The corner store: a place to grab snacks and those miscellaneous household items you forgot during your last big shop. It’s also a nostalgic place, in a way. Maybe your go-to slushy stop where you got to know the person behind the counter, as dependable as their late-night hours; you just know they’ll be there in a pinch. Kind of like family.
Illustrating this notion is CBC’s Kim’s Convenience, now available internationally on Netflix. Run by the Korean-Canadian Kim family, the convenience store is nestled in the residential neighborhood of Moss Park in Toronto, becoming the canvas on which multiple family dramas and cultural discussions play out with a hint of dry humor.
Comedy central
Canadian humor is characteristically on the satirical side, laced with irony, and can be downright divisive. But it’s in this writer’s opinion that this is the foundation for all comedy — “funny” is in the ear of the beholder. Kim’s Convenience is no different. It walks a line between family comedy and social commentary, taking jabs while opening discussions at the same time. But mostly, it’s about the family dynamic that has enough twists, turns, ups and downs to fuel a lifetime's worth of episodes for any show.
Kim's Convenience illustrates that comedy doesn’t need to be big, bold and flashy to be funny and impactful. Humor is often found in the little moments; dissecting the small and making it big, and the half-hour comedy uses its format to stretch those into a full story that’s often relatable no matter your background. Family dynamics, career struggles, and community is common ground — and that common ground is epitomized in the convenience store itself. It’s a microcosm of the community it anchors, and the audience is lucky to get to just sit and watch for a while.
Plotlines are relatively simple, revolving around just one "issue." Deliberating whether to apply for an in-house promotion, for example. But that simplicity allows the story to really dig into all of the ramifications, create more character facets, and fire the jokes off. Kim’s production feels understated, a little on the raw side, which only highlights those moments of levity and emotion even more. All memorably delivered by the talented Kim family: Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Appa (Dad), Jean Yoon as Umma (Mom), with Andrea Bang and (soon-to-be-Marvel-famous) Simu Liu as their children, Janet and Jung.
All in the family
Appa runs the convenience store along with his wife, Umma; doting mother to Janet and Jung. Janet is pursuing photography in school while Jung is climbing the corporate ladder at a car rental firm. For me season one, episode 2 ("Janet’s Photos") is the quintessential portrait of the kind of generational trauma that makes a family comedy tick, delivered on a rather lighthearted comedic platter. Throughout the episode, Janet and her father trade frustrated opinions on what constitutes art. When he sees that her version brings in money, he sells it, deeming that "okay" because it’s time she contributes back to the family that has afforded her to go to school for photography in the first place. She’s horrified, as Appa sold the only photos she finally had the chance to showcase at the college open house — an honor that gets passed to the next student. Meanwhile, Appa’s friend brings him to the abrupt reality that Appa is subconsciously jealous of the opportunities Janet has because he didn’t have them himself growing up.
In another episode, the Kim family is again examined but this time as part of their larger cultural significance through an exchange that could raise tensions, yet treats them with both respect and levity through delivery. Like writers encouraged to "write what you know," Janet’s professor inquires why her life doesn’t inform her work, to which Janet replies that her parents aren’t refugees.
"Well, boat people," says the professor.
"My parents flew here," Janet answers.
But her professor insists, "You mean fled."
"No, flew. Air Canada, probably."
Through the convenience store; Janet’s school, Jung’s work, and Umma’s volunteer work at church, we cover a whole cross section of social issues: race, religion, privilege, and sexual orientation. There are plenty of opinions, but their delivery is what makes the show one you want to return to — just like the corner store.
What began as a semi-autobiographical one-act show in the Toronto Fringe Festival turned into a five-season national hit by co-creator, producer and showrunner Ins Choi (along with Corner Gas vet Kevin White). The family comedy came to an abrupt end this spring with the conclusion of the show’s fifth season. While Kim's conclusion is fraught with behind-the-scenes drama — it’s since been criticized for its onscreen diversity not being matched by that of its crew — hopefully Kim’s Convenience opened the door for more mainstream Asian stories. All eyes are on you now, Run the Burbs, which features Kim’s co-star Andrew Phung as co-creator and star.
And thus, Appa’s famous last words: “Okay, see you!”