“The Kardashians” Season 1 Review: A Fresh Start or the Same Old Show?

The Kardashians made their explosive return to reality TV with a new show on Hulu. A new episode premieres every Thursday featuring the cultural icons, so we have something to keep ourselves busy with besides finals. With this show, it’s clear all of the people featured needed some time away from the cameras, but it’s interesting that they decided to be part of a new show as a “fresh start” of sorts. I think that they just couldn’t let go of the spotlight a reality TV show provided them with, and the connection they believe it creates between them and their fans. 

I wouldn’t exactly call myself a fan, considering I never watched the original show, but I’ve definitely been intrigued and more inclined to keep up (no pun intended) because of how prevalent the Kardashian-Jenner clan has been in the media recently – including their Tik Tok audios. Basically, they’re everywhere. From the Pete, Kim, and Kanye love triangle to Kylie having another child to Kourtney and Travis’ whirlwind romance, it’s safe to say that the Kardashians have made their mark on pop culture news. 

My only exposure to the original show was the iconic memes and occasionally hearing random things about them, but now that they are everywhere, it’s become much harder to avoid their prevalence. I feel the need to be in touch with what’s going on in their lives since they’re such a big part of America’s media empire. 

I appreciate them trying to rebrand themselves and market the show a bit differently than before. I’ve noticed that the logo for the show is cleaner and it’s classier, but I think, at heart, it is still the same show as it was before. It seems to be more scripted, and I don’t know if this is accurate or not, since I didn’t watch the original show, but it does feel more forced. In my opinion, that’s not a good thing, considering that reality TV has become so scripted. A less scripted show would work better in their favor. 

I’ve never held the Kardashians in high regard, but this new show has shown me that they are indeed quite problematic in the sense that they don’t seem to acknowledge their privilege. They try so hard to be relatable to an average person who’s not a billionaire and who doesn’t own multiple companies, but their problems and struggles come off as inconsequential compared to what else is going on in the world. I don’t want to invalidate their experiences, because obviously everyone struggles with different things, but I think there’s just something a bit touchy about celebrities claiming that they have all these problems. It comes off a bit tone deaf because of everything they have access to that many people in the world don’t. With that being said, I don’t think that the show was meant to be taken in that way, and I think people can definitely enjoy dissociating from their own life by living vicariously and imagining they have that kind of life.

On a lighter note, let’s talk about the plot points we’ve seen so far in this new show. I’ve been surprised, with the three episodes that are out so far, about how much Khloe is featured. She’s definitely not my favorite, but I feel like we’ve seen a lot of her, Kim, and Kris, and not so much anyone else. I won’t lie: the Kourtney and Travis PDA is a lot. Honestly, I’m not too sure how to feel about it. I really enjoyed seeing Kim’s SNL preparation and journey. I think she surprised everyone with how great of a host she was, and I liked hearing her say she knows that she’s not funny. When Kanye brought her the “sex tape” as a computer, I think I lost it. That whole moment was so funny and ridiculous, especially when Kim started ugly crying. 

Going forward, I want to see more into each of their private lives, especially moments we don’t already know about. I definitely also want to see more of Kylie and Stormi, as well as Kylie in her mother role. Also, I hope there’s an upcoming episode highlighting the birth of Kylie’s second child, considering how little we know about him.

It’s weird watching the show knowing that all of these moments have already happened and also knowing most of the details, but I think they do a decent job of giving a closer look at their inner thoughts during those moments. 

Overall, I’d say it’s worth a watch if you’re looking for a show that is entertaining and if you want to be in touch with what’s going on nowadays in the world of pop culture. 

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