We don't treat audiences like they're stupid: Mr Kiasu 2.0 star Jaspers Lai on the 'dark' humour in this beloved local comedy series

When the beloved Mr Kiasu makes a return later this month to our small screens, don't expect the same comedy stylings from the early 2000s.

It's going to be slightly 'darker', but most importantly, it's going to be smarter as it's catering to a new generation of viewers.

Speaking to local media during the press conference on Monday (May 17), Jaspers Lai, who plays the title character, said: "My personal take is, we no longer treat audiences as if they are blur or they are stupid. We have a lot of smart underlying messages... I think this is what this whole series is about."

The 34-year-old explained that the series doesn't rely on physical comedy or slapstick humour for laughs, since audiences now are much smarter. In fact, some of the jokes will have to rely on the viewers' ability to read between the lines.

According to Jaspers, the humour is going to be quite similar to the US sitcom The Office.

Mr Kiasu 2.0 will also delve into prickly social issues that people may not feel comfortable discussing or may not be aware of how to even start talking about.

For example, 28-year-old cast member Joey Pink said that there will be a scene involving a person with disability who has to live with a colostomy bag.

Theatre actress Jo Tan, who plays a fitness trainer on the show, said: "It (the show) also doesn't shy away from certain issues... we actually go a bit into Mr Kiasu's insecurities and even the antagonists' insecurities and why they behave in a certain way."

Pivoting in times of Covid-19

You may find Jo to be familiar — she has been in several television productions, but she has shifted away from mainstream media to pursue other fringe projects and indie films.

The 38-year-old is very active in the theatre scene (recently snagging the Straits Times Life Theatre Awards last year for her self-penned one-woman show Forked) and is even part of a local Dungeons & Dragons live stream.

Most recently, she was in the comedy film Tiong Bahru Social Club.

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She said: "I think all of us (actors), we are trying to pivot to doing different things in this very difficult time. As you know, theatres have been shut down... we are just trying to do our best. Well done YouTubers, you had the right idea all along.

"I think a lot of the actors in Singapore, we're trying to figure out how we can make work online that comes in different forms. The YouTubers have their different niches and the rest of us, we're trying to create online theatre.

"We're just trying to make as much worthwhile work as possible to prove that artists are not non-essential."

Shifting from social media to television

There are also two other familiar faces — Dasa Dharamahsena and Mark Kinoshita. The former is known for his work on Night Owl Cinematics and the latter can be seen on Wah Banana.

When asked about the difference between the usual comedy work they do for social media and television, both actors said there wasn't much difference. The only major one was the duration of the production.

Now, they weren't just playing a character for a one-off skit that lasts for a few minutes; they had to play it over six episodes. As Dasa explained, he had to learn restraint in his delivery of the funny bits so they can be stretched out.

As for Mark, the longer format also meant that each punchline had a beat for the characters (and the viewers) to react.

He admitted: "I think we didn't really look at the challenges hor, Das? We were just having fun."

"We were misbehaving a lot on set lah, let's just be honest," Das quipped.

Mr Kiasu 2.0 premieres on meWATCH on May 28.

ALSO READ: 'Why are you leading kids astray?': Mark Lee and Jaspers Lai on drag queens and their Golden Horse-nominated Number 1 on E-Junkies

bryanlim@asiaone.com