Simu Liu shared his opinions about the abrupt final season of the popular Korean-Canadian family sitcom Kim’s Convenience.
On Wednesday, when the final season dropped on Netflix, the Shang-Chi star wrote a lengthy Facebook post in which he details his feelings, opinions and frustrations with the showrunner and producer’s decisions to end the series. Liu, who previously expressed disappointment in the incomplete storylines for his character, Jung; said he was frustrated by the lack of input he and his fellow co-stars had on the series.
“It was always my understanding that the lead actors were the stewards of character, and would grow to have more creative insight as the show went on,” he wrote. “This was not the case on our show, which was doubly confusing because our producers were overwhelmingly white and we were a cast of Asian Canadians who had a plethora of lived experiences to draw from and offer to writers. But we were often told of the next seasons’ plans mere days before we were set to start shooting… there was deliberately not a lot of leeway given to us. 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.”
Liu continued:”More importantly, the characters never seemed to grow. I can appreciate that the show is still a hit and is enjoyed by many people… but I remain fixated on the missed opportunities to show Asian characters with real depth and the ability to grow and evolve.”
In his post he also co-creator showrunner Ins Choi for not doing “enough to be a champion” for diverse television talent. Liu said that upon leaving the series, Choi, did not leave a protege, “padawan learner” or another Korean showrunner who could have filled his shoes. The actor wrote that he, and others, reached out to Choi for feedback and mentorship, in an attempt to have more involvement in writing, thinking “people would be naturally inclined to help.”
“Boy I was wrong here,” he wrote. “I wasn’t the only one who tried. Many of us in the cast were trained screenwriters with thoughts and ideas that only grew more seasoned with time. But those doors were never opened to us in any meaningful way.”
Choi’s reps did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Just two week after Kim’s Convenience producers announced the final season, CBC unveiled a Kim’s spin-off series starring Nichole Power.
“It’s been difficult for me. I love and am proud of Nicole, and I want the show to succeed for her…but I remain resentful of all the circumstances that led to the one non-Asian character getting her own show,” he said.
Power, whose Shannon Ross shared a relationship with Liu’s Jung, was the one of the few non-Asian cast members on the original series. Though Ross and Jung shared a close friendship, Liu said he “will adamantly refuse to reprise my role in any capacity.”
See Liu’s full Facebook post below.