Simu Liu says ending Kim's Convenience 'doesn’t feel great’ but he wants you to celebrate its legacy

It was announced earlier this week that Kimbits were going to have to say "OK, see you" to the beloved Canadian series Kim's Convenience sooner than expected. The abrupt cancellation shocked everyone, including the stars, particularly since the show had already been renewed for a sixth season. 

Now that news of the series wrapping up is sinking in, Kim's Convenience star Simu Liu told etalk's Sonia Beeksma that “it doesn’t feel great.” He said the decision was not “in alignment with” the cast’s wishes.

“I think, for myself, I was definitely hoping to come back for season six and, you know, there was just this feeling that the show was doing so well commercially and critically and had reached such a wide fanbase all over the world,” he added.

Simu said that he was “very surprised and very hurt” by the decision to end the series. He continued, “I always felt like there was more story to tell and, as you know, we released a statement that said our two showrunners that had been with us for the last five seasons were, unfortunately, stepping away. That was kind of the major catalyst for the decision not to continue on with the show.”

Simu called the decision to end Kim’s Convenience “a highly unusual situation” because the show was in a place where the network and cast were both onboard to come back. That being the case, confused fans have noted an easier decision would have been to replace the two showrunners who left, but Simu said that more details “will come to light later on.”

“I don’t want to speak for other people. I can’t necessarily tell you what was going on in their minds or what informed their decisions to leave. I imagine some of those details will come to light later on as we get all our facts straight. But I echo that confusion absolutely, especially when I look at — we can barely walk down the street in Canada, so many people know and love the Kim’s family,” he said. 

Simu reflected on his interaction with fans of the show. “When they talk about our show, they do it in such a unique way too. It’s more than just loving the characters or the stories. It’s something that Canadians, and certainly people all over the world, can enjoy with their families, with their parents, with their kids. It really is kind of a multigenerational show that’s about love and empathy, and certainly about family.”

Simu said that his “primary sadness” is that he feels like Kim’s Convenience fans “deserve better and they deserve a conclusion to our stories.”

The Canadian actor had a message for the show’s fans. “First of all, I want to say that this wasn’t your fault. Kim’s Convenience was not cancelled because our viewership was low. It wasn’t cancelled because our ratings were faltering. It wasn’t cancelled because, you know, Netflix decided that we weren’t worth their time. That’s absolutely not what happened.”

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Simu said that the fans of the show are “so instrumental in the success of the show” and for launching so many careers. “But more than that I just want to say how grateful I am to have had their love and support over these last five years. It’s truly been a privilege to be a part of their lives and to share in something as special as this show,” he added.

The 31-year-old said that he hopes fans will still continue to live by the show’s spirit, “which is that of forgiveness and that of love and empathy.”

The biggest takeaway from working on the show for Simu has been that “amazing things can happen when you open the gates and when you allow new, fresh, diverse, inclusive stories to be told.”

“When we premiered in 2016, it was just a show that had no expectations whatsoever. We had no proven stars. We were just a show about a family like any other in the inner city of Toronto. I think just the fact that we’ve all experienced such wild success in the years that have followed is indicative of just how badly people wanted to hear the story, and I can only hope that the legacy doesn’t die with us.”

When asked if there was a possibility that someone could step up and save the show (a la Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Simu said he doesn’t have the answers to that.

“In this particular case, I think it’s a tough one because it’s not as simple as getting another network onboard. I mean, we have other networks onboard. It was really a decision that was come to by our producers. At the end of the day, they’re the ones that are in the position to make those decisions. 

Simu said he doesn’t see a path for the show “in the now,” but he never wants to close that door completely. 

“Who’s to say that years in the future, we won’t experience something like Full House or, you know, even Will Smith had a Fresh Prince reunion. There’s a real market for nostalgia and a real hunger for fans of these shows overtime that has impacted their lives to revisit them.”

So you’re saying there is hope? Thank you, Simu. 

Until then, the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star says the best thing to do is “celebrate the legacy of the show.”

“Celebrate five seasons of awards and accolade and also just immense success for creatives of colour, for actors of colour and to watch the few episodes that are remaining in our fifth season that are left to air and to carry that spirit onwards and upwards.”

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