Keeping Up with the Kardashians

**Keeping Up with the Kardashians** (abbreviated as **KUWTK**) is an American reality television series that airs on the E! cable network. The show focuses on the personal and professional lives of the Kardashian-Jenner blended family. Its premise originated with Ryan Seacrest, who also serves as an executive producer. The series debuted on October 14, 2007 and has subsequently become one of the longest-running reality television series in the country; the thirteenth season of the show premiered on March 12, 2017. The series focuses mainly on sisters Kim, Kourtney, Khloe Kardashian and their half-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner. It also features their parents Kris and Caitlyn Jenner (previously known as Bruce Jenner), and brother Rob Kardashian. The significant others of the Kardashian sisters have also appeared on the show, including Kourtney's ex-boyfriend Scott Disick and Khloe's ex-husband Lamar Odom. Caitlyn's son Brody made cameo appearances in the early seasons before joining the show to appear regularly, along with his brother Brandon, and Brandon's wife Leah. Kim's friend Jonathan Cheban and Khloe's friend Malika Haqq have also been part of the show.
Keeping Up with the Kardashians has received very poor critical reviews since its premiere. It is often criticised for the high degree of emphasis on the "famous for being famous" concept, and for appearing to fabricate some aspects of its storylines. Several critics also noted the show's lack of intelligence, and described the family as "self-absorbed" and "desperate" for fame. However, some critics recognised the reality series as a "guilty pleasure" and acknowledged the family's success. Despite the negative reviews, Keeping Up with the Kardashians has attracted high viewership ratings, becoming one of the network's most successful shows and winning several audience awards.
The series' success has led additionally to the creation of numerous spin-off series, including, Kourtney and Kim Take Miami, Kourtney and Kim Take New York, Khloe &Lamar, Kourtney and Khloe Take The Hamptons, Dash Dolls, Rob & Chyna and Life of Kylie. The network has also broadcast several television specials featuring special events involving members of the family.

## Background

Robert Kardashian (1944-2003) and Kristen Mary "Kris" Houghton (born 1955) married in 1978, and had four children together, daughters Kourtney (born 1979), Kim (born 1980) and Khloe (born 1984), and son Rob (born 1987). The couple divorced in 1991. In 1994, Robert rose to prominence when he defended O. J. Simpson for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman during the O. J. Simpson trial. In 1991, Kris married retired Olympic decathlon champion Bruce Jenner (born 1949; now known as Caitlyn Jenner after undergoing a gender transition in 2015). Bruce and Kris had two daughters together, Kendall (born 1995) and Kylie (born 1997). Robert died in 2003, eight weeks after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer. The Kardashian sisters began appearing in the media spotlight more often. In 2004, Kim became a personal stylist for recording artist Brandy Norwood. She eventually developed into a full-time stylist, and was a personal shopper and stylist for actress Lindsay Lohan. Khloe, Kim and Kourtney ventured further into fashion, opening a high fashion boutique Dash in Calabasas, California. Throughout Kim's early career, she was involved in some high-profile relationships including Brandy Norwood's brother, singer Ray J, and later, singer Nick Lachey. In 2006, Kourtney starred in her first reality television series, Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive. In February 2007, a home sex video that Kim made with Ray J years earlier was leaked. Vivid Entertainment bought the rights for $1 million and released the film as Kim Kardashian: Superstar on February 21. Kim sued Vivid for ownership of the tape, but dropped the suit in April 2007 settling with Vivid Entertainment for $5 million. It is often assumed that the release of the sex tape was a major contribution to the rising fame of Kim Kardashian and her family.

