The Big Picture

• The Kardashians secured a massive deal with Hulu for a new reality TV show after their E! contract, questioning its worth.
• The show's success hinges on engaging storylines, their evolution, family dynamics, and the fresh energy brought in by the next generation.
• To sustain success, the show needs Kendall and Kylie's increased involvement, realness, relatable content, and possibly delve deeper into personal lives.

When Keeping Up With the Kardashians ended in 2021 after 20 seasons, it seemed like Kim Kardashian and her famous family’s reality TV reign had ended, but that could not have been more wrong. Soon after the last season wrapped, the family landed a massive deal with Hulu for a new reality TV show, this time titled The Kardashians, which is already gearing up to premiere its fifth season. Yes, season 5. After the E! show birthed countless spin-offs (nine in total), including Rob & Chyna, Life of Kylie, Khloe & Lamar, etc., it would seem like fans would start to grow tired of the famous family, but they still can’t get enough.

The family signed their final contract with E! in 2017, renewing the series through 2020 for a deal reportedly worth just under $100 million. Their contract with Hulu was reportedly a nine-figure deal, and now that The Kardashians is in its fifth season, it’s time to pose the question again: Was that payout worth it for the Disney-owned platform? In an era where sitcoms and scripted series tend to be canceled before they fully find their footing, some people might wonder what keeps a reality show like The Kardashians going for so many years. Is it strong ratings? Is it their last name? Or do fans still really care that much about the family?

The Show Needs to Get Back to its KUWTK Roots

Fans have been able to follow their journey since the first episode of Keeping Up aired, and fans have grown up alongside the Kardashian-Jenners. They have watched Kim go from being a clothing store owner to being a multihyphenate-mogul, and have watched Kylie Jenner grow from a little girl into a makeup and fashion maven. Kendall, the second youngest, has gone from fans witnessing her first modeling lesson to becoming the highest-paid supermodel in the world. That journey has been fascinating enough to establish a deep bond between the family and their viewers. The show relies on exciting storylines about their love lives, their business ventures, and their family drama, all of which seem endless, so how will they know when it's time to call it quits?

As much as fans, or their detractors, may want to discredit them and their success, there is a reason they have gotten this far with a TV show. People got front-row seats to watch Kim's accession to fame. Khloé Kardashian and Scott Disick’s sense of humor made every episode worth watching, and witnessing Kris Jenner’s evolution into the most powerful momager in the industry kept things interesting. The bickering between sisters felt familiar and relatable. But that growth and humor have since stalled. And what were once silly sibling arguments, have even evolved into full-out, hard-to-watch brawls between the sisters.

For starters, Khloé is not the loudmouth, hilarious sister anymore. Scott's energy is also different, almost defeated, as his role in the family has drastically changed since his breakup from Kourtney. Kourtney and Khloe aren't the dynamic duo they once were, now that Kourtney is married and in love with Travis Barker. Kim’s workaholic behavior is no longer inspiring or aspirational, instead, it is almost exhausting to watch, especially as a mother of four. But the new generation is a silver lining in all of that. Now that all the sisters, except Kendall, are mothers, their children add more fun to the newer seasons, and fans have the opportunity to watch the children grow up. One of the most talked about moments of The Kardashians so far has been North West’s hilarious antics, and her putting her mother in her place. From judging her Met Gala outfits to questioning what her mom Kim does for a living, North, and the rest of the kids have added a fresh layer to the show that fans on social media love.

Kendall and Kylie Need to Pull Their Weight

But the show can’t just depend on the children. The Kardashians will need more meat for fans to bite into in Season 5 and beyond. Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney have disclosed so much of their personal lives, everything from breakups to sister fights, but they’ve reached a point where fans have seen it all from them. And frankly, do they still care?

