Editor’s Note: Spoilers ahead for Deli Boys, Season 1.

Summary

Brian George’s role in Deli Boys marks a shift in his career, showcasing his comedic talents in a new light.

In an interview with Collider, George talks about

George’s character, Ahmad Uncle, plays a pivotal role in the plot twist, adding depth to the storyline and character dynamics.

Brian George’s familiar, reassuring face, voice, and genuine talent have been a comedic force on television for decades now. He may be best known as Raj’s father, Dr. Koothrappali on The Big Bang Theory and for opening the Dream Cafe as Babu Bhatt on Seinfeld, George is a mainstay voice actor and sitcom guest star — performing in the classic ’90s-era Star Trek series and voicing Batman’s cherished butler Alfred. Now George is elevated to a regular cast member on Deli Boys as the industrious Ahmad Uncle, forever working for the top spot at the Boy’s ever-growing DarCo.
Deli Boys follows Pakistani-American brothers Mir and Raj Dar (played by Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh, respectively) immediately after their father’s sudden passing. As they lose everything and are forced to begin anew, the brothers must now confront Baba’s secret criminal life of crime with their violent journey through the Philadelphia underworld. The series also stars Poorna Jagannathan (Never Have I Ever) and Alfie Fuller (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel).
Collider’s own Tania Hussain had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with George to talk about all things Deli Boys. Together they discussed the show’s singular comedically violent / violently comedic tone, the joy of being cast and performing in such a special comedy, and that earth-shattering Ahmad Uncle plot twist.

COLLIDER: The show blends crime and comedy, but the food is also low-key the star. I’m wondering, if Ahmad Uncle had to broker a major underworld deal over a Pakistani meal, what’s on the table?
BRIAN GEORGE: [Laughs] Wow! Aloo paratha, for sure. My mum used to make a lovely fish curry, so fish curry. Oh, biryani everything!
Bring everything to the table and have more alliances. It’s perfect. I would love to see haleem on the table. I’m a huge haleem fan.
GEORGE: Oh, I see.
‘Deli Boys’ Breaks New Ground

“The script was through-the-roof wonderful.”

Image via Hulu

Yeah, it’s very good! So, the achar-stuffed coke plotline is so genius. I never thought that that could be a possibility. It made me wonder what was the most absurd thing when you were reading from the script that made you stop and think, “The show is so wild. I need to be a part of it?”
GEORGE: Well, thank you for the assumption that I had an option. [Laughs] No, I mean, scripts like this come along, and you just go, “You want me? Thank you! You’re actually offering this to me?” The script was through-the-roof wonderful. Is it breaking new ground? Well, we’ve seen comedy crime before; we’ve seen innocents wrapped up in more than they can handle before. But I think from the desi perspective, from these two, so American—the stoner and the business grad — to see that innocence makes the show incredibly watchable to me.
It really does. I binge-watched the show twice now. I love it that much.
GEORGE: You watched the whole thing?
I watched the whole thing twice. I love it. I’m gonna watch it a third time when it comes on Hulu slash Disney+. But there was a scene that made me laugh…
GEORGE: I hope so!

25:03

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[Laughs] There were a lot of things that made me laugh. There was a scene, though, after Baba died, and they asked Lucky Aunty, “Will you take care of us?” It made me think this is so rooted in our culture. We’re always taking care of, like the helicopter parent thing. I was wondering, was there a scene that you did with your co-stars that you just couldn’t keep a straight face because the lines were so funny, and the chemistry between all of you was amazing?
GEORGE: There were so many. I wish I could recall one. It’s been a number of months, but we were constantly cracking up. It was very hard to keep a straight face. All I know is I had a blast.
Brian George Talks About That Massive Ahmad Uncle Plot Twist

“It’s such a clever thing.”

I do want to talk about some of the things that have happened because Ahmad putting the hit on Baba is a massive reveal that no one really saw coming. I didn’t see it early on. How early did you know about that plot twist, and how did it shape your performance going forward?
GEORGE: There are a couple of things that were revealed to me only as we were in the show. I think it was [Episode] 2 or 3 in that Abdullah [Saeed] said, “Yeah, you’re the guy. It’s you.” But I can’t be absolutely sure about that.
It is very interesting to see that because you go back and forth by showing that you care for the boys, but…
GEORGE: Well, do I? [Laughs] Do I really?
You show you care, but you don’t. For the boys, it’s a gut punch because they assume everybody loves them. [Laughs] They are pampered that much. It’s such a gut punch, though. How do you think that betrayal shifts their dynamic, especially going into the finale, going into knowing that we will — Inshallah — get a Season 2, which I would love to see?
GEORGE: Inshallah. Well, you know, I killed daddy! I think it changes things.
It changes a lot because he’s on the run now. I would love to see where that goes because the two of them are getting into Godfather vibes now. So, coming after you is going to be a huge thing.
GEORGE: Which is, I think, such a clever thing to go for the Godfather thing. I think it’s great. It’s such a clever thing.
‘Deli Boys’ Is a Performance of Freedom

“This is like making a movie, a feature film every week.”

Image via Hulu, Onyx Collective

Before I wrap up, you’ve had such a beautiful catalog of work. I love your stuff, from Seinfeld to The Big Bang Theory. What is something about playing Ahmad Uncle that maybe you’ve never had a chance to play with your other characters, and did it challenge you in any way?
GEORGE: Oh, absolutely. The thing about four-camera sitcom comedy as good as I’ve been lucky to be a part of, from Seinfeld to Big Bang; they don’t straitjacket you, but there is a limit to what you can do. With single-camera; this is like making a movie, a feature film every week, and that freedom to be as real as you need to be, as scary as you need to be, as stupid as you need to be for that particular moment, that freedom is very different.
Deli Boys is now streaming on Hulu in the U.S.

Deli Boys

Release Date

March 6, 2025

Network

Hulu

Writers

Michelle Nader