Imagine tuning into a sitcom that nails immigrant family quirks, car repair fails, and corner store banter with zero pretense. Kim’s Convenience delivered that warmth for five seasons on CBC, turning a Toronto shop into a cultural touchstone.
Stars like Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as gruff Appa and Simu Liu as slacker Jung made it must-watch comfort TV. Then, poof, gone in 2021 despite solid numbers and a season six greenlight. The fallout exposed ugly truths about the TV machine’s underbelly.
Creators Call It Quits
Everything hinged on co-creators Ins Choi and Kevin White bailing post-season five. CBC announced the renewal for two more runs in 2020, but Choi flat-out said he had nothing left to offer.
Producer Ivan Fecan later shared that Choi felt spent after drawing from his own Korean-Canadian roots for the show’s heart. White followed suit, leaving the team convinced no one could match their spark.
Producers faced stark math: without originators, quality would tank. Fecan stressed replacing Choi’s caliber proved impossible in Canada’s tight TV scene.
The cast got word just two months before the axe fell, blindsided as fans were. Ratings stayed healthy, north of a million viewers per episode, proving audiences craved more Kim family chaos. Yet the creative core vanished, dooming any sequel shot.
This mirrored rare cases where talent exodus trumps popularity. Netflix eyed a pickup after CBC but hit IP walls tied to Choi and White. No reboot sans blessing, locking stories in limbo.
Cast Airs Dirty Laundry
Tensions boiled over fast. Simu Liu fired off a now-deleted Facebook rant, hitting the lack of East Asian writers, skimpy pay, and shallow arcs for its mostly Asian leads.
Kim’s Convenience (Credit: Netflix)
Jean Yoon, Umma herself, echoed gripes about a white-heavy writers’ room churning stereotypes. Nicole Power’s Shannon snagged a spinoff pitch while the core cast felt sidelined, fueling betrayal vibes.
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee later unpacked stalled talks with Choi, who dodged calls and emails. Lee pegged it as industry woes: glossing over internal rot while chasing shiny surface wins. Reddit threads lit up with fans piecing together the mess, from ghosted meetings to diversity shortfalls.
Critics pushed back, noting some women on staff, but the cast’s pain rang authentic. Liu owned his outspoken rep and built a pre-Shang-Chi blockbuster. Yoon tied it to broader Canadian TV struggles, where diverse faces front shows but rarely steer them. Cancellation amplified these voices, sparking chats on equitable storytelling.
Echoes Linger in Spin-Off Flop
A spinoff, Strays, limped out in 2021 sans Kims , tanking after one season. Viewers missed the family glue, calling it hollow. Fans mourned unresolved bits like Janet’s growth or Jung’s redemption arc, left dangling mid-shop close.
Legacy thrives on Netflix streams, influencing shows like Run the Burbs with similar cultural beats. CBC drew heat for letting a slip happen, especially amid diversity pushes. Book and Film Globe framed it as shaming a pioneer who humanized Korean-Canadian life without pandering.
Cast scattered to glory: Liu to Marvel fame, Bang to indie films, and Lee to Broadway nods. Yet pangs remain. Forums buzz with “what if” pleas for closure, a sixth-season dream killed by egos and exits.
Kim’s Convenience proved that feel-good hits need real buy-in from top to bottom. Its abrupt end warns: talent walks; no contract holds them. Fans hold tight to reruns, chuckling at Appa’s hose gripes, proof one shop’s tales outlast network fumbles.
Golf fans love that first tee shot of the year, the Hawaiian sun baking lush fairways as winners-only fields chase $20 million purses. The Sentry at Kapalua’s Plantation Course delivered that ritual for decades, a postcard kickoff blending elite play with island vibes.
But for 2026, PGA Tour chiefs pulled the plug just weeks ago, citing crisis-level drought on Maui. Players and punters woke to headlines of a no-go, shifting eyes to Honolulu’s Waialae for the new start line.
Maui’s Water Crisis Hits Hard
Kapalua Resort’s Plantation Course, longtime Sentry home, faced unlivable turf from Maui’s endless dry spell. Officials flagged severe water restrictions, blaming years of low rain plus post-fire recovery strains from the 2023 Lahaina blazes.
PGA Tour brass confirmed on September 16 a no-go at the iconic track, with grass too beaten to host January 8-11 play. Agronomic teams reported compromised conditions across bunkers, greens, and rough, unfit for pro-level demands.
Local mandates prioritized drinking supply over golf irrigation, a tough call amid Hawaii’s eco-push. Commentator Mark Rolfing warned months back on podcasts that 2026 looked doomed, with no wiggle room for signature events needing pristine setups.
The tour explored fixes like reduced watering, but hit regulatory walls fast. This marked the first full PGA scratch due to nature’s punch, spotlighting climate knocks on outdoor sports.
Sentry Insurance, the title backer since 2018 through 2035, stood firm despite the hit. Chief marketing officer Stephanie Smith called it a “jewel” worth salvaging, but reality bit. Fans recalled past Maui wild cards like wind-whipped wins, yet this drought proved no fan-service mulligan.
Scramble Fails, Logistics Bite
Tour reps jetted to scout Hawaii alternates and mainland options, chasing spots for the elite opener. They needed full infrastructure: temp stands, corporate tents, and broadcast towers, all shipped ocean freight with razor deadlines.
Vendor networks balked at an 85-day crunch from announcement to tee-off, citing port jams and crew shortages. Tyler Dennis, PGA’s competitions head, praised Sentry collab but admitted roadblocks sealed the skip.
The Sentry Golf (Credit: CNN)
Calendar congestion killed relos, too. FedEx Cup top-50-plus-prior-winners format demanded prime slot, no gaps for last-minute swaps. Rolfing nailed it: too late for magic.
Sony Open slides up January 15-18, absorbing some Sentry shine but losing that winners-only exclusivity buzz. Players got memos days before public word, grumbling privately over prep shifts.
Australian Golf Digest pegged it as classic dominoes: eco mandates spark venue hunt, then supply chains snap. Sponsors ate purse costs, a multimillion-dollar testing of loyalty in the era of LIV threats. No rain dances or tech fixes like fake turf panned out under pro scrutiny.
Tour Pivots, Future Stays Murky
Sony Open steps up as the 2026 curtain-raiser, with Waialae’s tight layout promising birdie fests sans Kapalua drama. The Sentry deal runs long-term, so expect 2027 tweaks, maybe Kapalua upgrades, or a new Hawaii hub.
PGA eyes sustainable shifts, like drought-proof courses, amid green pressure from fans and fields. Sky Sports noted the tour’s quick pivot kept the calendar intact, averting bigger chaos.
Players adapt fast; Scottie Scheffler or Xander Schauffele reroute training sans complaint. Golf Monthly framed it as a rare weather washout, rarer still for a full bin.
BBC Sport highlighted failed venue hunts, underscoring Hawaii’s logistical quirks for mainland ops. Eco-groups quietly cheered water wins, though purists mourn the lost Plantation roars.
Sentry backers sound bullish, committed to signature status. Golf Sustainable tied it to Maui’s broader woes, urging the industry to rethink paradise plays. Fans stream old highlights, toasting past Sentry sparks from Jon Rahm birdie blitzes to Jordan Spieth heroics.
PGA dodged a bullet by canning early, but whispers linger: Will droughts rewrite tour maps forever? For now, Waialae waits, clubs ready to swing year one sans Sentry shadow.
