Topline – A Review

I was all in on Romeo Candido’s Topline from the first IPF trailer. In real life, the way to my heart is through chocolate or cheese, in TV/Film it’s music/sports. If I’m aware of them, I will give any music or sports centred project a shot. If they also happen to be female-focused coming-of-age, their appeal is even greater. And that was the promise of Topline, a promise it more than delivered upon.

The pilot episode introduces us to Tala and her Hannah Montana-esque alter ego Illisha (both played by Cyrena Fiel) who longs to be a professional singer but since the death of her mother, she’s split her focus with her family’s expectations that she follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a nurse. But when a big-time producer (Uriah played by Daniel Keith Morrison) reaches out to her on social media to become one of his topliners, her dream of working in music becomes a possibility.

Topliners are the people that write the lyrics, hooks, and melodies for a song as the pilot episode makes sure to explain for the people (me) that enjoy music but still don’t understand the lingo for the various people whose work goes into creating the music we listen to on the regular.

Music is the heart and soul of this series. The title of the pilot episode is even “Music is Life,” so music was definitely not an afterthought for the show. All the original music was written by creator Romeo Candido to service both story & character while also being bops in their own right. I parsed these episodes out, trying to prolong my enjoyment as long as possible, and I would find myself humming bits of melodies in the interim. I’m looking forward to the album drop, and while I’m sure I’ll listen to all the songs multiple times, I already know the five songs I will return to again and again are: Sky is Falling, Out of Step, Perfect Fit, Trust, and The Light.

Stylistically the series makes use of multiple aspect ratios, going from an extreme wide for some of the music video sequences to portrait-mode for the social media posts. The production design lived mostly within understood worlds (clinic, music studio, etc). So, I was pleasantly surprised when we got into the basement of Tala’s home with her family and saw a homemade rock-climbing wall. It was something intriguing that made me want to know more about the family and Ruben (Nicco Lorenzo Garcia), in particular.

The cast is an embarrassment of riches. So many talented performers. While some cast members have been around for a while, some are making their debuts, like Cyrena Fiel (or having their first multi-episode role). It speaks highly of the casting who sought the right talent for the roles, regardless of experience. Probably the most recognizable cast member is Martina Ortiz Luis, AKA the Leafs’ official anthem singer. I really enjoyed her casting as Gabby, the older sister of Tala, because there’s a bit where both Tala and their father say Gabby should’ve been the singer but other than singing along in the car in the pilot, it isn’t until the penultimate episode that she sings again.

I write this review on Grammy night, hoping there will be a second season of Topline where Tala may be seeking her own Grammy or Juno recognition as either a performer or topliner.

You can watch the first season (FREE) on CBC Gem.

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