Ben Stiller's 'Next Time on Lonny' returns for Season 2

"Stay tuned after the credits for scenes from next week's episode." Sometimes the previews for the next episode spoil too much, sometimes they are spoiler-free, or, in the case of the Ben Stiller-produced Web series Next Time on Lonny, they include one with a bow-tie wearing dog that speaks Aramaic and foretells the impending apocalypse.

In Next Time on Lonny, which debuts three installments of Season 2 today, the coming attraction is the main attraction. Each episode of the short-form series begins just as the fictional reality show Lonny Los Angeles is about to end. Creators/writers Alex Anfanger and Dan Schimpf focus the show on the frenetic and action-packed "next time" segments that never happen, but that take on an absurd and gratifying life of their own.

The first season of Next Time on Lonny made its debut on the humor website Cracked.com in July 2011 and received more than 1 million views, including at least one from Ben Stiller.

"Somebody at our production company (Red Hour Productions) told me about it so I checked out the first season and it was really, really funny" Stiller said. "I was blown away by what they were doing…and I was like, 'Who are these guys?' and I wanted to meet them," he added.

The guys were former New York University roommates Anfanger and Schimpf. Anfanger, who you may recognize from a brief role in Stiller's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, stars, and Schimpf directs. Stiller eventually had his meeting with them and signed on to produce the Web series' new season, which is presented on Maker.tv, the streaming site for the now Disney-owned Maker Studios.

Even with Stiller on board, a larger budget and cameos from Hollywood actors, Next Time on Lonny remains as weird and insane as ever.

"The goal for the first season and second season was to stretch our money as far as (it) can go. Even though we had access to more money the philosophy remained the same," Schimpf said.

"It was figuring out how to balance the budget because we were so ambitious with Season 2. It really, really goes to insane places," Anfanger added.

In the first season, Schimpf and Anfanger spent a hefty portion of their budget on three plane tickets to Boston. In the second season, they shot one episode in Japan, and another episode takes place in an underground bomb shelter.

The 10-episode season includes cameos from Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation), Patton Oswalt (Ratatouille), Paul Scheer (The League), Jerry O'Connell (Jerry Maguire, Crossing Jordan), Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense), Stephen Tobolowsky (Groundhog Day), Kal Penn (Harold & Kumar) and more.

Anfanger and Schimpf are currently working on the upcoming Comedy Central series Big Time in Hollywood, FL starring Anfanger, Tobolowsky and Kathy Baker. Most of the episodes are directed by Schimpf and the show also is produced by Ben Stiller's Red Hour Productions along with Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

Next Time On Lonny makes its Season 2 debut with three installments out today at Maker.tv with new episodes rolling out every Tuesday and Thursday.