Strays (2021–2022) User Reviews

Nicole power's new show has not enough power.

[Laqshayaroraofficial · 6/10 · 18 September 2021]

Problems with this show: People will compare it with Kim's convenience - It's not that funny , characters are not that good in comparison and theme song of Kim's convenience was way better. But Kim's convenience was not cancelled because they wanted to make this show! So please don't compare.

Show is only available in Canada - You can't watch it if you live outside canada, yeah ofcourse you can watch it with some tricks ;)

Anyway, concept is good, this show has potential, we all know shannon was funny in Kim's convenience and she is still that great, they just need to hire some funny writers if they really don't want it to get cancelled. Episode 1 was average but 2 was better. Give it a chance!

Not very funny so far

[Gundhalinu · 5/10 · 25 September 2021]

It's hard not to compare this show to Kim's Convenience and given the abrupt, unexpected and rather strange way the latter ended, leaving fans frustrated and upset, many may be unfairly harsher in their reviews of Strays. I was a huge fan of Kim's but I will try to stay objective in reviewing. To be honest, I was actually looking forward to watching it, as I always found Shannon very funny and the trailers were promising so I was quite disappointed with the first episode. Shannon is still funny but her new environment and cast mates just not as interesting. They come across as slightly boring stereotypes from old office sitcoms instead of a believable group of people working at the same place. The cousin character, probably the worst of the bunch, is the cardboard-cutout slacker cliché and is mostly annoying rather than funny. And the Asian character being good with numbers and computers...really!?

What made Shannon a great character in Kim's convenience was her trying to be the nice, accessible and (cheesily) funny boss at a place where there is a clear hierarchy between manager and staff. That aspect is so far missing from the new show which dulls out a key part of her character.

It's too early to form a definite opinion of the show and I'm willing to give it a chance and watch the rest of the season but I would rate the first two episodes as average to below average.

What Was Kevin White Thinking? This Isn't As Funny As Kim's Convenience.

[c-keenan2001 · 6/10 · 29 September 2021]

I tried, I really tried to watch this Kim's Convenience spin-off show but it's just not as funny as Kim's is.

I understand the need to take Kim's Convenience and spin it off but this...I'm fairly certain that my words would be censored by any profanity filiters.

Bad.

[apelqvistante · 1/10 · 20 September 2021]

This is a bad spinoff from the great Kim's Convenience. Stay away from this and watch/rewatch Kim´s instead.

Awfully UnFunny

[jim_reaugh · 2/10 · 16 September 2021]

Whereas Kim's had plots and humour- this show falls flat straight from opening. Nicole is not a lead actor and the supporting cast is simply not interesting.

Did the writers watch episode one?

Boring

[carolisupson · 1/10 · 19 September 2021]

20 minutes of my life wasted.

Shannon's character was surrounded by a great story and actors in Kim's Convenience but with this new show, it's pure nonsense and it brings her character down. The only nice thing of this first episode wad briefly seeing cute animals here and there in betweeen the scenes.

Refreshing, Laughs, only two episodes in.

[poicop · 7/10 · 23 September 2021]

Refreshing laughs in an easy to watch show. So far so good. Only two episode so far. And the second is better than the first. I hope that continues. But can't really give it a solid review until I see more. And more is what I would like to see.

Honestly so far all the characters are enjoyable to watch and you get a lot packed into only a half an hour. I'd say I'm a fan. Who knows when this season is over I may change my review and be back.

For a half hour show, refreshing and easy to watch. And pets at the centre of it, I would give this show a shot. Who knows where this could go!

Poor Nicole cannot save the horrible writing

[getbacks · 3/10 · 9 October 2021]

Feel sorry for Nicole. The writing is horrible and very bland. She is an excellent talent but she is left with nothing to deliver. The 2nd episodes cold open was the only time I chuckled (rubbing back of ears) Nikki I'm sure is an excellent talent but so far her place on the show is to irritate viewers and say predictable lines.

In fact...most of the cast seem talented, the writing, the dialogue seems rather simple minded.

Be wise to come up with a strong storyline and have it carry over for a few episodes so people get interested and come back. Right now...there's no reason to.

Sorry Nicole. You deserve better.

Better than the overall rating suggests.

[edhutchinson-08617 · 7/10 · 1 December 2023]

Obviously this show is not as good or will ever be as good as Kim's Convenience but it does have its moments. The first episode isn't the greatest and I think that's where many people who rated the show stopped watching. The show does get better as it progresses. Nicole Power is really good in this and the guy that plays the janitor is also pretty good. I'm only in season 1, episode 8, but so far I quite enjoy it. Whst could be better is the writing. There are some funny parts but nothing that's belly laugh worthy. I know Ride the Burbs isn't a spin-off but this is WAY better than that show. Cheers.

