When “Deli Boys” first started production, star Saagar Shaikh expected the Hulu series — which follows two pampered brothers who take the reins of their dad’s empire of drug-front convenience stores — to feel akin to darker fare like “Breaking Bad” or “Succession.” Instead, the Onyx Collective series dialed up the laughs, blending genres to lock into its distinct tone.

“There is so much heart to the show. There’s so much drama to it, but all of it is seasoned with comedy all over the place,” Shaikh, who stars in “Deli Boys” alongside Asif Ali and Poorna Jagannathan, told TheWrap for our latest digital cover.

“We started off as ‘Succession,’ and then we ended up as ‘Three Stooges,'” Jagannathan added, noting “for context” that creator Abdullah Saeed was behind a series called “Bong Appétit,” where he hosted extravagant cannabis-infused meals. “I’ve never been given a carte blanche on this level of physical comedy,...