At its core, Sort Of is a story about love in its various forms and finding your place in the world. After three seasons, the hit CBC show is coming to an end, with the season finale airing on December 8.
Queer & Now sat down with stars of the series, Amanda Cordner and Bilal Baig, ahead of the finale so they could dish about what this show has meant to them, and to the queer community.
Since its premiere in 2021, Sort Of fans have followed the lives of Sabi (Baig) and 7ven (Cordner), two millennials navigating the intersections of their own identities. The characters draw audiences in because they are relatable, resonating with the lived experiences of so many people from all sorts of backgrounds. Full of queer, POC joy, strength and love, the series has captured the hearts of 2SLGBTQ+ people in Toronto and around the world.
But it’s also relatable to everyone who has ever cried on the couch with their best friend, or coped with the loss of a loved one. People who have navigated complicated family relationships, and built their own chosen family, will also resonate with the characters’ strife and joy.
The stars, who are both 2SLGBTQ+ Toronto natives, explained that it’s truly a story for everyone.
“What’s beautiful is it’s not about being Black and queer, or South Asian and queer. It’s literally humanity, a human story following people who are trying to figure out their lives and relationships,” Cordner explained.
“Before season one was even a thing, it was so organic how these characters emerged and their identities really reflected the world and city that I live in,” Baig, who is also co-creator of the series, explained.
“I wondered why haven’t we seen the cross-section of multiple identities altogether. Because that’s what this city feels like,” Baig explained.
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“[But] you may set out thinking that you’re directing this towards the queer, trans, BIPOC community, but it’s rural Ontarian, middle-aged, single women who really loves the show [for example],” Corner explained, adding that it’s been refreshing to work on a project that has resonated with so many communities.
Aside from the joy of working with one of her best friends, Cordner shared that the best part of working on such an influential series has been the feedback she’s received from the community.
“People have come up to me on the street and say, ‘Hey I love the show so much, I see my friends, I see my community in the show,’ and that is everything.”
The series lead and writer explained that in addition to Cordner’s points, the work of creating the show was also special.
“From season one, working with diverse writers, trans and nonbinary writers, South Asian writers, we worked with a trans director in our second season, women of colour as our second directors all the way throughout the seasons, [and the] the trans film mentorship that we ran for two seasons,” Baig explained.
“When I think about all of it together I have to believe that it feels special because what was going on behind the scenes was special, too,” Baig continued, “And intentional, and full of compassion.”
While this representation should be normal in media created in a city like Toronto, unfortunately, it’s not. Cordner explained that she looks forward to the day when shows with casts and crews like the Sort Of team are the default.
“Representation is important, it’s crucial, but I look forward to the days when it’s normal, when it’s the default, that it’s super diverse and queer and everybody is coloured and whatever,” Cordner continued.
Stream season three of Sort Of on CBC Gem.
