Will Sasso, Jonny Harris poke fun at kindly Canucks in dual CBC-TV comedies

TORONTO – Will Sasso and Jonny Harris are relying on the kindness of Canadians for their latest comic ventures.

Sasso’s hidden camera show “Fool Canada” puts the former “Mad TV” star in disguise and sends him on wild encounters with unsuspecting people while Harris’ travel show “Still Standing” is peppered with jokes about the small-town residents he meets.

Sasso says his show, based on the U.K. series “Fool Britannia,” wouldn’t have a chance if Canucks weren’t so polite.

“The original show in Britain was based heavily on the fact that Brits are very polite and that’s something we share with our Commonwealth cousins,” says Sasso, part of a team of comics who pretend to offer “iceberg rides” and release “rehabilitated” raccoons on homeowner’s properties.

“We’re polite. Even if people were pissed off at me, they wanted to help me. Or they were like, ‘Well, I don’t have the answer to your question but do this.’”

As for Harris, he admits that poking fun at people he just met was nerve-wracking.

The “Murdoch Mysteries” star hits the road in his comedy, where he immerses himself in the lives of small-town locals. All the while, he’s collecting material for an original stand-up comedy routine for the community.

So far, audiences have been “amazing,” says the Atlantic Canadian.

“Growing up in Newfoundland, you ask your parents at a certain age: ‘Why do people make Newfie jokes?’ And our parents would say, ‘Well, you know, Newfoundlanders are OK with it, we’re all right with having a laugh at ourselves,’” says Harris.

“And I think that’s true. And I think people in rural areas across the country are proud but not precious, you know what I mean? They’re not overly sensitive and so far, all the places that I’ve been to have been totally up for having a laugh at themselves.”

Towns include the once-thriving fishing community of Bamfield, B.C., featured in Tuesday’s premiere, and Buxton, Ont., a former terminus for the underground railroad. Harris says these are places that prevail against a variety of challenges, including out-migration and a collapsed industry.

“I always say it’s more of a toast than a roast and I think people appreciate that,” he says.

Meanwhile, Sasso admits he’s not entirely comfortable as a stealth provocateur, although his Toronto-set ambushes included marriage proposals and ticketing a speeding skateboarder.

“I didn’t want to be aggressive, also I’m a big dude coming at you,” notes the L.A.-based star of “The Three Stooges,” who says he leapt at the chance to work in his homeland.

“There’s this weird meter that I was constantly attached to in wanting to not piss people off. But I was so blown away. We were talking about it everyday that, ‘Oh wow, these people are totally cool with me.’”

“Fool Canada” and “Still Standing” debut Tuesday on CBC-TV.