Principal photography kicked off in Toronto on Monday (Sept. 12) on The Drop, the first scripted series from True West Films, which is known for dramatic features and shorts.

Toronto-based showrunners Daniela Pagliarello and Aisha Evelyna created and produce the Toronto-set comedy. True West Films president Elizabeth Yake (It’s All Gone Pete Tong) heads up the all-female production as producer and executive producer. Liz Whitmere (ZARQA) is also executive producer.

Development and production financing for The Drop (4 x 17 minutes) came from Ontario Creates and the Independent Production Fund.  The series is slated to premiere in 2023 on digital media publisher Narcity as its first scripted acquisition.

Jordan Canning (Schitt’s Creek) directs the pilot episode of the series. Pagliarello and Evelyna also direct and star alongside cast members Aurora Browne (Baroness von Sketch Show), Nicole Power (Strays), Mark Little (Bo Burnham & Friends), and Mishka Thébaud (The Boys).

The Drop was a finalist in last year’s Just for Laughs pitch competition. It follows two women — one a wannabe-influencer and the other “a diabetic American escapee” — who are known as “line-waiters” and are hired by wealthy clients to stand in line for exclusive products like sneakers the day they drop.

In a statement, Yake said the series is “created by and for millennial and Gen Z urban women” and will explore themes similar to shows like the TBS and HBO Max comedy Search Party and FX’s Atlanta.

Jackie Vandinther, senior producer of video and social at Narcity Media, said from their initial pitch meeting with Pagliarello and Evelyna, they “immediately agreed that partnering on this project felt like a no-brainer for us.”

Photo credit: Kristina Dittmar