“Keeping Up With The Kardashians” stopped filming in 2021, but fear not; the iconic family is back. 

After taking a break from the cameras that followed them every day for 14 years, the Kardashian family premiered the first episode of its new show, “The Kardashians,” on Hulu April 14. 

The show continues the legacy created for the iconic family in “Keeping up with the Kardashians (KUWTK),” which ran from 2007 to 2021. The first show made a name for the family, and I loved watching the drama unfold and witnessing so much happen throughout the 20 seasons. My expectations were high for their new show, but I was a little worried it would be too similar to the first. 

I mean, how much drama can really happen to make a wealthy family’s lives interesting enough for anyone to watch? Apparently much more than I thought. 

The main change I noticed between KUWTK and “The Kardashians” is that the latter follows each family member and individually tells their story. While my favorite era of the early 2000’s show was the first few seasons when the family all lived together, the new show displays each family member’s individual families, occupations, significant others and, of course, drama. 

This may be a turnoff for fans of the original show, but I honestly enjoyed the change. It felt like there was more going on and I didn’t get too bored. There is also less of a tendency for casual viewers to get the sisters confused with each other, and it is really interesting to see what each family member has done with their wealth and fame since the last show. 

I especially loved the intro, which showcased each daughter in the family hard at work, either as a mother, businesswoman or influencer. It really is inspiring watching these women, who are known for their overexploited “drama,” grow up and become amazing mothers and hard workers. 

The main topics affecting the family in the first episode included Kourtney’s new relationship with drummer Travis Barker and how that relationship plays into her family’s relationship with the father of her children, Kim stressing over being chosen to host an episode of Saturday Night Live and a moment where Kim’s son unknowingly discovers something about her past on a video game. 

Personally, I am a huge fan of Kourtney’s ex-fiancé Scott Disick and am excited he is featured in the new show. He tends to ease tension when it occurs and makes light of difficult situations, so if there is unnecessary drama brought up, I trust Scott to help make the moment bearable for viewers. 

This is only the introductory episode, so I am not surprised the themes discussed weren’t as dramatic as the Kardashians can usually be. I also wonder, though, if the family has genuinely grown up and matured, so there are no longer life-changing events happening every day. I guess you never know what will go down with the Kardashians, but I am excited to see what plays out in the rest of the season.

Another difference between the two shows that has been mentioned in interviews with the Kardashians is that streaming a new show on Hulu provides more opportunities for the family. While not having to deal with issues filming cable TV provides, the family can also allegedly “get away” with more on Hulu compared to the family-friendly network E!. While I haven’t noticed much of a difference between the two services yet, as both shows are offered on Hulu currently, I’m sure there will be an increase in the drama able to be aired in future episodes. 

After only watching one episode, I already am excited for what is to come. There was not much of a feature on the Jenner girls, Kylie and Kendall, but I hope to see more of them in future episodes, as Kylie is extremely successful with her own business and is pregnant with her second baby (at the time of filming the show). And while some events like the pregnancy and Kim’s feature on SNL happened quite a while ago and we are just getting the content now, it is interesting to watch these episodes now and know how far they’ve gotten with these milestones since filming. 

“The Kardashians” is much more entertaining than I thought it would be. I just became a fan of “KUWTK” the last few years and realized how much I loved watching the drama unfold. I am excited for more to occur in the upcoming episodes and to see firsthand the genuine impact the women have had as powerful people since their fame began.