A man in a light gray suit stands and smiles in a stylish, wood-paneled room with modern decor and warm lighting—a setting reminiscent of the classic charm embraced by the deli boys. Another man stands in the background near a red wall with a painting.

‘Deli Boys’ cast talks season two of the Pakistani American crime comedy

Writer Kayti Burt visited the set of show earlier this year to talk with the series' stars and new guest stars for this season

Fred Armisen in "Deli Boys."

Courtesy of Disney/Sandy Morris

Words by Kayti Burt

In the first season of the Hulu action comedy Deli Boys, we were introduced to Mir Dar (Asif Ali) and Raj Dar (Saagar Shaikh), two Pakistani American brothers who inherit their father’s business empire, DarCo, following his untimely death on a golf course. They inherit his secrets too, including the fact that their dad’s above-board network of Philadelphia-area delis is actually a front for a much more lucrative and much less legal operation: a drug smuggling enterprise known as Dark DarCo.

Three well-dressed people walk confidently through a casino, with slot machines in the background. The woman in the center wears a fur coat, while the man on the right wears sunglasses and flashy jewelry.

From left, Asif Ali, Poorna Jagannathan, and Saagar Shaikh in "Deli Boys."

Courtesy of Disney/Sandy Morris

The first season follows eager-to-please hard worker Mir and pothead party boy Raj as they try to stay alive, keep their father’s business going with the FBI hot on their tails, and work together despite having polar opposite personalities. They wouldn’t be able to do any of it without Lucky Auntie (Never Have I Ever’s Poorna Jagannathan), their Baba’s longtime righthand woman who has a soft spot for the men, and far more skills than the two of them put together. The series also stars Brian George as Ahmad Uncle, Baba Dar’s business partner who has his own designs on Dark DarCo, and guest stars Adults’ Amita Rao as Nandika, the daughter of a local Indian restaurant owner whose arranged marriage to Raj acts as a cover for season one’s climactic drug deal.

Created by Abdullah Saeed, Deli Boys expands the representation of Pakistani American culture and characters on television in hilarious and heartfelt ways, while also giving viewers one of TV’s best crime comedies in years. Season two, which premiered Thursday, adds Fred Armisen to the cast as casino owner and Lucky’s love interest Max Sugar. Guest stars also include Deli Boys newcomers Kumail Nanjiani and Lilly Singh, as well as the return of Tan France.

JoySauce visited the Chicago set of Deli Boys in January to chat with Ali, Shaikh, Rao, and Armisen about why the show has struck such a chord with South Asian American viewers and others.

Published on June 2, 2026

Words by Kayti Burt

Kayti Burt (she/her) is a pop culture journalist based in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her areas of expertise include Korean entertainment and fan culture. She is a member of the Television Critics Association and the Freelance Solidarity Project. Find her on BlueSky @kaytiburt.bsky.social.