‘KUWTK’ Fans Perfectly Explained Why the Show Doesn’t Work Anymore
Like many shows that depend on live filming, Keeping Up with the Kardashians is on hiatus. The family had promised to keep filming during quarantine for the COVID-19 crisis, but fans are going to have to wait to finish up the rest of the episodes of season 18. While many fans were frustrated to find that they couldn’t watch their favorite reality show during quarantine, others are simply anticipating what is to come.
The problem is that cancellation rumors have been swirling for the show for a few years now and some fans think it just simply doesn’t work anymore.
‘KUWTK’ premiered in 2007
Before their reality show launched them to superstar status, the Kardashian-Jenner sisters were just regular rich kids. Their show, which was an unprecedented experiment that no one expected to be this successful, created a platform for mega-stardom that helped usher in a whole new era of influencer culture.
The family had dabbled with some reality TV before the premiere of their own show. Kim Kardashian, in particular, was known as one of the socialites in Paris Hilton’s circle of friends.
Kim was also the family member who was most well-known in the headlines, particularly since her sex tape with Ray J leaked the same year that KUWTK premiered. That was in 2007, and it’s hard to believe how much this family has grown and changed right before our eyes — especially the Jenners, who were children when the show first aired.
Early seasons focused on intimate glances at the Kardashian’s lives
In its early days, the show focused on the everyday lifestyles of the entire family. The public got to watch some serious personal dramas unfold on the screen.
Some of the most iconic moments include Kim Kardashian losing one of her $75,000 earrings in the ocean, Kylie Jenner pole dancing when she was just 9 years old, and watching the entire deterioration of Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick’s relationship on screen — complete with an up-close-and-personal look at his struggles with substance abuse.
While the show has often faced accusations of being staged and faked over the years, what’s kept fans tuning in season after season is largely the sense that they are getting real glimpses of the celebrities’ lives between the obviously planned footage.
From shots of the inside of their houses to opportunities to hear close conversations with friends and family members, viewers feel like part of the family, and that authenticity has built a huge fan base.
Fans think the show has lost its focus
Now that all the members of the Kardashian-Jenner family have been on air for so long, their lives have definitely changed. Between getting married, breaking up with long-term partners, having kids, and starting their own businesses, the sisters have a lot more on their plates than they did in their younger days.
Fans have also noted that they are much more guarded with what they let viewers see on the show.
In fact, in a Reddit discussion, fans expressed that was exactly what’s wrong with the current version of the show. One commenter explained that “KUWTK has changed, for the worse.
Now that they have executive control, they struggle with the direction of the show. They like the show and want to keep it on some level because it helps keep them relevant (and the Kardashian[s] are all about being relevant) . . . at the same time, they don’t want to show or disclose a lot of aspects of their personal lives. Which is what made the show great in the first place.”
Another commenter came to the family’s defense, but ultimately admitted the show was not as good: “They are trying, but the basis of the show has changed so much. I understand why, they are actually famous now. It’s no longer a family trying to gain respect in Hollywood.”
The premise of KUWTK was to let fans watch a mostly-unknown family scrape their way into fame. That feat was accomplished long ago, and now the show struggles to find a real purpose.
