Sort Of

There are periods in one’s life that feel more stable than others, or at least they seem that way in reflection. For many, the last two years have been full of instability and transition. In the new series Sort Of, creators Fab Filippo and Bilal Baig embrace different forms of transition, exploring the themes of gender, love, sexuality, family, career, and landscape.

The series follows Sabi Mehoob (Baig), a gender-fluid 25-year-old Pakistani Canadian, living in Toronto. Sabi decides to follow the advice of best friend 7even (Amanda Cordner) and move to Berlin for a change of scenery. Leaving Toronto means distancing themself from an uncommitted partner and a thankless job as a nanny. Although these seem like easy circumstances to part with, things become complicated when Sabi’s employer Bessy (Grace Lynn Kung), mother to Violet (Kaya Kanashiro) and Henry (Aden Bedard), is critically injured in a bike accident. This leaves an unprepared, ill-equipped, and at times insensitive father (Gray Powell) in a challenging position. Will Sabi follow through with their plan or stay and help the family through an unexpected trauma?

Baig and Filippo’s unique backgrounds complement one another well. Baig, a queer, transfeminine, Muslim playwright and performer, known for the play Acha Bacha, brings humour, empathy, and personal discovery to the story. Actor, writer, director, and producer Filippo brings a wealth of experience working on serialized comedies like Working the Engels and Billable Hours. Together, they remind audiences that transition is healthy, complicated, liberating, funny, and constant.

GEOFF MACNAUGHTON

Content advisory: sexual violence, violence, accident trauma, sexually suggestive scenes, coarse language