Oliver Hum / Edge Columnist
Kim’s Convenience is a sitcom show about a Korean family that runs a convenience store in Canada. The family members consist of Mr. Kim, Mrs. Kim, Janet, and Jung. The parents were very traditional and learned about Canada through the different customers they would meet each day; meanwhile, the children would face their own set of challenges during their daily lives at work.
On April 13, 2021, Kim’s Convenience suddenly came to an end. CBC says that “co-creators Ins Choi and Kevin White were moving on to other projects.” Many people were shocked about the news and even tried to spread the hashtag #SaveKimsConvenience around the internet.
Members of the audience, especially the Asian community are not only shocked, but sad as well. With the majority of the cast being Korean, many Asian families could relate and connect with the characters. The audience is especially sad because of its representation of the Asian community.
With the increase in Asian hate crimes due to COVID-19, having something that celebrates the Asian community really helps them get through.
Justin Wu, who appeared on the show once has personal memories of the show.
Wu told CBC that he “bonded with his mother, who emigrated from Hong Kong, by watching the show together.” He said that finding a show “with such authenticity and depth, heart and comedy about an immigrant family experience meant a lot to her.”
The show also let people connect with their close friends and family by relating to various parts of characters.
“My brother and I would always joke about how Mr. Kim was like my grandpa,” says Oliver Hum, a half-Korean student at Gleneagle, “when he would leave the house, we would always say “okay, see you” like Mr. Kim does in the show.”
The show also gave non-Asian people an opportunity to learn about Korean culture. The show allowed people to learn about different Korean customs. Many of the customs on the show are actual Korean traditions. For example, Korean people eat Kimchi a lot and they address their parents by Umma and Appa. “I appreciate that it doesn’t bother overexplaining itself to non-Asian audiences.” said Hua Hsu writer at NewYorker.
Although the show was meant to be a comedy/sitcom, there were many learning experiences within the show. The producers most likely didn’t realize it, but the show helped many people learn about things that some people would be confused about learning.
For example, on the pilot episode “Gay Discount,” Mr. Kim upsets a gay man who wants to put up posters on his store window for gay pride week. To avoid being reported, Mr. Kim gives a 15% discount for all LGBTQ+ members during pride week. During the episode, Mr. Kim meets Therese, who identifies as a drag queen.
Out of curiosity, he asks “why you do like this?”
Her response was “it feels like me. Feels like home. Always has.” This was a terrific way to introduce the LGBTQ community to people who may have not heard of it. The way Therese said how she felt, was a great way to explain LGBTQ community in the simplest terms.
Many members of the audience are disappointed with how the producers left the show. They feel like there could have been one last episode that acted as a goodbye episode.
“We didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye and we never got a chance to do our victory lap.” said Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, the actor of Mr. Kim in the show. Even the cast members were shocked about the ending of the show. When they were filming the last episode of the season, they did not know it would be their last episode ever.
In conclusion, the Asian community is extremely disappointed with how Kim’s Convenience ended. There was no notice, and it ended on a bad note. Without even knowing, the audience just heard Appa say his last “okay, see you.”
Sources
How Kim’s Convenience showcases the difficulties faced by diverse creators
Kim’s Convenience: Shang-Chi Star Simu Liu Still Angry About Show’s Early Cancellation
The abrupt end of Kim’s Convenience: Why did CBC let its beloved sitcom close up shop?
Kim’s Convenience closes shop with series finale
Kim’s Convenience: surprising facts, easter eggs and stories every fan should know
Kim’s Convenience bypasses stereotypes for authentic slice of Korean culture
‘Kim’s Convenience’ Is A Sitcom About Asian Immigrants – With Depth