Whether you love them or love to hate them, The Kardashian clan is returning back to our TV sets — just 9 months after ending Keeping Up with The Kardashians, which ran on E! for 14 years.
The famous (and obnoxiously wealthy) family has over shared just about everything with viewers — from sibling rivalries, child birth, weddings, divorces and even a gender transition. So with their new series, The Kardashians for Hulu premiering soon (where the family reportedly secured a massive 9-figure paycheck for the deal), some are begging to know, what more is there to see? The Cut asks “are we finally all caught up with the Kardashians?”.
The Kardashians promises that this new show is more “updated” and will provide a “more intimate” look at them, as they “evolve as a family”. But critics don’t seem to be impressed, as the reviews are in and basically they’re saying it’s the same show, just on a new network. One critic from The Cut stated the following:
“Despite promises that this updated series will show a more intimate side of the Kardashians as they evolve as a family, upon review, we see the same group of billionaires playing out the same tabloid headlines on a serious delay using the same elliptical editing techniques and the same cliffhangers pieced together out of facial expressions and eye contact. The Kardashians simply took a six-month break before they missed “being paid to be with one another” too much and started filming again. Nothing groundbreaking about it.”
Variety suggests that the Kardashians have outgrown its stage. Recalling the Elizabeth Wagmeister interview where Kim offers up some advice, urging “women in business” to “get your fucking ass up and work”, the Variety review of the show says that this was “a rare moment of true intimacy” — as the show is masterly produced, with Kris Jenner being a marketing genius. Kim’s advice ruffled more than just a few feathers but it also lead critics to think that her blunt and tone-deaf advice, is a sign that the pop culture icon realizes she’s outgrown her genre. They question whether the Kardashians can sustain continued dominance in pop culture.
Viewers are no longer falling for the “onscreen plot construction” scenes. The family brilliantly used the original show to build businesses, put out PR fires, control the narrative and try to maintain a pristine brand image — but at the expense of being authentic. Ratings were on the decline since 2015 and less than 1 million people tuned into the season-18 finale episode (which aired on April 30, 2020).
Let’s see if this family will be able to deliver on their promise and offer up something different for viewers. But if we’re revisiting that infamous sex tape (an alleged storyline in the new series) than it most certainly will feel like deja vu. Only time will tell.
‘The Kardashians’ premiere on Hulu on April 14, 2022. Check out the trailer below. Will you be tuning in?
https://youtu.be/CvEzCkdgnWk