Kim’s Convenience cast get their own TV shows
The popular TV show Kim’s Convenience might be coming to an end, but one of the characters will live on in a spinoff series. CBC has announced that Nicole Power will reprise her role of Shannon Ross in the situation comedy Strays. The show, developed by Kim’s Convenience cocreator Kevin White, will follow Shannon “as she embarks on a new career in Hamilton”, the network said. The ensemble cast includes Frank Cox-O’Connell, Tina Jung, Nikki Duval, and Kevin Vidal, among others.
The spin-off has been in development since July 2018 and is currently in production, suggesting that perhaps Shannon was destined to say goodbye before Kim’s Convenience showrunner and cocreator Ins Choi decided to leave, precipitating the sitcom’s surprise cancellation.
Meanwhile, another Kim’s Convenience star has landed a new gig on a CBC series. Andrew Phung, who plays Kimchee, has cocreated the comedy series Run the Burbs with filmmaker Scott Townend.
The series is about “a young, bold Canadian family taking a different approach to living life to the fullest in the suburbs”, according to a show description. Phung plays a stay-at-home dad with an entrepreneur wife and two kids.
Both shows are slated to air on CBC during the 2021-2022 season.
“Both of these series were planned to join Kim’s Convenience on our comedy lineup this upcoming year, to reflect how many young Canadians are forging new lives outside of urban centres in Canada,” CBC’s general manager of entertainment, factual, and sports Sally Catto said in a statement. “We look forward to watching Andrew and Nicole as they explore these new stories.”
In early March this year, CBC announced that Kim’s Convenience would conclude in April after five seasons.
“Our two co-creators confirmed they were moving on to other projects. Given their departure from the series, we have come to the difficult conclusion that we cannot deliver another season of the same heart and quality that has made the show so special,” the network said.
The show has since been nominated for 11 Canadian Screen Awards.