Amidst controversy surrounding the lack of diversity on both big and small screens, one new show is looking to bring Asian Canadian stories to the forefront. When the series makes its television debut next week, CBC’s Kim’s Convenience will become the first Canadian television sitcom ever led by actors of Asian descent.
Kim’s Convenience was originally written as a play by Ins Choi, a Canadian actor and playwright. As a child, Choi lived above his uncle’s store in Etobicoke, Ontario, named Kim’s Grocery. After noticing a lack of opportunities in the Canadian television industry for Asian Canadians such as himself, he decided to develop his own play in order to give himself a job. The result was Kim’s Convenience.
The play debuted at the Toronto Fringe Festival, where it won the New Play Contest and the Patron’s Pick Award. After receiving rave reviews at the Festival, Choi, in collaboration with Toronto troupe Soulpepper, brought the play back to stage and subsequently across the country in a national tour.
With Kim’s Convenience, Choi, as well as actors from the series, hopes to put the spotlight on Asian Canadian actors. In an interview, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, who plays the role of Appa, meaning “Dad” in Korean, lamented the fact that despite being Canadian “through and through,” he hasn’t been “allowed to play a Canadian” many times. By developing this play and television series, Choi has the chance to add to the conversation about diversity in popular media, as well as show that while Asian Canadian families have their own unique stories to tell, they also go through issues like generation gaps just as any typical family does.
So far, reviews for the upcoming television series have been positive; the first two episodes were received with thunderous laughter and applause at the preview screening. In addition to Lee, the show will also star Jean Yoon, Simu Liu and Andrea Bang. Kim’s Convenience will premiere on CBC Television on October 11. In the meantime, find out more about the show here!