Toronto video journalist Taylor Patterson is the mind behind the concept for a new Toronto-based TV series, a half-hour satirical comedy about problematic tabloid journalists, featuring an all-Black cast and edited by seasoned TV writer Brandon Hackett. With celebrity cameos, a cast of TikTok-viral Toronto comedians and a storyline that exposes the exploitation and hypocrisy of digital media, this new series is sure to shake up Canada’s comedy scene.
Patterson, who was born and raised in Toronto, got the initial inspiration for ICONS in 2018 when he spent a year working in Los Angeles and experienced his first encounters with aggressive celebrity culture and paparazzi. He was curious to explore the relationship between those with viral fame and those who exploit it, but his idea didn’t take real form until he moved back to Toronto and began a career in digital journalism in 2021. It was then that he realized that the landscape of digital media was increasingly moving in a similarly exploitative direction.
Pulling from his own career experience in an industry where clicks and views are the going currency, and clickbait headlines are the way to achieve it, Patterson uses ICONS to hold a magnifying glass up to the absurdity of the digital newsroom — inspired by provocative outlets like TMZ, WorldStarHipHop and The Shade Room. Through his portrayal of a fictional Toronto-based tabloid called The Buzz Room, he explores a narrative of digital culture that is increasingly defined by moral and ethical compromises.
Imbued with contemporary pop-culture references, Patterson compares the show to popular series like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Atlanta, noting that he expects it to be particularly resonant with millennial and gen Z audiences. There’s been many viral stories that have become source material for the episodes, he says, listing internet phenomenons like “Toronto chair girl,” “Toronto’s Pee Pee Poo Poo Man” or “hawk tuah girl” as examples.
“I just realized that I didn’t have to come up with farfetched ideas; all these phenomenons or concepts live in the world around us, and you just have to be aware of them,” he says.
The show also draws on Patterson’s personal journey as a biracial content creator, examining how Black culture is perceived in viral media. His own character — an exaggerated version of himself — is a biracial character who uses the publication to feel more connected to the Black community.
Aiming to be one of the first Canadian comedy series to feature an all-Black ensemble cast, the series also highlights the importance of representation in a media landscape that often marginalizes Black voices. Cast members include viral comedian Tresor Gray, Made for TV’s Eden Graham, actors Jewell Bowry and Jacqueline Ashton, with guest appearances and cameos by internet sensation Jesse Jaurji, MuchMusic’s Kwesi Kwarko-Fosu and Toronto’s very own Shawn Desman.
“[The series] talks about what it means to be Black, not only in Canada, but online, including trends and stories that pertain to Black communities that haven’t been heavily discussed on TV,” says Patterson. “It also talks about how that intersects with the media, the hypocrisy and the double standards there.”
As for casting, the show is based in Toronto and the characters are very rooted in Toronto culture. “Through my career I’ve met a lot of people creating amazing art in the city,” says Patterson, before rattling off an anecdote about each of his cast members. “It’s always easier to write a character with someone in mind.”
“Even to have Shawn Desman cameo, I’d interviewed him a couple of times and we had stayed in contact. He’s a really nice guy and when I told him about the project, he was super on board,” he adds.
Hackett was another person that Patterson already had in mind after spending his university days seeing the writer do sketch comedy at Second City. Having attended Toronto Metropolitan University’s RTA school of media partially to realize his aspiration of joining the program’s sketch comedy troupe, Riot, Patterson spent much of his free time at the comedy venue and noticed then that Hackett was the only Black comedian in all the shows he went to see.
Years later as Patterson sought a collaborator to lend legitimacy to ICONS, someone whose name holds weight in the Canadian media landscape, Hackett immediately came to mind. And to Patterson’s joy, the acclaimed writer (known for shows like Run the Burbs and This Hour Has 22 Minutes) joined ICONS as the story editor, and a pseudo mentor to the project.
“I knew I had something good when he told me not only that he wanted to be a part of it, but that he liked the idea,” says Patterson.
ICONS is backed by support from the Toronto Arts Council Black Arts Projects and Ontario Creates. While still in development, Patterson is confident that the show will soon be picked up. “Between the buzz that we’ve been getting so far and the meetings I’ve been having, I’d like to think that we’re the closest we’ve ever been,” he says.