## Production

### **Development**

The idea of creating a reality series originated in 2006 when Kris Jenner showed an interest in appearing on a television show together with her family. Jenner commented, "Everybody thinks that my children could create a bunch of drama in their lives, but it's something that I felt I didn't even have to think about. It would be natural." Producer Ryan Seacrest, who had his own production company, decided to develop the idea, having the popular family-based show The Osbournes in mind. He hired a camera man to visit the Kardashian's family home to film them having a Sunday barbeque, "They were all together, as crazy and as fun and loving as they are," Seacrest described the family after seeing the tape. He later initiated the series by sharing the tape with E!, an American cable network which features mostly entertainment-related programming, and reality television series; the show was eventually picked up. In August 2007, it was announced that the Kardashian and Jenner families would star in a yet-to-be titled reality show on E! described as a "new non-scripted family sitcom", being produced by Ryan Seacrest and Bunim/Murray Productions. The series' announcement came one week after Paris Hilton and her friend Nicole Richie announced that their popular E! series, The Simple Life, was ending.
The show, entitled Keeping Up with the Kardashians, premiered on October 14, 2007. The reality series centers around the members of the Kardashian-Jenner blended family, focusing on the sisters Kourtney, Kim and Khloe. Most episodes have very similar structure, the family "shows off their privileged lifestyle and maybe get into one or two minor family squabbles before ultimately wrapping things up with a monologue that reinforces the importance of family," as noted by Caroline Siede of Quartz. Harriet Ryan and Adam Tschorn of the Los Angeles Times described the reality series as a "Hollywood version of The Brady Brunch, the harmless high jinks of a loving blended family against a backdrop of wealth and famous connections". Kim Kardashian described the beginning of filming the show, "When we first started the show, we came together as a family and said, if we're going to do this reality show, we're going to be 100% who we really are." She further commented on the show's authenticity by saying that the network "has never once put anything out there that we haven't approved of or accepted". The series was renewed for a second season one month after its premiere due to high ratings. Seacrest described the show's success, "At the heart of the series, despite the catfights and endless sarcasm, is a family that truly loves and supports one another. The familiar dynamics of this family make them one Hollywood bunch that is sure to entertain."
The following year, Keeping Up with the Kardashians was picked up for a third season. In April 2012, E! signed a three-year deal with the Kardashian family that kept the series airing through seasons seven, eight and nine. Keeping Up with the Kardashians was later renewed for a tenth season which premiered on March 15, 2015. In February 2015, it was announced that the show had been renewed for four more years, along with an additional spin-off series, making it one of the longest-running reality television series in the country. In terms of the show's future, Kim Kardashian has commented that the reality series could go for an indefinite number of seasons saying that she "hopes it goes on for as long as it can." Keeping Up with the Kardashians, including its spin-off series, has become the cable network's flagship show and its most lucrative franchise. "It has changed the face of E!" said Lisa Berger, the network's executive producer. "We were a place to report on celebrity; we weren't a place to break and make a celebrity, which is now the whole idea of the E! brand." The show's success contributed significantly towards building the "Kardashian brand", or "Kardashian Inc." as it is called by The Hollywood Reporter. "These shows are a 30-minute commercial," Khloe Kardashian admited in 2011, in response to a suggestion that the television series is used to promote their retail stores and endorsement deals.

## Cast

See Also: List of KUWTK Cast
The reality series revolves around the children of Kris Jenner, and originally focused mainly on the children from her first marriage to deceased attorney Robert Kardashian, Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Rob. Kris' children Kendall and Kylie from her marriage to American athlete Bruce (now Caitlyn) Jenner have also been featured on the show since its beginning, along with Jenner's son Brody from another marriage, although he appeared very few times during the early seasons, mostly being called to babysit his half-sisters Kendall and Kylie. Kourtney's boyfriend Scott Disick has also been appearing frequently on the show since the first season, as well as on the show's spin-offs. Cast members also include numerous friends and other acquaintances of the family members, most notably Malika Haqq and Jonathan Cheban who joined Keeping Up with the Kardashians in the second and third seasons, respectively.
Most of the Kardashian sisters' significant others have appeared on the reality series. Kim's relationship with football player Reggie Bush was featured on the show when they were dating; after the breakup, Bush commented on appearing on the show saying that he never felt comfortable being followed by cameras, adding, "I do it because it's important to Kim". Rob's relationship with singer Adrienne Bailon has also been documented on the show wehn they were dating from 2007 to 2009; although Bailon later admitted that the decision to sppear on the show, and be associated with the family, hurt her career. Kim's ex-husband Kris Humphries first appeared on the show during the premiere of the sixth season; their relationship with chronicled throughout the season and ended with the couple's wedding special "Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event". They eventually went through a highly publicised divorce; Kardashian's former publicist later claimed that Humphries was allegedly set up to be portrayed on the show in a negative way and that the short-lived marriage was staged for the cameras as a ploy to generate money.
Khloe married basketball player Lamar Odom during a fourth season premiere aired in 2009. He later had a major role as part of the supporting cast of the series, though he did not appear regularly during the following seasons as he was attempting to repair his marriage with Khloe. Kim's current husband Kanye West made his first appearance on Keeping Up with the Kardashians in July 2012 during the seventh season when he started dating Kim. However, West was seldom seen in subsequent seasons. He explained the reasons for not appearing on the show later, "You know, the amount of backlash I got from it is when I decided not to be on the show anymore. And it's not that I have an issue with the show; I just have an issue with the amount of backlash that I get." He also criticised the show for its cinematography and further complained about the way how the show is filmed. In the eighth season, Caitlyn Jenner's sons Brandon and Brody Jenner, as well as Brandon's wife Leah, joined the cast for regular appearances.

