Some of you may have seen the sitcom “Kim’s Convenience” on Netflix. I personally binge-watched the entire series over the summer. It is about a Korean family in Canada. The parents immigrated to Canada from Korea and the two children were born in Canada. The parents own a convenience store, hence the show name, and the show itself focuses on the cultural differences between the children and the parents, the Korean church, and parenting. The show goes deep into what it means to be a Korean immigrant, and also what it is like for the two children who try to balance their Korean culture with their Canadian childhood. The creator of the show immigrated to Canada from Korea. He actually started the show off as a play, but it was picked up to become a TV show. I think this show does a great job of representing different cultures, especially since the creator is a Korean immigrant like the Kim family.
Here is a clip from one of the episodes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShkyVQh0o-k&list=PLo_UQZib9jJjgLvsoIFAycd1FPZVzAiC-&index=13
This clip was the best one that I could find for an example of how the Kim family’s Korean culture sometimes clashes in Canada. The use of the red pen signifies that the person has died, and the white woman responds by saying “I didn’t know Koreans were so superstitious!” Her comment feels marginalizing to me, especially since the Kim family is Christian.
This video highlights the cultural impact of the show through cast interviews: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL9xRE3TS_4
This is a lovely NPR interview with some of the cast members and the author and is a quick read: https://www.npr.org/2019/01/09/682888290/kim-s-convenience-is-a-sitcom-about-asian-immigrants-with-depth