If you thought Season 1 of Chicago-shot Deli Boys was unhinged, the cast says Season 2 somehow gets even wilder. “I would say it’s more of everything,” star Asif Ali told On The Red Carpet. “It’s funnier, it’s crazier.”
“But we’re still dumb and that’s very important for you to know,” Ali joked.
Now streaming on Hulu, the six-episode second season picks up with brothers Mir and Raj Dar drowning in dirty money after inheriting their father’s deli business and criminal empire. Turns out surviving the underworld was the easy part. Staying on top is where everything starts falling apart.
This season introduces Fred Armisen as Max Sugar, a casino owner and money launderer who quickly becomes entangled with Aunt Lucky, once again played scene-stealingly by Poorna Jagannathan.
“This crime family needs a place to sort of… launder their money,” Armisen explained. “And I happen to have, this character Max Sugar, has a casino in town. It’s the perfect place for crime worlds to come together.”
For Lucky, the attraction is immediate and extremely questionable. “You know when you are toxic and you meet someone more toxic?” Jagannathan laughed. “It’s just like, ‘Give me one of those, please.’”
Season 2 also finds Raj plotting revenge against Ahmad, while Mir attempts to expand the family business without completely destroying DarCo. Meanwhile, Philadelphia D.A. Andrew Chadwater, played by Andrew Rannells, sees taking down the Dar family as his ticket to becoming mayor.
Rannells described his ambitious politician as “unhinged” and admitted he jumped at the chance to join the Hulu comedy after becoming a fan of the first season. “I was such a big fan of the first season,” Rannells said. “They all went out of their way to make me feel incredibly welcomed.”
Created by Abdullah Saeed and developed by Jenni Konner and Nora Silver, the half-hour comedy continues blending absurd crime-world chaos with deeply relatable family dysfunction. Showrunner Michelle Nader says audiences connected strongly with the family dynamic at the series’ core.
“This is a family comedy whose business is crime,” Nader explained. “Yes, it’s a Pakistani family, but it’s a family everybody can relate to.”
That balance between cultural specificity and universal family insanity remains one of the show’s biggest strengths.
Season 2 also expands the guest-star lineup with appearances from Tan France, Kumail Nanjiani, Lilly Singh, and Robin Thede.
France returns as Zubair, though fans apparently should expect a very different version of the character this time around. “He has found his version of God,” France joked. “He’s weirdly the peacemaker now.”
Ahead of the Season 2 premiere, Ali and co-star Saagar Shaikh also made their Broadway debuts during a special appearance in Disney’s Aladdin, becoming the first South Asian actors to make the production’s one-time cameo appearance during the show-stopping “Friend Like Me” number.
The cast is also fully on board with crossing over into other Philly-set TV universes under the Disney umbrella, including Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
“I think we would fit in both shows,” Ali said. “But probably easier for Sunny because of the subject matter of our show.”
Shaikh even pitched Raj as a substitute teacher for Abbott Elementary. “He’d teach the kids the wrong thing and get fired on the first day,” Shaikh joked.
Honestly? We’d watch that crossover immediately.
All six episodes of Deli Boys Season 2 are now streaming on Hulu.
ALSO READ:
Deli Boys returns May 28 with new cast additions for Season 2