## Critical Reception

Keeping Up with the Kardashians has been the subject of constant panning by critics since its inception. Brian Lowry, reviewing the show for Variety, said that the network, "widens its lens to encompass the whole irritating brood, including Kim's sisters Khloe and Kourtney, mom-manager Kris and stepdad Bruce Jenner, who now has the distinction of having two sets of useless rich kids featured in pointless reality shows." Ginia Bellafonte of The New York Times compared the show to reality series Gene Simmons Family Jewels and exclaimed that, "the Kardashian show is not about an eccentric family living conventionally; it is purely about some desperate women climbing to the margins of fame, and that feels a lot creepier." Laura Burrows of IGN criticised the family for being too self-seeking and using the given platforms only to gain more notoriety for themselves. Following the conclusion of the second season of the series, Burrows wrote, "Those of us who watch this show want to believe that these whores of attention have souls and would actually do something for their fellow man and not reap the benefits of their service, but two seasons' worth of self-absorbed agocentrism speaks to the contrary."
Roxana Hadadi, reviewing Keeping Up with the Kardashians for The Washington Post, was extremely negative towards the reality series due to its absurdity, and commented that the show, "firmly captures all of Kim and Co.'s dumbest instances from the series' debut, from the simply self-absorbed to the downright despicable." Amaya Rivera, writing about the series for Popmatters, noted, "Indeed, there is something disturbing about the Kardashians' intense hunger for fame. But even worse, it is downright boring to watch this family live out their tedious lives." John Kubicek, the senior writer of BuddyTV, reviewed the premiere of the third season of the show and discussed the reason for the family's success by saying that "the Kardashian's fame is a lot like Mobius strip or an M. C. Escher painting." Harriet Ryan and Adam Tschorn of the Los Angeles Times described as a "Hollywood version of The Brady Bunch, the harmless high jinks of a loving blended family against a backdrop of wealth and famous connections". Jessica Chasmar of The Washington Times said that series, "illustrates our nation's moral, spiritual and cultural decay." Chasmar emphasised its negative influence and noted, "America of 50 years ago would regard Ms. Kardashian with a mixture of disdain and pity, embarrassed by the very idea of a young lady's most private moments being broadcast for all the world to see."
Goal Auzeen Saedi, reviewing Keeping Up with the Kardashians for Psychology Today, emphasised the show's influence saying that "The Kardashians become more relatable the more famous they become." Saedi also questioned their decision to appear on the show and added, "But if living life in the spotlight is so taxing and demands multiple justifications for the way your life is being lived and criticised, perhaps you can take the cameras out of your house." Vinnie Mancuso, writing for New York Observer, criticised the show and felt "roughly one iota of shadenfreudic pleasure from this endeavour, but for the most part this show is the 100% drizzling poops." David Hinckley of the New York Daily News, reviewing the tenth season, said that "even when you think something about the Kardashians could be interesting, it's not," adding that the "entertainment value of the show is like having spent 10 years in Rapid City, S.D., watching the traffic lights change." Amy Amatangelo of The Hollywood Reporter said that "in true Kardashian fashion, they managed to make everything about them," after Caitlyn Jenner came out as a trans woman to her family in the "About Bruce" special aired as part of the tenth season. Amatangelo felt that the conversations "seemed a little too staged, too controlled", and noted that "there was no attempt to educate the viewers about transgender issues."
However, several critics were more positive towards the show. A number of publications welcomed the show as "guilty pleasure", including The Huffington Post, The Atlantic and The Week. Tim Stack, writing for Entertainment Weekly, described the reality series as "my favourite little slice of reality TV spongecake." Lauren Le Vine of Refinery29 appreciated the success of the family which "achieved the American dream of making something out of nothing," using the given platform. Libby Hill of The A.V. Club also acknowledged the show's success and said, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians gives us real, joyous, ugly, unsavoury, hilarious life, with all the polished sitcom trappings. And though the latter may have launched a multimedia empire, the former has made it last". Maura Kelly of The Guardian evaluated the aftermath of the failed wedding of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries, which was documented on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and subsequently caused public outrage, including an online protest petition to cancel the show. "Since Kim doesn't exactly seem to be an exemplar of self-awareness, I suppose it's possible that she really believed she and Humphires would live happily ever after," Kelly speculated whether or not the marriage was a publicity stunt. "But more likely, she and E! are laughing all the way to the bank, 10.5 million viewers tuned into "Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event", after all," Kelly summarised the controversy. Josh Duboff, writing for Vanity Fair, commented on the show's long run and said that "it is near possible to argue that their continued relevance, 10 years later, is anything other than awe-inspiring and remarkable".

