TORONTO — Jasmeet Raina opens Season 2 of his Crave dramedy “Late Bloomer” with a hilariously awkward and quietly radical scene: a failed attempt at sex.
His character Jasmeet Dutta — a millennial YouTuber based on himself — gets hot and heavy with love interest Rebecca, played by Seher Khot, only for his roommates to keep interrupting. The scene goes for laughs, but also pushes the envelope of South Asian representation on Canadian television.
“It’s not like sex scenes are so new. I just think we’ve not really seen them (featuring) a guy wearing a turban and a beard, who comes from a background that’s a little more conservative with their sexuality,” says Raina, a Guelph, Ont.-born Punjabi Sikh comedian.
He says the show he created confronts cultural taboos and sheds outdated shame.
“I don’t think sexuality was always such a shameful thing in the South Asian community, but throughout the years with exterior influences like imperialism and colonization, it became that. So I’m like, yo, let’s just celebrate a thing that’s very normal. Everybody does it. That’s how we all got here.”
Set in suburban Toronto, “Late Bloomer” follows Dutta as he chases viral fame while navigating his Punjabi Sikh family’s expectations.
Season 2, premiering Friday, is “love-heavy,” Raina says, and digs deeper into themes of faith and identity — especially through Jasmeet’s relationship with Rebecca, a Punjabi Christian.
“I thought that was a very interesting thing to explore because I feel like Christianity represents colonization in some part. When Christianity first entered India and had its stronghold, it was very tied in with colonization,” Raina says.
‘“I’m exploring east and west dynamics through these two characters, who are both technically from the east.”
The first season is up for eight Canadian Screen Awards, including best comedy and best writing. Still, Raina says he cares more about what his community thinks about the show.
In the early 2010s, Raina shot to fame on YouTube as Jus Reign, gaining millions of views with sketches about growing up Sikh in Canada. In 2018, he stepped back from social media to grow personally and creatively.
“When I was on YouTube, I would only show the funny side of me,” he says.
“(I wanted to explore) the stuff that people don’t really want to talk about — the taboo stuff that I’m generally curious about.”
In “Late Bloomer,” that includes a Season 1 scene where Jasmeet gets into a physical altercation with his father, played by Baljinder Singh Atwal. It’s a moment that, according to Raina, reflects the emotional repression that can be present in South Asian households, particularly among men.
“Both those guys went at each other because they just couldn’t express what they were trying to say,” Raina says.
“I was very nervous to put (that scene) out because I was like, ‘I don’t know how people are going to react to this. Is it too real?’ I’m celebrating the community but at the same time I’m holding a mirror up to it.”
The reaction, he says, was largely positive: “It’s therapeutic in a way to see this on screen and be like, ‘Oh, I’m not alone. This is something that a lot of us deal with.’”
This season, Raina directed two episodes, including one set in 2001 about how 9/11 impacted Sikh Canadians.
“9/11 wasn’t just a thing that affected Americans and Islamophobia didn’t just affect Muslims. It affected Sikh people a lot as well and I’ve just never really seen that story,” Raina shares.
“It definitely affected my family.”
He notes many Sikh boys his age stopped wearing turbans out of fear, while older men in the community cut their hair to avoid discrimination in the job market.
The experience left a lasting imprint on how Raina moved through the world — and ultimately, how he found his voice as a comedian.
“That’s when I became funny. I was like, ‘Oh, I have to find a way to get people to not think I’m a terrorist. I’m going to be likable,’” he recalls thinking.
He learned to use humour as a way to disarm ignorance and ease tension — a tactic he still leans on today.
“That’s what I think I did on YouTube and that’s what I think I’m doing now,” he says.
“Just being able to tell stories that are light, comedic, relatable — for people to look at our community and be like, ‘Oh yeah, we’re all the same.’”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2025.
Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press
