli Boysare Mir(Asif Ali)andRaj(Saagar Shaikh), two brothers who have lived in the lap of luxury thanks to their father’s success as aconvenience store mogul. But when he suddenly dies, their world is turned upside down. What begins as a battle to reclaim their lavish lifestyle quickly spirals into something much more dangerous as they uncover their father’ssecret life as a criminal kingpin. Forced to navigate the gritty underworld he left behind, the brothers must decide whether they’re ready to embrace the legacy — or get swallowed by it.
In addition to Ali and Shaikh, the series will also starPoorna Jagannathan, (The Night Of),Alfie Fuller(The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), andBrian George(The Big Bang Theory). Recurring actors includeKevin Corrigan(Goodfellas) as a local mafia type;Alexandra Ruddy(City of Lies) andTim Baltz(The Righteous Gemstones) as FBI agents investigating things;Zainne Selah(Good Trouble) as Mir’s fiancée andSakina Jaffrey(Billions) as her mother;Amita Rao(Emperor of Ocean Park) as a cosplayer with a crush on Raj; andAnish Jethmalani(Station Eleven) andMinita Gandhi(Chicago PD) as a married duo of local restaurant owners. It will also feature the acting debut ofQueer Eye’sTan France, who will play a British Pakistani gang leader.
What Can We Expect From ‘Deli Boys’?
Collider’sTania Hussainrecently sat down withDeli BoyscreatorAbdullah Saeedto discuss the upcoming series. After previewing the show’s first episodes, Hussain praised Saeed for delivering a genuine and refreshing portrayal of South Asian culture within the comedy. Saeed, however, kept it simple—explaining that his approach was all about writing from experience. As he told Collider:
“Honestly, I wasn’t trying too hard with the representation stuff and I think that’s what really helped. I feel like the person who read it didn’t feel like: oh, this person is trying to represent a certain ethnic group or educate me in some way. It’s truly just entertainment. The byproduct is that you get to learn about Pakistanis — Pakistani-Americans specifically — and our culture, our relationships, our hardships with balancing the two halves of our cultural identities and all that stuff. I think that the lack of effort of really trying to shape that for a specific audience, or really trying to like, have a mission for what we’re trying to say,allows the characters to exist as flawed, weird, kind of silly, but also, heartfelt characters.”
Deli Boyswillpremiere on Hulu on August 26, 2025. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates, and watch the trailer for the series above.
