Are We Excited About Bilal Baig’s New Comedy on CBC? Sort Of.
Posted on September 15, 2021 | by Aqleema Anwar
“A big-hearted dramatic comedy about Sabi Mehboob (Baig), a fluid millennial who straddles various identities from the sexy bartender at an LGBTQ bookstore/bar to the youngest child in a large Pakistani family, to the de facto parent of a downtown hipster family”.
source: CBC Comedy
That is the CBCs description of its newest show set to debut in October (HBO Max for US viewers). Sort Of addresses themes of love for all, inclusivity, family, gender, and transitions, and at a time when we are all fumbling ourselves out of the back end of a global pandemic, the timing of this heart-warming comedy just seems right.
Some may be surprised that a show so unapologetically bold is airing on the CBC, which for a while was known to be rather reserved but, on the heels of the insanely popular Schitt’s Creek which celebrated love and inclusivity in a way we haven’t seen before, CBC seems like a perfect platform.
The show is co-created by creatives Bilal Baig and Fab Filippo; and stars Baig in the leading role of Sabi.
Bilal Baig is a Canadian queer, transfeminine Muslim writer and actor who gained popularity for their play Acha Bacha which explores the story of a gay Pakistani-Canadian struggling with the relationships between sexuality, his Muslim religion and the family dynamic. Viewers will find similar themes in the new show.
image source: tv-eh.com
In a press release, Baig said “It feels so right, in a time like this, to be working on a show that looks at how we are constantly changing, and how change can clarify who we are and who we want to be in the world.”
Fab Filippo is a Canadian actor and director best known for his roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Scott Hope and violinist Ethan Gold in Queer as Folk. He also created and was a star in a digital series for CBC called Save Me which earned him three Canadian Screen Award nominations in 2019 including one for Best Actor in a Drama Program.
image source: tv-eh.com
Both Filippo and Baig are members of the Toronto theatre community and actively participate in mentoring youth in the Arts.
You can catch Sort Of in advance screenings through TIFF. The show airs on CBC Gem and HBO Max in October. Check your local listings.
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