'Our show has teeth': Jared Keeso says Letterkenny's comedy isn't safe

"We are the furthest thing from a safe comedy," says Letterkenny's co-creator and star Jared Keeso, "that's something that sets us apart." Letterkenny began in 2013 as a short web series created by Keeso, garnering a Canadian Screen Award nomination a year later. The show, now in its second season, follows two friends, Keeso and Nathan Dales as Wayne and Daryl, living in the small town of Letterkenny. Based off Keeso's own experiences growing up in rural Ontario, he is careful not to draw on too many personal details. "My parents still live there, business is still there, I go back quite a bit, and as much as it's a lot like my life growing up in Listowel, it's not directly based on Listowel," says the actor and writer. "I lived in a lot of small towns playing hockey and picked up a lot of that stuff along the way," adds Keeso, referring to the show as a melting pot.

CraveTV debuted the series in February of last year and this Christmas marked the premier of the second season. Keeso says he's surprised by the audience Letterkenny has reached. "We couldn't believe how many people from the Southern States and all over the States were really attaching to it," admits Keeso. "But Australia, we don't condone how they get access to the show," he jokes.

Keeso notes that "there's a lot of negativity" in the show. However, he and his co-creator Jacob Tierney are careful to avoid bullying. "I'm very conscious of it because it can very quickly drift into the unfunny territory," says Keeso, "there's nothing funny about bullying." But the actor explains that you can always fight back. "If somebody pokes you," adds Keeso, "you're ready with a rebuttal and your rebuttal is warranted because they started it."

Season two of Letterkenny is available now on CraveTV.

WEB EXTRA | Watch the season two cold open for Letterkenny below.

*Editor's note: this video contains expletives.