“Not Trying To Check Boxes”: Bilal Baig Talks Transformative Representation On Sort Of

It seems as though 2023 has become the unofficial year of the final season. We bid adieu to Ted Lasso as the football game finally ended. We puzzled over Riverdale's surprisingly polyamorous ending. We couldn't stop talking about Succession. And now, we'll all be collectively grieving the departure of one of the diverse pieces of storytelling we've seen on screen in recent years — Sort Of.

It's rare to see a Brown gender-fluid character on screen, but even rarer for them to be just one of the many diverse voices in the cast. But Bilal Baig, co-creator, co-writer, and star of Sort Of, says that representation is deliberately at the heart of the show.

"It doesn't feel like we're just trying to check boxes to look cool," Baig tells Refinery29 Australia. "We're really invested in these characters' lives and it really does feel like a reflection of the place that Fab [Filippo], my creative partner, and I grew up in and know really well."

Baig, who is the first queer South Asian Muslim actor to lead a Canadian primetime television series, understands the immense impact the show has had on its viewers — and how it's often the first time they might have finally felt seen in a television show. Baig recalls how just that very morning they'd met a fan on the street who was shaking and crying while speaking to them, praising the show for its approach to representation.

"My hope is that we can really ask some questions about other kinds of representation we're seeing, and if it doesn't feel totally nuanced or from a really true place, then we have to ask, why not?" they say. "What's going on behind the scenes that isn't letting a product really be and feel authentic?"

The third and final season of Sort Of starts off in confronting territory. Immediately, we're thrown back into the finale of season two, where Sabi discovers that their father has suddenly passed away from a heart attack. For Baig, the passing of Sabi's father was a key moment in the character's evolution.

"It stemmed from something we established in season one around this person blocking themselves from a lot of things, but particularly their own feelings and at times, their own desires. They put themselves on the back burner a lot," Baig says.

For anyone who has experienced the loss of a parent (hello!), seeing it depicted accurately on the screen is a strange experience. It's confusing. One minute, you forget you're grieving and are actually happy, and the next, you're spiralling into a pit of sadness after being reminded of that person through their favourite mug, or a song on the radio. Season three of Sort Of explores this grieving process, especially from the lens of complex family dynamics.

"I thought it was really interesting to explore a kind of grief that makes you sad and changes you, but also confuses you. That makes you think about your own freedom and liberation, particularly in a South Asian family," Baig says.

For Baig, much of the characterisation on the show comes from real-world experiences, particularly their conversations with trans and non-binary friends — and their collective frustrations around one-dimensional characters. "What about the quiet trans people? And the disassociating trans people? And the 'I'm so exhausted by 9am' trans people?" they say.

Baig shares that while being inclusive does have its rewards, it also has its challenges. They share how they once had a fear of disappointing people who were already marginalised and vulnerable, especially because they were seeking out to represent so many different groups of people. "When you try to be more inclusive, it's not a rosy, 'everything's easy' kind of path. It's hard work. But that's why I want to do it," they say.

With the conclusion of season three, it's safe to say that there will be a huge gap left in the television world. Baig explains that at the core of Sort Of is the idea of empathy and collective transformation. "I think because the show puts all these characters together — cis, trans, non-binary — I really hope it illustrates how we all evolve and that there is some kind of shared human experience in how we change."

But it's not just the transformation on the screen that Sort Of leaves behind as its legacy. It's in the dinner table discussions that families have using the show as a conversation piece. It's the quiet education on pronouns with parents who might be watching in the same room as us. It's the reflection of what it means to be trans in the world right now. But ultimately, Baig believes that Sort Of's legacy is one of love.

"It's such a love letter to transition," they say.

The final season of 'Sort Of' premieres is airing only on Stan, with episodes dropping weekly.