The Kardashians: 10 Mistakes The New Hulu Reality Series Needs To Avoid

The conclusion of E!’s Keeping Up With The Kardashians was a triumph for the titular family as the series had propelled them to a level of fame so grandiose that they were no longer reliant on one specific franchise to maintain their relevance.

The family’s new Hulu show, simply titled The Kardashians, will likely attempt to mimic its predecessor’s mass appeal while serving as one of many facets of the Kardashian brand rather than as its primary vehicle. As viewers await the show’s first season, many hope that the latest Kardashian project will avoid the mistakes made by the series that thrust the family into the public eye.

Lack Of Self-Awareness

A common criticism lodged against the Kardashian family is its members’ apparent inability to recognize their less-flattering behavior and characteristics. While such obliviousness may be appealing to some audiences, who delight in the missteps of the cast members, (a reason some consider Keeping Up With The Kardashians to be one of the great reality shows to binge on Hulu) those invested in the Kardashians’ personal development would benefit from scenes in which Kim and company reflect on their behavioral flaws and make efforts to correct such tendencies.

The Hulu program will ideally serve as an opportunity for the Kardashian family members to engage in more reflection than they have previously.

Glamorizing Materialism

The Kardashians have displayed no apparent reservations about their uncommon wealth, openly displaying the most expensive Kardashian and Jenner houses in their media appearances. Many would argue that such glorification of possessions communicates a superficiality to impressionable viewers that society would be wise to avoid.

Were the Kardashians to hold conversations about their extravagant lifestyles and the implications thereof in the new series, they could potentially manage to gain viewers who have previously avoided the family’s projects due to the materialistic lifestyle that they promote, intentionally or otherwise.

Underestimating Viewers’ Intelligence

The creative team behind Keeping Up With The Kardashians – in tandem with the Kardashians themselves – seemed reluctant to present viewers with complex storylines or pressing themes, preferring to depict standard, daily affairs that occasionally bordered on the monotonous.

The producers of the Hulu series would likely benefit from challenging the members of the family to hold more mature conversations, through which they could likely improve upon the previous show’s viewership and strengthen the image of the Kardashian brand. The recent hardships that Kim has endured in particular have likely enabled her to participate in more intelligent and emotionally-resonant discussions.

Overdramatizing Trivial Issues

One aspect of the E! series that garnered the show a decent level of ridicule was its cast members’ habit of treating relatively minor dilemmas as virtual crises, resulting in several fights and meltdowns on Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Many viewers may have suspected that their reactions to these situations were not authentic and that they were perhaps calculated efforts to inject tension into episodes in which there was no genuine conflict.

The Kardashians could compensate for this creative misjudgment by highlighting the cast’s legitimate issues, thereby allowing fans of the series to more fully understand the members of the family and express more sympathy for them as a consequence.

Excessive Self-Promotion

A certain degree of self-advocacy is necessary to achieve the level of success that the Kardashian family enjoys, but an overabundance of it has led certain audiences to view them dismissively. A greater amount of humility on the Kardashians’ part could encourage such people to watch the Hulu series despite the occasional self-righteousness of the E! one, and it could allow the family to endear themselves to viewers whose more traditional upbringings cautioned them against egotistic behavior.

The social media age has required public figures to modify their behavior in accordance with public opinion, and The Kardashians could benefit from such an adjustment.

Involving Reluctant Participants

In an attempt to represent the Kardashians’ lives as fully as possible, the E! series included members of the family’s orbit who may not have necessarily been enthusiastic about appearing on screen. A notable example is Kylie Jenner, who was a child when she initially appeared on Keeping Up With The Kardashians and was thus not able to understand the implications of participating in a public platform.

The new series would benefit from confirming that those who are filmed are entirely comfortable sacrificing their privacy to the extent that the show requires.

Ignoring The Privilege Of Its Stars

Audiences of the 2020s are likely more aware of income inequality than those who viewed the glamorous parties on Keeping Up With The Kardashians during that show’s run, and viewers of the new series may take issue with the Kardashians’ absurd wealth as a result of such class consciousness.

The cast members’ only hope of avoiding intense criticism concerning the matter may be to openly acknowledge their clear and staggering privilege, as well as to detail their efforts to aid those in less fortunate positions. Kim Kardashian’s laudable work securing the freedom of people who have been wrongfully convicted would be a worthy point of emphasis in The Kardashians.

Overly-Negative Tone

Dramatic tension is the lifeblood of reality television – likely due to audiences’ desire to focus on conflict that has no bearing on their own lives – and the Kardashians’ initial series utilized plenty of negativity in order to secure high ratings. The family would be wise to incorporate more positive messaging in The Kardashians, as such a shift in tone could improve the general public’s view of them.

Global audiences would certainly benefit from an increase in life-affirming entertainment, and the Kardashian family has an opportunity to contribute to such a shift with their new series.

Shying Away From Controversial Topics

Historically, popular media tended to avoid discussion of controversial sociopolitical topics in an effort to avoid alienating viewers with beliefs that contradicted those of the relevant program or public figure. Such neutrality is no longer desirable, and franchises that wish to remain relevant must take firm stances on issues regardless of their divisiveness.

The Kardashians could improve upon its predecessor by more readily commenting on the pressing topics that currently define the public discourse and by educating audiences on the nuances of the respective issues.

Implying Its Stars’ Superiority Over The Audience

The implied function of the E! series, whether intentional or otherwise, was for common Americans to observe the grandiosities and privileges of the nation’s elite, suggesting that those who watched the show were inferior to the family whom they were viewing.

For the Kardashians to avoid condescending the audience, they need to emphasize their lack of superior personhood by directly addressing the disparities between themselves and their viewership. A series that allows audiences to identify with its stars is fundamentally better and more impactful than one which belittles its fan base.