| Kim's Convenience | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Based on | Kim's Convenience by Ins Choi |
| Developed by | Ins Choi Kevin White |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 65 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Ivan Fecan Alexandra Raffe Ins Choi Kevin White Alan Dilworth Tania Senewiratne |
| Producer | Ivan Fecan |
| Production locations | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Production company | Thunderbird Films |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBC Television |
| Release | October 11, 2016 – April 13, 2021 |
| Related | |
| Strays | |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Kim's Convenience (Korean: 김씨네 편의점; Hanja: 金氏네 便宜店; RR: Gimssine Pyeonuijeom) is a Canadian television sitcom that aired on CBC Television from October 2016 to April 2021. It depicts the Korean Canadian Kim family that runs a convenience store in the Moss Park neighbourhood of Toronto: parents "Appa" (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) and "Umma" (Jean Yoon) – Korean for dad and mom, respectively – along with their daughter Janet (Andrea Bang) and estranged son Jung (Simu Liu). Other characters include Jung's friend and coworker Kimchee (Andrew Phung) and his manager Shannon (Nicole Power). The series is based on Ins Choi's 2011 play of the same name.
The first season was filmed from June to August 2016 at Showline Studios in Toronto. It is produced by Thunderbird Films in conjunction with Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre Company, with Lee and Yoon reprising their roles from the play.[1] Scripts were created by Choi and Kevin White, who previously wrote for Corner Gas.
The second season premiered September 26, 2017. In July 2018, the series became available outside of Canada when it debuted internationally on Netflix. However, since January 2020, it is no longer available in all markets (e.g., the Netherlands), making the fourth season unavailable to a worldwide audience. The third season premiered January 8, 2019 and the fourth premiered January 7, 2020.[2]
On March 31, 2020, it was initially announced that the show had been renewed for two more seasons,[3] and on March 8, 2021, it was revealed that the show would end after the fifth season, due to the departure of the show's two co-creators.[4][5] Since the show's cancellation, several of the show's actors have publicly discussed production issues, particularly criticising a lack of diversity among behind-the-scenes staff, although this has been disputed by others.[6][7][8]
A spin-off series, Strays, began production in February 2021 after a one-year delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]
- ^ Nestruck, J. Kelly (November 3, 2015). "Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre Company announces 2016 lineup". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ^ @KimsConvenience (November 21, 2019). "This just in: Kim's Convenience Season 4 hits your screens January 7. #OkSeeYou" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @kimsconvenience (March 31, 2020). "#KimsConvenience is officially renewed for Seasons 5 & 6 on @cbc! #OkSeeYou" – via Instagram.
- ^ @kimsconvenience (March 8, 2021). "Authenticity of storytelling is at the center of the success of Kim's Convenience..." – via Instagram.
- ^ Moreau, Jordan (March 8, 2021). "'Kim's Convenience' to End With Season 5 on CBC". Variety. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
- ^ Volmers, Eric (March 19, 2021). "'It died from within': Two actors lament the untimely demise of Kim's Convenience". Calgary Herald. Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ Gardner, Chris (June 7, 2021). "'Kim's Convenience' Stars Simu Liu and Jean Yoon Open up on 'Painful' Lack of Diversity, 'Overtly Racist' Storylines". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ larryfitzmaurice (June 7, 2021). "Jean Yoon Said Working On 'Kim's Convenience' Was 'Painful' And That Some Of The Original Season 5 Storylines Were 'Overtly Racist'". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on June 24, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ Houpt, Simon (March 26, 2021). "The abrupt end of Kim's Convenience: Why did CBC let its beloved sitcom close up shop?". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2021.