‘Kim’s Convenience’ won’t return for a sixth season

Kimbits are saying “OK, see you” to beloved Canadian series Kim’s Convenience sooner than they thought they would be. The series had already been renewed for a sixth season when CBC abruptly cancelled it this week in conjunction with producers, shocking fans and disappointing the series’ stars.

The public broadcaster announced the decision on March 8 after co-creators Ins Choi and Kevin White revealed they are stepping away from the series in order to focus on other projects. “Given their departure from the series, we have come to the difficult conclusion that we cannot deliver another season of the same heart and quality that has made the show so special," the remaining producers said in a statement that was released to press and shared on social media.

Kim’s Convenience debuted in 2016, and following a successful launch in Canada Netflix began carrying the series as well, helping it to find a whole new audience here, in the United States, and around the world. At the beginning of 2020, CBC announced that it had renewed the Canadian Screen Award-winning series for two additional seasons, bringing it to season six. Now, the show will quietly go off the air next month in the season five finale, which has already been filmed, on April 13.

“Disappointing news today,” wrote series star Simu Liu, who next appears as Shang-Chi in MCU’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. “I’m heartbroken. I feel like my journey with Jung was cut short. I feel like you, the fans, deserved better. But I’m proud of all that we accomplished together in 5 seasons,” he continued. “Thank you for all your love and support. This isn’t goodbye, only #OKSeeYou.”

Liu also shared a more in-depth statement with his post, revealing that he too expected a sixth season and he was hoping that his character would experience some of the growth that he had been asking the writers for each year. “It pains me that we will never see the full reconciliation between Jung and Appa [Paul Sun-Hyung Lee],” he wrote. “It pains me that we will never see Jung figure out what he wants to do with his life. Most of all, it pains me that we will never see the Kims all together as a family, bidding farewell to the bodega that has defied their immigrant journey.”

The actor wasn’t the only one who shared his disappointment following the cancellation news. Lee retweeted Liu’s post as well as another from co-star Andrew Phung, revealing that he has “no words for now. Only a profound sense of loss and sadness.” For his part Phung (who plays Kimchee on the series), revealed that he is “proud of everything we created” and that he cherishes “all moments” he spent with his co-stars.

"We were the little show that could," Phung added in his lengthy thread. "This truly Canadian show allowed people to see themselves on television… We saw Appa and Umma and connected to their immigrant story and struggle to build a life in a new country. We saw Jung and Janet and watched second-generation Canadians grow into their own."

Prior to becoming a TV series Kim’s Convenience was a stage play that premiered at the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival. Creator Choi wrote the script, directed the play, and acted in the part of Jung. That year it won the Best New Play Award, and the next it continued with the Soulpepper Theatre, where it went on to become the most commercially successful production in the company’s history, according to an article at the time by the Calgary Herald. Because they also played the original stage characters, Lee and Jean Yoon (Umma) are now saying farewell after a decade.

The decision to reverse the Kim’s Convenience renewal isn’t the first for CBC so far in 2021. At the end of January, the public broadcaster also reversed its decision to renew Trickster for a second season after news that director and producer Michelle Latimer is not of Indigenous descent as she formerly claimed. That decision was made in conjunction with author Eden Robinson, on whose books Trickster was based.

Last week CBC also announced the cancellation of Frankie Drake Mysteries on Instagram, bringing the series to an end after four seasons. Fittingly perhaps, the series finale also aired on March 8. During a live-tweet session executive producer Peter Mitchell, who also oversees Murdoch Mysteries, revealed that he and his team were so sure the series would be renewed they had shot something for season five while filming the finale.

During its five-season run, Kim’s Convenience was nominated for more than 40 awards and won more than a dozen along the way. Last year Phung picked up a Canadian Screen Award for best supporting actor in a comedy, while Amanda Brugel (The Handmaid’s Tale) took home a trophy for best guest performance.

"Kim’s Convenience has built a powerful and inspiring connection with audiences in Canada and around the world,” Sally Catto, CBC's general manager of entertainment, factual and sports, said in a statement following the cancellation. "While we are sad to say goodbye to this beloved and groundbreaking show, we are incredibly proud to have been part of its journey and understand the producers' creative decision to wrap up the show at this time."

The final episode of Kim’s Convenience airs April 13.

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