Produced by Sphere Media, the final season will premiere in Canada exclusively on CBC Gem on Friday, November 17
Alok Vaid-Menon and Angelica Ross to make cameo appearances in Season 3
October 5, 2023 – Bilal Baig and Fab Filippo, co-creators, executive producers and showrunners — with Baig also the star — of the Peabody-winning CBC and Max original comedy SORT OF, today announced that the upcoming third season will be the final season of the series. The final eight-episode season will make its world premiere in Canada on the free CBC Gem streaming service beginning Friday, November 17 (two episodes will be available per week), with the series finale set for Friday, December 8.
Statement from Bilal Baig and Fab Filippo:
To our dear Sort Of community, we’ve got an announcement to share with you all. Along with the producing team behind Sort Of, we have chosen to end the series with this upcoming third and final season. We want to thank you for welcoming this show so graciously into your worlds and for celebrating our work with generosity.
We know how much the series means to a lot of you — it means so much to us too. It’s been such an incredible privilege to make this show for these last three years, working with every single person, cast and crew, who helped make our vision a reality. We feel incredibly fortunate to have received your love and enthusiasm and passion for all things Sort Of and to be totally real, to end the show was a very difficult decision to make.
We set out to tell a story about a kind of transition in Sabi’s life, and how those around them also change — and we feel in this coming season that story came to an end in a way that felt right for us.
We’re aware that series like ours, shows that feature queer and trans characters, tend to get cancelled early on, and we know that’s been happening a lot recently. We want to say that’s not what’s going down here. We made this third season knowing it would be our last. A big shout-out to Sphere Media, CBC and Max for believing in the story and for helping us tell it over these last few years.
We’re also aware that this show is ending at a time when trans communities continue to be targeted and trans rights are being constantly attacked. Our hope is that this series can continue to affirm lives and spark conversations well after the final season drops. Sort Of will always exist, despite all the transphobia in our world.
The final season will make its world premiere in Canada on the free CBC Gem streaming service beginning November 17th and in early 2024 on Max and soon after all over the world. We hope you love watching this season as much as we loved making it.
Thank you for sharing in the laughter and the tears with us. Take care out there, and goodbye for now!
Produced by Sphere Media, SORT OF has made its way into the hearts of viewers from around the world since its debut on CBC in 2021, with many lives having been positively impacted by its authentic and unapologetic approach to queerness and the universal experience of transition. The final season will also air on CBC TV in Winter 2024. Seasons 1 and 2 of SORT OF are currently available to stream for free in Canada on CBC Gem.
“It’s difficult to say goodbye to these characters. I hope they live on to provide enjoyment, comfort and provocation for anyone who encounters them. Thank you to CBC for their commitment to representing and celebrating a diverse cross-section of Canadians,” said Jennifer Kawaja, executive producer, Sphere Media.
“While this will be a bittersweet farewell for all of us, we understand Bilal and Fab’s decision to wrap up the series at a time that feels right to them,” said Trish Williams, Executive Director, Scripted Content, CBC. “Thank you to Bilal, Fab, Sphere Media and the entire cast and crew for sharing their heartfelt vision and voices over three remarkable seasons and helping so many people feel reflected and understood for the first time.”
The third and final season shows Sabi Mehboob (Baig) coming to terms with feelings of grief and an unexpected sense of freedom following the death of their father. Without the constraints of living up to their father’s expectations Sabi confronts big questions about their identity, prompting some massive life choices. In a season that has the entire ensemble grappling with aftermaths, a rebirth comes in a sort of messy, sort of hopeful, sort of ‘Sort Of’ way.
In addition to Baig, returning cast members include Gray Powell as Paul; Amanda Cordner as 7ven; Ellora Patnaik as Raffo; Supinder Wraich as Aqsa; Kaya Kanashiro as Violet; Aden Bedard as Henry; Raymond Cham Jr. as Wolf; Becca Blackwell as Deenzie; Ali Hassan as Shehraz; Kareem Vaude as Kareem; Varun Saranga as Izzy; Ayesha Mansur Gonsalves as Mumtaz; and with Grace Lynn Kung as Bessy.
Internationally acclaimed author, poet, comedian and public speaker Alok Vaid-Menon, and accomplished writer, producer and actor Angelica Ross (American Horror Story, Pose) will make cameo appearances in the final season.