Just jokes does not make a good show.

[koolfaker · 1/10 · 26 September 2021]

There are a lot of scrutiny on this show, as many blamed its birth at the expense of the beloved Kim's Convenience's demise. Let's be clear - no matter if Kim's is going on or not, this Nicole Power lead new show will still be a go. So we should hope that our beloved Shannon would at least get a good home in her new Hamilton based operation.

Watched the first two episodes before deciding to write this review, because the first episode does not really grab me, and in fact it is borderline annoying me. Sadly, the second episode is not any better either. While I always found the Shannon bits funny in Kim's, it is exactly what it is - the small dose of wackiness, that breaks up some of the heavy themes of the show. However, Strays only take that and drag the bits into a full on 30 minutes. I like the Handy weird crew in small doses but in this show, everyone is a wacko and you just cannot take them seriously. There is also a lack of central core in the show for us to get attached to. If they think just coz we like Shannon in Kim's then we will follow her character to a new path, at least give her some character and stop leaving her to be the exact same "joke of the day" person. 2 episodes in, we have no idea why she took this out of the left field job (other than for the convenience of the plot of the show they made up), and all of the supporting cast are just being caricatures of jokes from other sitcoms.

This show is all jokes with no heart.

Clever and charming

[camerondavid-49859 · 10/10 · 13 January 2022]

This is a clever and charming comedy. Beautifully shot, the stories and relationships are fun and quirky. Especially engaging is Nikki as the lazy but good hearted cousin of Shannon. I can't help but think all these bad reviews are from folks who are either upset that this isn't Kim's Convenience or who simply never gave it a chance to develop characters. Looking forward to a second season.

No Appa, No Omma, No good...

[lfatradehub · 3/10 · 3 October 2021]

I have only watched 2 episodes so far, but here is my 2 cents. As much as I liked Shannon in Kim's Convenience, I can't seem to like her here in Strays. She is the main character, yet her characterization here is bland at best. Surrounding characters and the not funny "supposedly funny moments" didn't help either. Compared to the characters at Handy, all new characters here are either bland or borderline annoying. I do hope this show will get better in future episode.

However as of now, no Appa, no Omma, no good...

Unfunny

[dixiethistle · 1/10 · 2 October 2021]

I was a big fan of "Kim's Convenience" but viewed this as a separate entity. In short, this series is grim... annoying and unfunny characters, poor script, forced humour and a few cringeworthy scenes ( see "dead cat" scene in episode 1). I've attended funnier wakes. I'll be astonished if CBC renew this for a second series.

Network Heads Should Roll !!

[jaydoo · 1/10 · 21 September 2021]

Some network executive cancellec Kim's Convenience for this?!

Give your head a shake. Strays has zero storyline, zero intetesting characters, and zero relevance. The ONLY thing it has are cutsie shots of handicapped animals.

Shame on you CBC. Whoever greenlighted this, and whoever axed Kim's, should be sent packing.

Nicole Power can't save this show

[sdowen-59793 · 4/10 · 12 November 2021]

Strays is what happens when you rush the development of a show. The concept has potential . Nicole Power is the only funny person in the show. The rest of the show is poorly cast.

CBC panicked to develop a new show for Nicole. The result is a bad sitcom with poor writing & few laughs.

I doubt it will last more than one season. Nicole has the talent to star in a great sitcom. They could have added Nicole as a crazy mom on Workin' Moms where she would have been a great addition to the cast.

Every memorable sitcom involves 12-24 months of development, casting, ect. CBC cranked this show out in a couple of months with little effort is casting & writing. That's why the show is boring & barely watchable.

Pure Work of Tosh

[bizonmoose · 1/10 · 15 November 2021]

I watched every episode of Kim's convenience and it's pretty obvious Nicole Power's character was at best a supporting role. Making a spin-off with Nicole Power having the starring role is a bold move considering the conclusion of Kim's convenience was bizarre.

As for Strays, the lines are not funny and it would make anyone cringe to watch. The CBC or Kevin White or who the hell knows has tried to overcompensate the Kim's convenience saga by trying to diversify the Strays' cast but in the end it's just a classic example of tokenization. Very shameful!

The storylines are hard to follow and not worth anyone's time. Nicole Power's character lacks latitude and depth. Her performance isn't funny either. As fo the other members of the cast, haven't seen much of a character development and their lines seem incoherent. Best course of action for the CBC would be to cancel the show altogether.

