On the day that the fifth and final season of Kim’s Convenience dropped on Netflix, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu took to Facebook to express his disappointment with the direction his former show has taken. Liu said fans have been asking CBC or Netflix to save the show, which he claims is not possible. “The show can’t be ‘saved.’ It was not ‘cancelled’ in a traditional manner, i.e. by a network after poor ratings,†he wrote. “Our producers (who also own the Kim’s Convenience IP) are the ones who chose not to continue.†Liu says he wanted to work on a sixth season, even though he didn’t like the direction his character was going. Or not going, as the case may be. “Imagine my disappointment year after year knowing that Jung was just stuck at Handy and in absolutely no hurry to improve himself in any way,†he wrote.
The show had an “overwhelmingly white†staff, per Liu, and offers of character insight or lived experience by the Asian actors (many of whom were writers as well) were rebuffed. Liu said he was also turned down when he asked to shadow a director, a very normal first step that many actors take before directing eps of their own shows. Liu also expressed his dismay that the showrunners decided to spin off the show’s only white character, Shannon (played by Nicole Power). Power’s show was announced in March of this year. Although happy for Power, Liu made it clear that he will not reprise his role of Jung in the spin-off.