Adapted from a play by Ins Choi, CBC’s Kim’s Convenience quickly became one of Canada’s most beloved sitcoms. Balancing both lighthearted charm and occasionally serious drama, Kim’s Convenience was a breath of fresh air on television. It told the story of a Korean-Canadian family living in Toronto, featuring The Mandalorian’s Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Shang-Chi’s Simu Liu. The series didn’t just resonate with Canadian audiences, as it also achieved international success after debuting on Netflix.

Sky-high ratings, a devoted fanbase, and growing viewership made it seem Kim’s Convenience had a bright future. Unfortunately, there were things happening behind the scenes, and Kim’s Convenience met an abrupt end after a five-season run. The show might be over, but Kim’s has continued to live on in the hearts of fans worldwide. Here’s why the series was suddenly canceled after it had already been renewed for season 6.

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Renewed for Two More Seasons

     CBC

Satisfied with the show’s performance, CBC announced in March 2020 that Kim’s Convenience had been renewed for two more seasons. The following year, however, it was revealed that those seasons would not be happening. This was not due to the show’s ratings, but rather the departure of the show’s two creators; Ins Choi and Kevin White. Producer Ivan Fecan told The Globe and Mail that “from the start of Season 5, Ins wasn’t sure he wanted to go beyond that.” Despite both the fans and the cast wanting closure through one final season, Choi was not interested in coming back.

Campaigns to save Kim’s Convenience were started by fans, but Liu pointed out that it could not be “saved.” In a Facebook post that has since been deleted (via Vanity Fair), Liu wrote that the show had not met a traditional end of being canceled after poor ratings. He mentioned that the producers were “the ones who chose not to continue.” Without Choi, the producers did not see a future for Kim’s Convenience. CBC and Netflix only owned a license for Kim’s Convenience, so they were not able to continue the series themselves.

Issues Behind the Scenes

While the cast of Kim’s Convenience expressed their love and gratitude for the show, they revealed that working on it wasn’t always such a pleasant experience. Kim’s was very obviously about a Korean Canadian family, but lacked writers who were East Asian or women for authentic representation. Jean Yoon revealed on Twitter that there were no Korean writers or Korean cultural resources in the writers room. Choi may have written the original play and created the show, but Yoon also shared on Twitter that “Kevin White was the showrunner” and “clearly set the parameters.” Some of the storylines presented to the cast were said to be extremely culturally inaccurate.

Liu echoed many of Yoon’s comments while still iterating that he loved the show. In a now unavailable post on Facebook, Liu wrote about being frustrated by all the missed storytelling opportunities. For a show that ran for more than four years, Kim’s Convenience felt stagnant at times and often failed to evolve its characters in meaningful ways. Even after becoming a Marvel superhero, Liu wanted to continue his work on Kim’s Convenience despite the cast being paid “an absolute horsepoop rate.” He told The Hollywood Reporter that the way Kim’s ended felt like a “betrayal” and that he felt other voices of color could have continued the show.

No Contact From Ins Choi

Lee worked with Choi for more than 10 years, having appeared in the original Kim’s Convenience play. Like the rest of the cast, Lee was blindsided by the show’s sudden cancelation. This prompted him to reach out to Choi, learning that Choi was no longer interested in talking to him. Lee told The Canadian Press;

From what the Kim’s Convenience cast have said about Choi, it seems that none of them were particularly close with the series creator. Liu has gone on the record, describing Choi as “epically reclusive” (via CBC). Whether Choi is just introverted or just didn’t like his cast has remained unknown. When he left the show, he was said by Liu to not have left behind any goodbye note to the cast. Although the way Choi pulled the plug on Kim’s Convenience has not portrayed him in the most favorable light, without him, there never would have been a Kim’s Convenience. Choi based much of Kim’s on his own personal experiences and even played Jung in the original play. It seemingly appears that he does not want someone taking control over his creation.

He ghosted me. He wouldn’t return my calls or my texts, and finally he responded via email saying he wasn’t comfortable talking about it. And that was it.

Kevin White Moving On to Strays Spin-Off

Following the end of Kim’s Convenience, White helped develop a spin-off series called Strays. The series centered on Kim’s Convenience character Shannon Ross, who left the city of Toronto, her job at Handy Car Rentals, and her relationship with Jung behind. Working as the executive director at an animal shelter in Hamilton, Ontario, Shannon transformed from a Kim’s supporting character into the lead of her own show. Strays has yet to become anywhere near as popular as Kim’s Convenience, but premiered a second season in 2022.