### **Viewership**

Keeping Up with the Kardashians has been a ratings success for E!, in its first month it became the highest-rated series aired on Sunday nights for adults 18-34 and was seen by 1.3 million total viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. Lisa Berger, executive vice president of original programming and series development for E!, said, "The buzz surrounding the series is huge, and viewers have clearly fallen for the Kardashians. Seacrest and Bunim-Murray's unique ability to capture this family's one-of-a-kind dynamics and hilarious antics has made the series a fantastic addition to our primetime line-up." The second season continued the success and was viewed by 1.6 million viewers on average, which led to a third season renewal. The two-hour fourth season premiere, which aired on November 8, 2009, and featured the wedding ceremony of Khloe and Lamar Odom, brought in then-record ratings with 3.2 million viewers. The subsequent season debuted with nearly 4.7 million total viewers, which ranked as the highest-rated season premiere of the show, as of August 2015. It was also the second highest-rated episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, second only to the previous season's record-breaking finale with 4.8 million viewers.
The seventh season premiere of the series, which aired on May 20, 2012 in its earlier timeslot, continued to deliver high ratings attracting almost three million total viewers which exceeded the premiere of the previous season by 16%. Kim Kardashian has explained the success of the show by saying that people tune in to watch the series because they can relate themselves to the members of the family; in an interview with the V magazine she said, "You can see that soap operas aren't on the air as much anymore. I think reality shows are taking over that genre, but I think the draw to our show is that we are relatable." The eighth season debuted to 3 million viewers, up 6% from the previous season, while the subsequent ninth season's premiere was down by 20%. The ninth season averaged 3.3 million total viewers and almost 2.2 million in the 18-49 years adult demographic, the most sought after by advertisers. It was the highest rated cable show in its timeslot. The series finished as the most-social ad-supported cable progam and, as of March 2015, Keeping Up with the Kardashians is the most-watched show on E! network. The first episode of the tenth season averaged 2.5 million viewers, slightly less than the premiere of the ninth season. In 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that Keeping Up with the Kardashians "tends to most popular in areas with large Hispanic populations, particularly in the Southwest".

## Broadcast History

See Also: List of KUWTK Episodes

Keeping Up with the Kardashians premiered on October 14, 2007 in the United States on the E! cable network at 10:30/9:30pm ET/PT. The half-hour reality series continued to air every Sunday night in the same timeslot, and the eight episode first season of the show concluded on December 2. The subsequent season premiered the following year on March 9 in an earlier time slot at 10:00/9:00pm with a repeated episode airing immediately afterwards. The season ended on May 26, 2008 with an episode "Junk in the Trunk", which featured the Kardashian siblings sharing the most memorable moments of the season. The third season commenced airing on March 8, 2009 and concluded with two back-to-back episodes which aired on May 25. The subsequent season premiered with a two-hour long episode entitled "The Wedding" on November 8, and ended on February 21, 2010; some of the episodes aired throughout the season were extended to a full hour.
The fifth season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians began airing on August 22, 2010 and concluded with another "Junk in the Trunk" episode on December 20. The sixth season commenced on June 12, 2011 and ended with a television special "Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event" which aired two extended episodes on October 9 and 10. The show later returned on December 19 with the episode "Kendall's Sweet 16". Starting with the seventh episode, which premiered on May 20, 2012, the half-hour reality series was extended to a full hour in a new 9:00/8:00pm time slot. The season concluded on October 28. The eighth season of the series started airing on June 2, 2013; it became the longest season with 21 episodes and ended on December 1. The ninth and tenth seasons aired in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The latter season included a television special entitled "About Bruce" which aired on May 17, and 18, 2015. The eleventh season premiered on November 15, one month after the previous season finished. The twelfth season of the show debuted on May 1, 2016. The thirteenth season premiered on March 12, 2017.

