Re: It turns out that there ARE original stories being told: Deli Boys

A frequent complaint I hear on this newsgroup is that no one is doing
anything original any more: everyone seems to be trying to build a
franchise or doing a reboot or churning out cheap unscripted crap. I've
discovered an actual exception to that generalization today in the forms
of a new series called Deli Boys, which I learned about from Robin's
reports on new shows.
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The first season, consisting of ten 25-minute episodes, has dropped and
I've already watched the first 4 episodes. It's a comedy about a pair of
spoiled sons of a convenience store magnate who suddenly dies. It soon
becomes clear that Baba (the father; I believe "Baba" just means Papa)
was actually distributing illegal drugs and his death throws his
business into chaos.
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I am NOT going to say this show is on the same level as shows like
Cheers, Frasier or Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister but it *IS* original.
The mostly unfamiliar cast is almost entirely Pakistani, which has got
to give them a whole lot of diversity points with those who count such
things. The creator and most of the writers also appear to come from the
same demographic. But it's all set in Philadelphia and the actors all
speak unaccented or slightly accented American English so no one is
difficult to understand.
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The two brothers are key characters as is their ruthless aunt who is
trying to get them to pull their weight in the drug business which is so
new to the brothers. I think it would be fair to call this a farce since
some of the writing - like the fate of the character Hamza - is pretty
improbable.
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I'm actually enjoying it and IMDB gives it a 7.2 based on nearly 250
reviews.