Meanwhile, their youngest sisters share very little about themselves on the show while their big sisters have bared it all for viewers to consume. Kendall was recently in a relationship with Bad Bunny, one of the biggest superstars in the world, but that was never a part of the show. Kylie’s relationship and breakup with Travis Scott were also not discussed on The Kardashians, nor was her reunion with estranged friend Jordyn Woods. Kylie and Kendall’s scenes have been lackluster so far, and it is easy to fast-forward past them without missing a beat. They may not have chosen to live out their entire lives on a reality TV show when they were kids, but the Jenners are still profiting from the show now as adults. So perhaps, maybe it’s time that Kendall and Kylie give more to their fans. They were children when the first show started, and while they have the right to withhold certain things from being publicized on the show, it's imperative to point out that the show is suffering because of it. The B plots that focus on them have added nothing of value to the show.

Much of the conversation from fans on social media from recent seasons has been about Khloe dealing with the Tristan Thompson drama, the cheating allegations, and all that came from it. When Kim was married to Kanye West, fans also tuned in to see the superstar rapper be part of the show. Not only does sharing aspects of their highly-publicized relationships help in terms of conversation and ratings, but adding the relationship aspect (which the older sisters have done from the start) also guarantees media coverage. The more media coverage each episode gets, the more attention the show gets, which, in turn, inspires people to tune in.

The Kardashians Ratings Are Key

Rating should also be a part of the conversation. How much viewership are they really bringing in and is it enough to justify the continuation of the show? When the show premiered in April 2022, Hulu said that The Kardashians was its biggest series premiere in the United States. Hulu’s record-breaking numbers for The Kardashians were based on the premiere episode hours watched in the first three days of its release, since the show launched in April 2022. (The Bear has since become Hulu's most popular show.) Like most other streamers, Hulu does not provide specific viewing numbers, as the platform does not release ratings. Outside of actual subscriber numbers, which Disney has to reveal for shareholders, Disney-owned streamers have never given out any actual viewership data.

Could The Kardashians End Soon?

The family has a strong fan base and that should be enough to keep the show going for more seasons. But at this point, the reality show is not adding to their brand or their empire in any way, except by keeping checks coming in for the family and their friends who are regulars on the show. So what's the point? Longtime fans who may have thought they wouldn’t follow the Kardashian-Jenners to Hulu were probably wrong, though. The show is still entertaining at its core and so are its subjects. Once it starts playing, it is undeniably difficult to look away. A single clip or article sharing a preview of what’s to come is enough to get people to tune in. The move to the streaming service was also smart. In an era where very few people in the demographic they target have cable, they decided to join them and release the new show on a popular streaming service, making it more accessible to everyone.

But if they want to prolong the success of their show, the family has to dig deeper. Some moments feel staged and rehearsed in the latest seasons, and fans are still yearning for the simplicity and realness of KUWTK. Sure, a reality TV show about the Kardashians has to be fun and have its glamorous moments, but fans may not be interested in remaining at the surface level. They want to be able to relate to their troubles and at least feel like they have an insight into their real lives and problems. Audiences mature and get smarter, and if the Kardashian-Jenners don’t grow alongside their supporters, the show will soon hit a dead end that may be hard to get out of.

What to Expect In the Upcoming Season

The new season of The Kardashians is set to arrive on Thursday, May 23, and the trailer, which dropped on Wednesday, May 8. The trailer opened with Kendall and Kylie at Paris Fashion Week, and the supermodel shared how redundant she felt she sounded about her life in previous seasons and promised to be “a good time.” So that may be a hint that the Jenners will come out of their shell this season. The show will also continue to focus on Kim’s hectic schedule, and hinted at the return of old Khloe, since Tristan has packed his bags and returned to Cleveland to play for the Cavaliers again. Kourtney was also expecting her fourth child when the filming of season 5 began, and as usual, the show will give a behind the scenes look at news reports fans have seen earlier this year, like the Poosh founder undergoing surgery while still pregnant.

The trailer didn’t reveal anything fans don’t already know or haven’t already seen play out online, except maybe a possible fight between Kim and Khloe. Once the show airs next week, viewers will find out if they’re learning something new about the reality stars or if the show now serves as a filler for TV fans who will continue to yearn for more.

Season 5 of The Kardashians premieres May 23. Past seasons are streaming on Hulu. Watch on Hulu