They cancelled Kim's for this

[jessica-13899 · 4/10 · 22 September 2021]

Ok so to start I actually liked it and enjoyed the episode but you can't really separate the fact they cancelled an amazing show to give us this.

To me it needed to be AMAZING to justify that and it was honestly just ok.

Not bad! I actually like it a lot!

[jawshimmanuel · 10/10 · 23 September 2021]

Very unique show with the animals. Not typically into animals however it's a good integration with the animals. The cast seems super solid as well, wish some of them were more memorable but still super solid acting. Strays has a lot of potential but the show seems to play it super safe. Still a good show, not sure why some of the reviews are so low but it's definitely a good show with a new and cool concept and can't wait to see what happens next.

Lacking Considerably

[xajen-52180 · 1/10 · 15 November 2021]

I think there are better things to watch. It's a whole new story different from Kim's convenience, so you shouldn't watch it just because it's a spin off. Long story short, maybe give it a watch if you want to watch the life of a cat lady running an animal shelter. It's not really funny, I didn't understand it.

Another show that should be about the animals and is Not!

[robinwhiteart-415-756085 · 1/10 · 14 March 2023]

This is yet another show that should be about the pet animals in it and is Not!

Yes, humans are animals too but so boring, stupid and predictable that this just one more show that does Not honor the other animals it is supposed to be about.

It just depends on stupid, tired formula "humor" that has been repeated endlessly.

This being a Canadian show there was some hope for it being on a somewhat higher level of caring about the animals and showing more about them while also having some possibly delicate and subtle humor about both the humans who care for them and the animals themselves.

This show is just the same endlessly repeated content, the usual dumb humor that supposes that all of the audience is also too dumb to notice.

So very tired of shows that have potential to be something good and special and are Not!

Wut

[terra-skye2009 · 3/10 · 19 November 2021]

I cant believe they cancelled Kim's Convenience for this trite show. Ugh just ugh.

Why CBC why? Plus one token Asian in the cast? Please stop making shows.

Welp, cringeworthy and unfunny

[photherguardians · 1/10 · 22 July 2022]

Sorry but Nicole can't even make this show funny. If producers stopped Kim's and swapped with this lame show, then they should fired themselves. Sorry but painstakingly jokes that fall flat and unfunny cringy scene with dull cast, this show need to stop. Nicole went like hero to zero with this show. And one thing funny is that the producers could've give other people spin-offs like Kimchee, Pastor Nina, The Mehtas, hell even Stacie (if Appa, Umma, Jung and Janet are main cast so they won't gonna get spin-off yet even Joey from Friends got a spin-off lol) but yet they give Shannon only white main character a spinoff lol. Yet they said no racism. Lol producers.

Not funny mess

[RandomTard · 3/10 · 10 March 2022]

So this show is all about some 13-14 year old schoolgirls and their issues with boys and friendships. It really highlights how unintellectual and hysterical girls are and how bad decicions they constantly make.

If that seems weird to you, it's because all the young girls have been replaced by stupid hysterical adults that play "does he/she like me games" and other schooldgirl stuff in every episode in a nonfunctionally run animal shelter with a boss that acts like a pre-teen.

Also there is this one character that checks two boxes in the diversity requirements that seems to be from some completely different show - I mean why would an animal shelter need a real estate agent pretending to work there for any possible reason? Though it's not like anybody seems to be working there anyway nor would they have any of the skills needed to be working in any place for that matter.

It's a mess that makes no sense and sadly is not funny at all - zero laughs.

Another Loser from the CBC that is not funny but it is awful!

[cdeanroane · 1/10 · 6 October 2021]

Well folks the CBC has released another really bad TV show and it is a real stinker, How one country can crank out so many bad shows is unbelievable. It is as if CBC think people in Canada have no taste and will think if it made in Canada it is awesome, which is not the case. This is a replacement for another bad show called Kim's Convenience, they just replaced one crap show with another. Remember this is the same network that just released Sort Of. Which is not sort of but is actually steaming pile of poo!

Solid, But Safe Addition to CBC's Lineup

[eric-davison8 · 8/10 · 8 October 2021]

Strays replicates much of the humour and charm of Kim's Convience, but never quite lives up to the original. As a standalone series, it's a solid addition to pad the CBC lineup, but isn't going to be sweeping any awards shows.

The show takes a few episodes to pick up, but shows a lot of potential in its diverse cast of characters and solid premise.