Toronto writer and showrunner, Anthony Q. Farrell, takes a comedic look at diversity and classism in his new CTV original series SHELVED.
For many Canadian TV watchers, the name Anthony Q. Farrell is one they probably aren’t familiar with, but that may change very soon.
Born in Toronto, Made in Los Angeles
Farrell got started in theatre at Queens University where he studied math and theatre with the goal of becoming a teacher. It was during a math class that he decided to narrow his focus to theatre.
“There was one time I was in a third or fourth year course and I was doing the same proof that Matt Damon did in Good Will Hunting”, he recalls. “I remember thinking to myself ‘I’d much rather pretend to do this than actually have to do this’”.
From there he started doing theatre professionally while finishing school. One of his professors encouraged him to contact the Humber Comedy School in Toronto in order to grow in his craft.
That’s when his path took him to the United States. Through her grandfather, his wife had an American green card which they decided to use before it ran out. After a few years in Atlanta, they moved to Los Angeles where Farrell focused on theatre, standup, improv, and sketch comedy. He eventually found a literary manager who got him writing opportunities, including two seasons on hit NBC series The Office.
He returned to Canada briefly to work on a season of Little Mosque On The Prairie with a long time friend until his next big opportunity.
That opportunity would come when Disney XD hired him to write a pilot after reading a script he wrote about a pimp titled Plain Pimpin’. From there he went on to write for the Disney series The Thundermans and the CBC show Run The Burbs, and to write and producer The Secret Life of Boys.
This led to him being named the Playback Showrunner of the Year in 2021 and Showrunner of the Year at the Writers Guild of Canada Awards in 2022.
SHELVED looks at diversity and classism among Toronto neighbourhoods
Now back in Toronto, Farrell is about to reveal his latest creation―a brand new series premiering March 6th on CTV.
SHELVED is a single-camera workplace comedy set in Toronto’s traditionally low income Parkdale community. Think, The Office and Abbott Elementary minus the mockumentary style where characters acknowledge the presence of the camera.
The show is centered around a ragtag group of library co-workers, led by branch manager Wendy (Lyndie Greenwood), who must somehow run the quaint, yet severely understaffed and underfunded, Jameson Library in Parkdale which always seems to get the short end of the stick compared to libraries in more affluent neighbourhoods.
Workplace politics, bureaucracy and interbranch politics within the fictitious Metro Public Library system ensue as Bryce (Paul Braunstein), a white male conservative, Jaq (Dakota Ray Herbert), a left-leaning millennial woman, and Howard (Chris Sandiford), a middle aged Black man transferred from the more affluent Midtown Library, must learn how to work together. Howard’s life is turned upside down when his day transfer to the lowly Jameson Library is made permanent after a relationship gone wrong. Not only is he forced to learn how to relate to his new coworkers, but quirky patrons and neighbourhood personalities, also known as “Parkdalians”.
As the premiere begins, it immediately feels like more like an independent theatre production than a show on a major network. This creates a sense of community and intimacy; not only among the characters, but also with viewers.
The show contains familiar Toronto references, but also depicts the classism among the city’s neighbourhoods, especially in the library’s inability to get new computers while other libraries have the latest amenities like theatres. I mean “viewing salons”.
While, the first episode simply introduces the characters, it’s in the second episode where we start to get into the meat of the story.
Howard is still finding it hard to adjust to an underfunded library and a community where he’s struggling to connect with patrons. He takes Wendy’s advice from episode one and finds ways to make a difference at the library; 27 ways to be exact. In the end, his initiative backfires as he has to learn to accept the flaws of both the library and community. But all isn’t looking down as we learn more about his potential love interest Sheila (Taylor Love), introduced to us in episode one. It’s at her family’s neighbourhood coffee shop that we’re introduced to her dad and get a little dose of Caribbean culture which is rare on Canadian television.
Overall, while it is unclear whether Canada is ready for this kind of program, the show is a welcomed addition to Canadian television and is unlike anything we’ve seen before. The single camera comedy format alongside deadpan humour is something usually reserved for major American networks, while providing viewers with familiarity of being set in Toronto with its multiculturalism and diversity. This is where the show shines. Aside from the writing being well done, the diversity of characters both highlights and pokes fun at certain prejudices while allowing viewers of diverse demographics to find themselves in the story.
In the end, SHELVED will make you laugh, challenge you, and may even ruffle your feathers.
SHELVED premieres March 6th at 9:30pm on CTV and CTV.ca
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