### **Spin-offs**

The success of the reality series resulted in the development of several spin-off shows and other related programming. In April 2009, E! announced the first spin-off of Keeping Up with the Kardashians entitled Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami. The series followed the sisters who moved to Miami to open a new Dash boutique. Ted Harbert, president and CEO of Comcast Entertainment Group, considered the sisters capable of handling their own standalone series. "It's a very simple formula that we took from scripted TV and applied to a reality show. There are a lot of family sitcom elements to Kardashians, and we think that humour and warmth will carry over to Miami," Harbert added. The show premiered on August 16, 2009 to very high ratings; the first episode brought in 2.7 million total viewers and then became the most-watched show on the network since The Anna Nicole Show in 2002. The spin-off was subsequently renewed for a second season which premiered on June 13, 2010, and later returned as Kourtney and Kim Take Miami for a third season on January 20, 2013. Additionally, a series of webisodes entitled Lord Disick: Lifestyles of a Lord were released following the show, which showcased Disick as he informed viewers how to live like a "king".
In October 2010, the network announced another spin-off called Kourtney and Kim Take New York which followed the same format as its predecesor. The show debuted on January 23, 2011, and followed the sisters who opened a Dash location in New York City. The series returned for another season which premiered on November 27 the same year. In January 2011, Khloe & Lamar, which featured Khloe and her husband Lamar Odom, became the third spin-off of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The show premiered on April 10, 2011 and lasted two seasons. In March 2014, E! announced the fourth spin-off entitled Kourtney and Khloe Take The Hamptons. The series premiered on November 2, 2014, and followed Kourtney and Khloe who relocated to the Hamptons to work on opening a new Dash pop-up store. The fifth spin-off series called Dash Dolls premiered on September 20, 2015. The reality series chronicles the daily life of the employees of the Dash boutique in Los Angeles. In June 2016, the network announced another show entitled Rob & Chyna which premiered on September 11 the same year, and follows the relationship of Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna as they prepare to welcome their first child. The show was later renewed for a second season.
The network has also aired several television specials featuring important family events. A two-part television event called "Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event", showcasing the wedding between Kim and Kris Humphries, was broadcast on October 9 and 10, 2011 as part of the sixth season; the special was highly successful with a combined 10.5 million viewers. A few days after Caitlyn Jenner (then Bruce) came out as a trans woman during a 20/20 interview with Diane Sawyer in May 2015, E! aired a two-part special on Keeping Up with the Kardashians entitled "About Bruce", in which another side of the story was told featuring family members who were not involved in the previous interview on 20/20. The first part of the special debuted on May 17, 2015, and attracted2.92 million total viewers, a 40% increase from the previous episode, while the second part aired the following day with similar viewership. I Am Cait, a separate documentary series, was announced immediately after the 20/20 interview. Jeff Olde. head of programming at E! network, said that the series is "not at all a Kardashian spin-off", and that "we will not resort to spectacle," trying to emphasise its distinct format that is entirely different from most programming on the network, including Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The eight-part, one-hour docuseries debuted on July 26, 2015, on E! and focused on how Jenner was handling the aftermath of the transition; it also attempted to deal with various LGBT-related issues. It was later cancelled after two seasons. In April 2017, it was announced E! had ordered an 8-episode spin-off Life of Kylie revolving around Kylie Jennier which is set to premiere in Summer 2017.

## Awards and Nominations

Keeping Up with the Kardashians has been nominated for, and won, several television awards. The reality series has received nominations for a Teen Choice Award in the Choice TV: Celebrity Reality Show category nine consecutive times between 2008 and 2016, winning the award in 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2016. The show also won a People's Choice Award as Favorite TV Guilty Pleasure in 2011. The Kardashian sisters have been nominated as part of the cast for five awards, winning four times; Kim Kardashian has been nominated for three awards winning one in 2012. In 2010, Kris and Caitlyn Jenner received a Teen Choice Award nomination in a one-time Choice TV: Parental Unit category.