King of Kensington is a Canadian sitcom created by Perry Rosemond and broadcast by CBC from 1975 to 1980. The series starred Al Waxman as Larry King (no, not the talk show host), the owner of a convenience store in Toronto's Kensington Market, who would regularly help out his friends and neighbours in some fashion. For the first three seasons, King is joined by his wife Cathy (Fiona Reid). After the two divorce, Larry begins dating Tina (Rosemary Radcliffe) and later Gwen Tinning (Jayne Eastwood). King's multi-ethnic circle of friends consists of Nestor Best (Ardon Bess), Max (John Dee), and Tony Zarro (Bob Vinci), much to the disapproval of his conservative mother Gladys (Helene Winston).
Tropes of Kensington:
- The Place: The series takes place in Kensington Market, a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in downtown Toronto.
- Pun-Based Title: The title refers both to Larry himself and his high social standing in Kensington Market.
- Racist Grandma: Well, racist mother, but same idea. Gladys clearly does not approve of her son hanging around with his multi-ethnic circle of friends.
