In its first season, Running With Violet, a Toronto-made web series about two best friends on the run with a toddler, amassed over one million views. A dark plot line laced with smart humour, the richly layered series offers original content with noticeable craftmanship, from the art design to the intelligent writing—a different tone than what we would usually see in the sketch comedies or YouTube tutorials that dominate this medium.

Season 2 dives even further into the twisted imaginations of creators, writers and stars, Rebecca Davey and Marie-Claire Marcotte, who’ve cleverly arranged the entire new season around a beauty pyramid company (think Arbonne or Mary Kay) that secretly peddles ketamine to the all-too-eager women of Pictonville. 

The sluggish detective work at the small-town police station, gory fumbles by inexperienced criminals, and drug-dealing domino of disasters will likely remind some viewers of Fargo, Weeds, or Breaking Bad, but Running With Violet is its own beautiful masterpiece.

Directed by Joyce Wong (Wexford Plaza), and with a powerhouse supporting cast that includes Andrea Bang (Kim’s Convenience), Amy Matysio (Save Me), and Jessi Vee (YouTube star), this web series is stacked with incredible local talent. From the ecstatic product-reveals in living room beauty parties to holding hostages in the back room of a hair salon, and hosting a five-year-old birthday party with a drug-dealing boss, each scene from Season 2 offers surprise turns, one-liners delivered with perfection, and high-intensity drama that will have you laughing out loud. We also love the two queer love stories that unfold, as well as the quirky parent-child relationships that offer their own comedic relief.

Season 2 will be available to watch on YouTube starting Monday, July 15 at 4 p.m. Each episode is thirteen minutes, allowing you to watch over a coffee break, but we think it’s most fun to pull it up on big screen and binge watch all of them at once. Though it’s shot for the web, Running With Violet plays well as an extra-long feature-length film.