This show feels like a bit of a throwback because, throughout its five seasons, it never feels “bigger”. Nowadays, even sitcoms have this phenomenon, as they get more seasons, they usually get more money, and with a bigger budget, they can go “out” and shoot on more locations, bring more guest stars, and things of that nature. This never happened for Kim’s Convenience; I guess because it has never gotten “too big”, but weirdly, that contributed to the unique charm and charisma this show has set from the beginning, and it upheld it until the premature end.
But it’s that simplicity, that fact this show always stayed grounded and never felt too big/polished, that worked for me the most. Kim’s Convenience is a simple story done right. Husband and wife, who emigrated from Korea to Canada, opened a convenience store. They have two kids and raised them as well as they can whilst having their business. The show starts with their son (played by Simu Liu) not being part of the family as he got in with bad people and has been through some stuff. That’s the basic premise of this comedic show with some dramatic elements; they tackle everything from racism and integration into different cultures to their children’s experience as first-generation Canadians, and all issues are viewed through a sense of humour that’s oddly relatable.
The best thing this show has is the perfect casting of the family unit. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee plays Mr. Kim (also known as Appa), and he portrays him so brilliantly. He knows when to lean into the stereotypical “stern dad” and when to take a step back and goes through some character growth throughout the show. Jean Yoon portrays Mrs. Kim (also known as Umma), and she compliments her on-screen husband beautifully; it’s hard to believe they aren’t together in real life. Her character isn’t just “his wife” or “his opposite”; she is a force to be reckoned with and has some funny moments and (later on) some truly touching real-life moments. Andrea Bang portrays Janet, their daughter, who has been dealing with a lot ever since her brother left home, and her parents fixated on her being perfect. That results in her often trying to overcompensate or overachieve in many areas. The already mentioned Simu Liu plays Jung, the son who is now back on the “right track”, but because of unresolved issues from their past, he can’t find his way back into the family.
Those four create the cornerstone of this show and complement/play off each other so well that it’s easy to like them from the first episode. Kim’s Convenience is such an easy watch because every problem this family goes through feels real. I am not a Korean emigrant, but I recognise many things from my family, and it’s through these shows we can see that there is more that unites us than divides us and how many things are universal and many people deal with the same things, no matter where they are from. And when most of those issues are viewed via this comedic lens, this show quickly becomes something you can watch five or six episodes in a row and not get bored. There are always a few great jokes in each episode or something that feels relatable and familiar that you quickly feel like you know this family.
What I appreciated is how, throughout the show, all main characters go through some character growth without losing their “id“. Without going into spoilers, Mr. Kim stays the same on the surface, but you can see him trying to be more understanding/forgiving of his children while examining his childhood. The same applies to Mrs. Kim, although her character goes through something more, but I won’t spoil that. Both Janet and Jung grow from young adults to full-blown adults, and they understand that it is time for them to start building their lives.
The only real issue is the cancellation of this show throughout season five. From what I understand, the creators thought they would have at least one more season, and they got cancelled halfway through shooting the fifth season, so they tried their best to give us some ending. However, it not only feels rushed (which I can’t blame them), there are many loose ends with three out of our four main characters as they all go through significant changes. I won’t even mention who, but honestly, I wish we would have gotten at least one more season, where Ins Choi and Kevin White (the creators of this show) would know from the start that this would be it, and they could plan everything around it. I don’t want everything tied up with a nice bow, far from it. But when we left Kim’s family, things were happening and I wished they would explore them further.
Also, I don’t think this is a spoiler; I wanted to see Jung interacting more with his family and spending more “quality time” together. One big theme of this show seems to revolve around forgiveness, and that gets explored mainly with Jung’s relationship with his dad and how those two want to talk to each other, but they both hurt each other in the past so much, there is so much “residue” they don’t know where to start reconnecting and how to do it. And towards the end, there was finally some progress, and I just wished we would have seen more of that because those scenes always felt special. As I said, the entire family had incredible chemistry, and it was easy to root for them.
The last thing I want to mention is that I liked how this show presented everybody as people. I just mentioned how easy it is to root for the entire family, but they still have issues. No character in this show is without their flaw(s), whether it is stubbornness, short temper, being overachiever, etc. But, it’s because of these flaws, not despite them; I rooted for this family even harder because I believe that’s the “secret” of their relatability. Think of it this way – you love your parents, grandparents, aunties, and uncles. But despite them being related to you, now, when you are an adult, can you say they have no flaws? They do, we all do, because that is what being human is. Some have minor flaws, and others might have bigger flaws, but we try to give them a break because they are family. I think that aspect is what Kim’s Convenience nailed the best, having characters going through character growth without making them into perfect human beings.
Overall, Kim’s Convenience is an easy, funny, and occasionally touching show, and I would recommend it highly. The “core four” performers are great, and their chemistry is wonderful. Even the side characters (Andrew Phung as Kimchee or Nicole Power as Shannon) are fun and get their time to shine as the show progresses. The only caveat I would have to give is if you want to watch this show, get ready for the ending that feels incomplete because it is. I can still hope that we might eventually get one more season, but I know it’s unlikely now (mainly due to Simu and Paul finding success with Star Wars and MCU), but one can always dream. Anyway, if you are looking for a great, chill show to watch, look no further.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke