‘This is the Toronto I want to be a part of’: How ‘The Office’ alum Anthony Q. Farrell made a TV show about a Parkdale library

It’s so hot in North York that even the books are sweating.

Tucked away in an unsuspecting Toronto warehouse lies the set of “Shelved,” the upcoming CTV sitcom set in a Parkdale library. It’s July and the building’s heavy with books — real ones and cardboard dummies — and on one of the librarian’s desks lies an army of CanLit action figures. Crowded boards advertise youth groups, job postings, film clubs — all fake, of course — and on display are scripts by some of Toronto’s most prolific playwrights, including Judith Thompson and Djanet Sears.

It’s a Toronto book lover’s paradise.

Created by Anthony Q. Farrell (of “Run the Burbs” and “The Office” acclaim), “Shelved” follows the Jameson branch of the Metropolitan Public Library in Parkdale. The branch, helmed by the energetic and idealistic Wendy (Lyndie Greenwood), is underfunded and understaffed, with a quirky crew of staff members, who keep things chugging along for the sake of the community members who rely on the library’s many services.

There’s Howard (Chris Sandiford), the by-the-books Midtown transplant who’s new to the Jameson branch; Jaq (Dakota Ray Hébert), the Jameson librarian perhaps most likely to show up on #BookTook; and Bryce (Paul Braunstein), the assistant branch head and library law enthusiast.

This all might sound a lot like “The Office” — and, yes, similarities in style and format do crop up here and there. But “Shelved” is a fiercely Torontonian show with a huge heart and that’s due in no small part to Farrell.

“When I’m looking for a show, I’m looking for a place that has an opportunity to feature the different characters working there,” said Farrell between takes on the set of “Shelved.”

“I’m interested in people who have differences of opinion, people who come from different sides of the tracks. I want to look at places where stories come and the library is one of those places for me. The people who walk through that door are always interesting,” he said.

For Farrell, it’s important this tale of a struggling Parkdale library is told right. Parkdale — like any number of historically diverse Toronto neighbourhoods — has been subject to gentrification as the city has continued to grow. Farrell, who grew up hanging out in North York libraries, developed “Shelved” knowing the Jameson branch had an important job to do for the community around it. And he wanted to show it off for the world.

“This is the Toronto I want to be a part of,” he said. “There’s just an energy to it. This is a library I want to be in; it has access to everybody, to all manner of all types of people, people who are all different class levels, different ethnicities.”

While Farrell was developing the show, he worked with the Toronto Public Library to get a sense of the system — he even trained at the Parkdale branch for a day, in an experience not unlike Howard’s in the “Shelved” pilot episode. One of the most enlightening experiences in creating the show was getting to speak with Miranda Huska, head of the Parkdale branch of the library.

“It was just eye-opening … while we were training, she left five or six times to go help people and take care of different things,” he said.

“Usage of the Parkdale library was through the roof when I went. But they were still having to fight for funding. I remember there was a sign that said the library would be closed for renovations, and the renovation date was crossed out and rewritten multiple times. That’s a detail in the show.

“Money’s a thing and, in these spaces, you always have to just wait until it comes through. And all of our characters are directly affected by it, and we can tell interesting and fun stories about what that looks like on a day-to-day basis.”

And at the centre of those interesting, fun stories?

Head librarian Wendy.

“Growing up in downtown Toronto, I always hung out at the Lillian H. Smith branch of the Toronto Public Library,” said Greenwood, who some might recognize from her role as Jenny Mills on “Sleepy Hollow.” Greenwood’s favourite part of the library growing up was the sci-fi section, somewhere she was “encouraged to be a bit of a nerd.”

“‘Shelved’ rang so true to my experience as a Torontonian,” she said. “And as a person who loves libraries. It just felt like the stars aligned for me … this was something I wanted so badly.”

Greenwood was a fan of “The Office” before booking the role of Wendy but, according to her, there’s something specifically Canadian about the style and tone of “Shelved.”

“Some of my favourite shows are ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ ‘Kim’s Convenience,’ even ‘Corner Gas,’” she said. “It’s very much that Canadian ensemble comedy vibe.”

Wendy’s a complex role. As head librarian, she’s ceaselessly optimistic and caring for the people around her, even when her hands are tied financially. She has to think on her feet and she has to do so with a smile, even when things seem uncertain.

“She has a really fulfilling arc that takes her from a place of a little less confidence to a place of really owning how fierce she is and having confidence in her ability to help her community. I really admire her perseverance and her dedication. She’s really creative at finding ways to turn lemons into lemonade,” said Greenwood.

“The library was always a second home for me,” she added.

And with “Shelved,” that might very well become true for a new generation of library fans.

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