Kim’s takes show on the road

What do you do if your new Canadian sitcom strikes gold its very first season, becoming the toprated domestic comedy on any channel?

If you’re the CBC, and that show is the critically acclaimed Kim’s Convenience, you double down and showcase the season 2 launch with a cross-country promotional tour and fan experience.

The series, which returns Sept. 26, is visiting Vancouver on Tuesday before heading to Calgary (Sept. 21), Ottawa (Sept. 26), Montreal (Oct. 1) and St. John’s (Oct. 3).

“It’s almost like an old-school rock ’n’ roll tour,” says Paul SunHyung Lee, who plays poker-faced convenience store owner Mr. Kim, a.k.a. Appa.

Lee is thrilled to be participating in a Canadian TV promotion that will not only “pump the show, but pump the actors.

“In Canada, we don’t do the big star system,” he said. “To have this opportunity to promote the hell out of the series and the actors is beyond my wildest dreams.”

Set in downtown Toronto, Kim’s Convenience focuses on the lives of a Korean-Canadian family which owns a corner store.

Lee is especially proud that all Canadians have embraced the show “not just the Korean community. It has become a show that has transcended culture.”

The tour will allow fans to get up close and personal with Lee plus cast members Jean Yoon (Mrs. Kim, or Umma), Simu Liu (estranged son Jung), Andrea Bang (daughter Janet), Andrew Phung (Jung’s pal Kimchee) and Nicole Power (Handy Car Rental manager Shannon).

Born in South Korea and raised in Calgary, Lee, 45, has spent more than half his life as an actor.

He’s been one of those actors you’ve seen but can’t name, with credits on everything from Train 48 to Degrassi.

For her work on the series, Yoon won an ACTRA Award, beating out the likes of Catherine O’Hara and Tatiana Maslany in the process. “Humbled is the word,” says Yoon.