The Lovely Little Losers cast has a lot to say, no matter if it’s on audition stories, the benefits of the web series medium, or that moment at 2 minutes and 21 seconds.

It is challenging to be an actor or creator working in the world of web series. Unlike in film or television, you can track in almost real time the response of your audience. You are therefore much more likely to see the positive or negative feedback on the work you have created in a way that film or television creators are not. I don’t, for example, think Joss Whedon frequently searches his Tumblr tag.

Then there is the hyperawareness of web series audiences, who passionately and enthusiastically examine every aspect of an episode and often (but not always) read in far more subtext that the creators intended.

In many cases this is a creator’s dream, and is in part due to the relatively short length of episodes. The medium of YouTube lends itself to the constant rewatching that allows for the scrutinizing of each character, pausing during key scenes to try to decipher them, or even creating GIFs of the most resonant moments. It’s a blessing and a curse; more engagement, but also more pressure.

It’s something the cast of Lovely Little Losers reflected on before they began the series. Lovely Little Losers is a loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost and a sequel to Nothing Much To Do, a hit web series based on another Shakespeare comedy, Much Ado About Nothing.

“It’s in the attention to detail,” says Caleb Wells (Peter Donaldson) on the difference in his approach to Lovely Little Losers. “I know I was really picky about certain things. Because I said to myself — and it’s dumb — people are going to make a GIF of this. This moment will be replayed.”

I spoke with Wells and his Lovely Little Losers co-stars Bonnie Simmonds (Freddie Kingston), Jake McGregor (Benedick Hobbes), and Reuben Hudson (Balthazar Jones) following the release of episode 47, “PUNISHMENT.” Read the highlights below and then listen to the full interview at the end of this article.

Related: Why Nothing Much To Do is the one literary web series you should watch

The immediacy of feedback is a clear benefit of the web series medium. Wells notes, “You can jump in and see direct critical reactions to things that happened.” And the feedback is highly specific, as Wells points out, referring to fan reactions to a single facial expression of his at 2 minutes and 21 seconds into a recent episode. Simmonds turns to him, asking, “Was that intentional?” “Yeah,” he smiles, “I was acting.”

The availability of constant feedback can lead to the blurring of the lines between online spaces for fans and creators, but McGregor explains that for Lovely Little Losers the cast made a concerted effort to step back. “Fans should have their space to discuss the show and critically analyze it, and we have our space for making it and enjoying it,” he says.

As for the show itself, it’s truly a different beast from Nothing Much To Do. “[Lovely Little Losers] is more of a character study,” explains McGregor. “This time there’s no clear baddies and goodies.”

“Without being really bleak, it’s just morally grey,” Wells adds.

There is a familiarity between the cast members that makes for an enjoyable interview, but one that makes it difficult to transcribe; the back-and-forth banter doesn’t all work in text, and some doesn’t even work in audio. When I ask which of the four fictional characters would be the worst to live with, Simmonds, McGregor and Hudson all immediately point at Wells, who himself points at McGregor. They dissolve into laughter again when realizing that although I can see this, the final interview will be audio only.

As for what we can expect for the remainder of the series? “To be honest, I struggle to remember what we filmed,” says Hudson. “They still have a lot more growing to do,” says Simmonds. But don’t hold your breath for a song from Freddie, as she explains, “Unfortunately, Freddie isn’t the kind of character to sing.”

‘Lovely Little Losers’ in conversation: The full interview

Listen to the full interview below to find out which characters the actors were originally asked to audition for, what Hogwarts house their characters would be in, who is the hero of the story, and what ridiculous flat rule they would add to the list the characters must adhere to in Lovely Little Losers.

Music: “Stay” by Reuben Hudson, performed by Reuben Hudson and Caleb Wells.

New episodes of Lovely Little Losers are released every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday (NZST) on YouTube.