Reinventing Jus Reign: How Jasmeet Raina blossoms in new TV series "Late Bloomer"
“Where did Jus Reign go?”
It’s been a common question circulating social media for the past few years, as fans of the Canadian YouTube sensation questioned why he disappeared from the internet in 2018.
At the time, Jasmeet Raina – known by his internet name Jus Reign – was at the peak of his success, with nearly one million YouTube subscribers and a roster of videos garnering millions of views.
Known for his videos like “Desi Parents and School” and “Brown People Try White People Food,” Raina’s fans loved him for his relatable and hilarious content about being a young, first-generation Punjabi Sikh Canadian.
What made the Guelph, Ontario, native so likeable was his ability to connect with the South Asian diaspora and beyond.
Although he made videos about his cultural and religious identity, the themes Raina explored about the first-generation immigrant experience were relatable to many others, regardless of their background.
Then, one day, Jus Reign was gone.
The videos stopped, his Instagram went dark, and any trace of his regular online appearances ceased.
Initially, Raina’s loyal fan base didn’t seem too worried. Maybe he needed a mental health break from social media. Or perhaps he wanted some time away to work on new video ideas.
But as time passed, questions and rumours about why Raina ghosted the internet began circulating on social media.
There were even multiple Reddit threads with folks theorizing why he stopped making content.
Any hint of Raina reappearing on social media gave his fans hope that Jus Reign would soon return.
Meme accounts were trying to track his online activity, posting in celebration when he reactivated his Instagram account over two years ago.
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It’s been just over five years of silence from Raina, and now he has finally returned.
This time, he’s reintroducing himself as Jasmeet in his new eight-part Crave television series, Late Bloomer, which he created, produced, and stars in.
There’s more to Jasmeet Raina than Jus Reign.
The series is a reflection of Raina’s own life experiences — the ones his fans perhaps didn’t see or fully understand when he was creating content as Jus Reign.
Jasmeet Dutta (played by Raina) is a budding video content creator living with his parents and sister and trying to turn his passion into a successful job.
But when he turns off his laptop, he’s faced with the complexities of being a 20-something Brown guy trying to navigate his career, family, faith, relationships, cultural expectations, and the pressure to succeed.
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The show masterfully explores the theme of duality; what Raina portrays as the internet version of himself isn’t necessarily his off-screen reality.
The audience gets a glimpse of this in the first episode’s opening scene.
Raina is talking into a camera filming a YouTube video about all the positives of still living with your parents as an adult — a typical household structure in South Asian cultures.
“Can we move past this dinosaur of a notion that we’re doing less well in life just because we’re with our folks? Free food, no rent, laundry. Done,” he boasts.
“So enjoy your downtown condo with your empty fridges and your loneliness. I’ll be over here, emotionally fulfilled with my lovely family, right here at home.”
The camera cuts to Raina’s reality.
While he lives rent-free, he’s paying a hefty emotional tax for cohabitating with his Punjabi parents and their traditional values.
They’re grappling with their son’s choice to drop out of his post-secondary program to make videos, and they don’t fully grasp what he’s trying to achieve by being a content creator.
Raina’s relationship with his parents and struggle to meet their expectations while trying to fulfill his goals are just some of the internal battles that make him feel like he’s not enough.
He’s watching others his age work steady jobs or get engaged.
While everyone else around him seems to be blossoming into the next stages of adulthood, he feels like he’s not blooming at all.
Authenticity and wit make Late Bloomer shine
Raina isn’t the first creative to explore the theme of a double life and South Asian cultural identity on TV, but he is one of the few to make it feel authentic.
The show’s writing doesn’t rely on tokenism and tacky stereotypes to appease a broader audience who might have a limited or narrower understanding of South Asian cultures.
Raina doesn’t overcomplicate how he portrays his identity to his audience. He created a show about the ways he sees and experiences the world.
For instance, one scene takes place inside a gurdwara. There’s no added explainer about where the characters are or what they’re doing. They’re just allowed to exist in the gurdwara without over-explanation or otherization.
Late Bloomer/Crave
Late Bloomer deals with serious themes but will also make you laugh.
Various scenes bring in the familiarity of Raina’s comedic stylings from his Jus Reign days while keeping the jokes relevant and fresh.
Raina’s evolved wit is a thoughtful nod to his roots as a comedian, and the jokes are a treat for day-one Jus Reign fans.
Late Bloomer doesn’t try too hard… and that’s a good thing
Many aspects of Late Bloomer make it an enjoyable watch without trying too hard to be a show that highlights South Asian representation and diversity.
An example of this is how Raina’s character is genuinely proud of his cultural identity.
Although he wants to be a successful social media creator, he isn’t trying to change who he is to make his content more palatable to the masses.
In one scene, he meets with a social media talent agent who is also South Asian. The agent tells Raina he should consider making videos that will appeal to white audiences if he really wants to be a successful creator.
“I’m trying to give you an opportunity to not just be the Brown guy,” says the agent.
“Yeah, but what’s wrong with being the Brown guy?” Raina counters with frustration.
The question feels more like a nuanced message Raina is trying to communicate in Late Bloomer — you don’t have to be somebody else to blossom into who you’re meant to be.
Even if you feel inadequate, your parents don’t understand your career path, or you’re struggling with cultural expectations as you chase your dreams, you will bloom on your own time.
The first two episodes of Late Bloomer are out on Crave now. New episodes are released every Friday.
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