The first episode of the CBC cop show Allegiance included a surprising plot twist. Just as new police recruit Sabrina Sohal was delivering a graduation speech, her high-profile father—federal politician Ajeet Sohal—was arrested in front of everyone and hauled away to jail. It set the stage for a compelling back story that continued through the first season.
TV viewers didn’t know that the network and the producers had engaged in an extensive discussion about how the politician should dress. In the end, they decided that Ajeet, played by Stephen Lobo, would wear a turban. The actor who plays Sabrina, Supinder Wraich, tells Pancouver over Zoom that she strongly supported this decision.
“For me it made a huge difference because the obstacles that this man would have faced in his ascension would have been so different than somebody who didn’t present their faith outwardly in that manner,” Wraich says.
Moreover, she maintains that Sabrina’s character would have been shaped by her father’s decision not to cut his hair.
“To witness that in her role model—to uphold your values with such integrity and steadfastness—that breeds a different offspring than not.”
For a long time, Wraich’s character, Sabrina, suspected that her father was being framed for treason. So, she kept investigating through the first season before ultimately coming to the realization that malevolent forces wanted to do him in.
“But now, when you know who your enemy is and what they look like, what actions do you take? And what actions do you not take?” Wraich asks. “It’s a delicate, dangerous dance that she’s in.”
This sets the stage for Season 2 of Allegiance, which begins on January 15.
CBC unveils new Allegiance poster
The show is set in Surrey, which has some things in common with the Rexdale-Brampton area where Wraich grew up. Both have large populations of Punjabi Sikhs, along with many Sikh-owned businesses. In Surrey, the largest concentration is in the Payal Business Centre, a.k.a. Mini Punjab, on 128 Street.
“The roots [in Surrey] are a lot deeper than Brampton, just in terms of the infrastructure and the volume—not just at the Payal Business Centre but the surrounding area,” Wraich says. “There were so many cool, hip-looking places where I was, like, ‘Oh my God, I want to go there.’ ”
The plots in Allegiance are rooted in the Lower Mainland, but Wraich insists that the stories still feel universal.
“I think a lot of people will be able to see themselves—or their families and their communities—represented in this season,” she says.
One thing that’s changed is the promotional poster. Last year, it showed Sabrina in her police uniform with the landmark Alex Fraser Bridge in the background. This year, a hipper looking Wraich is clad in a leather jacket and sports a steel kara over her left wrist. Sikhs wear this bracelet to demonstrate their unbreakable attachment to God.
When it comes to religion, Wraich says that her family members were given lots of latitude in deciding how they would like to pursue her faith. As a result, some of her cousins wear a turban and others have cut their hair. At its core, Sikhi is about equality, which Wraich embraces.
New character joins the show
She reveals that her research into the tenets of Sikhi helped her develop Sabrina’s character. That’s what led to the decision for her to wear something signifying her faith in Season 2.
“Especially in this season, I found that she needed it more than she did before,” Wraich notes. “So, in those areas, yes, it helps me navigate her journey as well, and where she is with her religion.”
There’s also an explanation for the leather jacket. In the second season, Sabrina becomes a member of the serious crimes unit rather than being on patrol. She has a new policing partner, Detective Corporal Zak Kalaini, who’s played by Samer Salem (The Expanse, The Boys).
Even though Wraich and Salem get along very well on-set, their characters have a prickly on-screen relationship.
“When we went in to do the scenes, everything came alive,” Wraich says. “It was really easy. In fact, sometimes it was too easy because the chemistry is so great, I had to remember, ‘Oh yeah, these two don’t like each other.’ ”
Allegiance is a CBC Original series conceived by Anar Ali and produced by Lark Productions in association with Universal International Studios. According to Wraich, each of the writers developed a script about a subject that deeply interested them. As a result, it feels to her like a bigger and bolder season.
“We go into some of the parts of the world that are complicated to navigate,” Wraich says, “but the writers have done a fantastic job in terms of the heart and the courage that they’ve put into these stories. And then [they] added the drama and the action and the oomph that comes with telling a police procedural.”
Watch the trailer or Season 2 of Allegiance.
Filming during diplomatic uproar
One story, for example, focuses on international students, which has become a hot topic in recent years. Some came to Canada from Punjab with big dreams, only to experience bitter disappointment because they were financially exploited and misled about the quality of the education.
“I really do hope that we have done this story justice I terms of telling the most balanced version of it,” Wraich says. “And the performances by the actors that came in and played some of these students are excellent.”
There’s another side of the international student story that’s only recently come to light. In some cases, criminals entered the country in this way, only to terrorize and extort Punjabi Canadian business owners. Furthermore, the accused assassins of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara president Hardeep Singh Nijjar entered Canada as international students.
The killing of Nijjar in 2023 led to a huge diplomatic uproar between Canada and India. As Lark Productions was shooting the first season of Allegiance, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed that Canadian intelligence officials were “pursuing credible allegations of a potential link” between the Indian government and the murder.
According to Wraich, this coincided with discussions over whether Ajeet Sohal should be a turbaned Sikh in Allegiance. To her, it all boils down to representation.
“For the CBC, this is their first Sikh Punjabi family hourlong drama we’ve had air on a Canadian network.”
Follow Pancouver on Twitter @PancouverMedia and on Instagram @PancouverMedia. Follow Charlie Smith on Bluesky @charliesmithvcr.bsky.social.
