From Eric Volmers from Calgary Herald:
Link: Calgary-raised Paul Sun-Hyung Lee on finding his Appa in Kim’s Convenience
“The word stereotype, I think, was misused in this case. I always say we are not stereotypes, we are playing archetypes. The difference is, with a stereotype it is one common trait that you blanket an entire group of people with. That’s it. That’s all they are, that’s all they will ever be. You can interchange anybody with a stereotype.” Continue reading.Â
From JF Garrard of Ricepaper:
Link: Interview: Simu Liu, Kim’s Convenience Actor
“Being a part of this show is the single greatest experience of my life. It’s been everything I’ve ever dreamed of and more – it’s made my career, given me a platform, and allowed me to be a part of a very positive movement in the industry. But on the day-to-day, it’s also just a fun place to work. When your coworkers are Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Jean Yoon, Andrea Bang, Andrew Phung and Nicole Power, you’re never going to have a bad day on set.” Continue reading.
From Bill Brioux of The Canadian Press:
Link: Canadian TV networks bring stars to the fans in attempt to boost sagging ratings
In English Canada, based on the first three weeks of the season, the total available TV audience among broadcasters CBC, CTV, City and Global is down eight per cent year-to-year. Among viewers aged 25 to 54, a demographic advertisers covet the most, the drop is 12 per cent in all day parts, according to Numeris, which measures TV viewership in Canada. Continue reading.
It’s hard to believe that, after a very funny first season for Kim’s Convenience, the word around Season 2—returning Tuesday at 9 p.m. on CBC—is that it’s even better this year.
“We follow the comedy,” co-creator and co-executive producer Ins Choi said during production a few weeks ago in Toronto. “We have the best comedy writers in the country in our writers’ room pitching ideas, pitching stories. We know the characters, we know what works with these specific actors in these specific roles. We know what worked on-screen and we know what the audience loved. We know what we were drawn to, so it’s following what makes us laugh and what works.”
There’s no denying Season 1 worked. Kim’s Convenience was the No. 1 new Canadian comedy of last year and nabbed three Canadian Screen Awards—including a Best Performance trophy for Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Best Performance in a supporting role for Andrew Phung—along the way. After a wildly successful run of the original play on Broadway earlier this year—Choi and co-creator, showrunner and fellow executive producer Kevin White developed that into the CBC comedy—everyone is a little tired, but excited, about the sophomore run. And, in the case of Simu Liu, he’s jazzed with the way that Kim’s Convenience has been embraced.
“The most encouraging thing for me is that the feedback for the show does not revolve around the fact that it’s centred on a Korean family,” Liu says. “It is important and it is diverse, but it’s a funny show and it’s a Canadian show. Those are the things that, I hope, will make it succeed in the long-term.”
Tuesday’s return picks up right after the season finale, with Janet (Andrea Bang) desperately looking to find her own Toronto apartment. Umma (Jean Yoon) and Appa (Sun-Hyung Lee) are, understandably, reluctant to see her go, especially when they learn about some of the potential properties their daughter has investigated (Look for Bad Blood‘s Tony Nappo in a memorable guest role on Tuesday.). Shannon (Nicole Power) is still in a relationship with Alejandro (Marco Grazzini), leaving Jung (Liu) reeling, and Kimchee (Phung) is, well, Kimchee. Recurring characters Gerald (Benjamin Beauchemin), Terence (Michael Musi), Mr. Chin (John Ng) and Mr. Mehta (Sugith Varughese) all appear in Tuesday’s instalment; Choi says Pastor Nina (Amanda Brugel) is back for Season 2 too.
“Letting go is a lot easier said than done,” Sun-Hyung Lee says of Appa accepting Janet’s desire to move out. “And Janet goes through a lot. She’s going through the wringer, not only to sort of spread her wings but Umma and Appa to, literally, let go of her.” Janet will learn, he divulges, just how sheltered she was and how good she had it under her parents’ roof.
“We see Janet in the store, but we also see a lot of her outside the store,” Bang says. “There are also new characters that we meet. Last year, we were establishing our characters. Now we get to delve deeper into them and even explore relationships that we didn’t get to, like Janet and Kimchee or Janet and Jung.”
Kim’s Convenience airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC.
Images courtesy of CBC.
From Craig Takeuchi of The Georgia Strait:
Link: Why CBC’s Kim’s Convenience is particularly important for Vancouver at this point in time
The success of CBC’s comedy TV series Kim’s Convenience could not have come at more crucial time for Vancouver—with the only regret being that it didn’t arrive sooner.
Amid racially charged debates over Vancouver’s overheated real-estate market, anti-Asian sentiment has risen to one of the most disconcerting levels in recent decades. Continue reading.