The acclaimed dramatic comedy cemented its place in the comedic landscape by winning seven 2023 Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Comedy Series. Baig also recently received the CMF Trans Barrier Breaker Award during the 2023 TIFF Trans Filmmakers Summit. This is in addition to the series having won a Peabody in the Entertainment Category at the 82nd Annual Peabody Awards, as well as receiving a second Peabody nomination for the upcoming 83rd Annual Peabody Awards, and receiving the Banff Rockie Award for Program of the Year. The series also won three 2022 Canadian Screen Awards for Best Comedy Series, Best Writing, Comedy, and the Members’ Choice Series Ensemble Award. Baig and Filippo received a Writer’s Guild of Canada Screenwriting Award in 2022. SORT OF also received a GLAAD Media Award nomination for Outstanding New TV Series in 2022 and 2023.
SORT OF features Sabi Mehboob (Baig), a gender expansive millennial who is so over-editing themselves to make others comfortable. From love to family to career, Sabi feels like they’re in transition. SORT OF exposes the labels people once poured themselves into as no longer applicable…to anyone.
A CBC/Max original series, SORT OF is produced with the participation of the Canada Media Fund. Bilal Baig and Fab Filippo are creators, executive producers and co-showrunners and Jennifer Kawaja is executive producer along with Bruno Dubé for Sphere Media. Directors for the final season are Fab Filippo (Save Me) and Shamim Sarif (Despite the Falling Snow). Andrea Glinski and Laura Perlmutter are co-executive producers. Baig and Filippo were joined by writers and co-executive producers Ian Iqbal Rashid (Touch of Pink) and Tricia Fish (New Waterford Girl). For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual & Sports; Trish Williams is Executive Director, Scripted Content; Zach Feldberg is Director of Current Production, Comedy and Head of Scripted Gem Originals; and Rebecca DiPasquale is Executive in Charge of Production, Comedy & Scripted Gem Originals.
SORT OF is distributed worldwide by Sphere Media. Abacus Media Rights handles sales outside of the United States and Latin America.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
About Sphere Media
Sphere Media is one of Canada’s preeminent scripted content companies. In current release in addition to Sort Of is the 4th season of Transplant named Best Drama Series at the Canadian Screen Awards in 2021 and 2022; the 1920s period drama The Porter (CBC/BET+) which was winner of 12 of its 19 Canadian Screen Award nominations, two-time nominated in the Independent Spirit Awards, and nominated for a Primetime Emmy award. Sphere Media has also produced award-winning feature films and documentaries, most recently the feature length documentary One Of Ours (CBC/AMC), winner of the DGC Special Jury Prize for Canadian Feature Documentary, 2021 Hot Docs Special Jury Prize as well as the Ron Tibbett Excellence in Filmmaking Award at Indie Memphis Film Festival. Other television credits include Trickster (CBC/Sky/Sundance-AMC), named one of Variety’s top 25 dramas at MIPCOM 2020 and one of TBI’s top 10 hot picks; 4 seasons of the critically acclaimed Cardinal (Bell Media/BBC2 & 4/Hulu/Canal+) and International Emmy Award nominee 19-2 (Bell Media). Sphere Media is currently in post-production with The Sticky, a half-hour series with Blumhouse and Amazon.
About Max®
Max®, which launched May 23, 2023, is an enhanced streaming platform from Warner Bros. Discovery, delivering unparalleled quality content for everyone in the household. With a personalized user experience that brings unique and unexpected stories ranging from the best of unscripted to the highest quality in scripted programming, Max is the destination for HBO Originals, Warner Bros. films, Max Originals, the DC universe, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, an expansive offering of kids and family content, and best-in-class programing across food, home, reality, lifestyle, and documentaries from leading brands like HGTV, Food Network, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Discovery Channel, TLC, ID and more, all in one place.
About Abacus Media Rights
Abacus Media Rights (AMR) acquires and distributes a diverse slate of premium, multi- genre programming in the international market. At the same time, the company also works with producers to facilitate pre-sales and development finance as well as broadcaster commissions. Embracing a fully transparent reporting ethos throughout, AMR focuses on building strong client relationships and generating positive solutions at every stage of the process, from initial financing to worldwide broadcast in order to successfully deliver scripted and non-scripted entertainment that counts to a global audience.
Abacus Media Rights is an Amcomri Entertainment company. Amcomri Entertainment Inc (NEO Exchange Canada: AMEN) (FRANKFURT: 25YO)
Further information: www.abacusmediarights.com Twitter: @abacus_rights
For further information, please contact:
CBC Contact:
Winston Ma, CBC PR
winston.ma@cbc.ca
647-327-7408
Max Contacts:
Ashley.Mokma@Warnermedia.com
Kelley.Sheets@Warnermedia.com
Sphere Media Contact:
Jennifer Kawaja, President of English Scripted, English Content
JKawaja@sphere-media.com
