The Kardashians are back.
On Wednesday night America’s most avaricious, publicity-hungry family returned to TV after really not a long enough break.
They’ve left the E! channel after many seasons and made a deal with streamer Hulu. To make a splash, they added a special last night on ABC, which like Hulu is owned by Disney.
Did anyone watch them? Yes and no. But the upshot is that the K’s drew just 2.8 million viewers at 8pm. They were beaten soundly by “Survivor” on CBS (5.5 million) and “Chicago Med” on NBC (6.6 million). They trailed even in the key demos. Older audiences tuned in, but not younger ones.
Why Hulu commissioned more of this is unknown. On the E! channel, the Kardashians had fallen to an all time low in viewership. Their respective stories of fashion gluttony, divorces, and affairs were done. Completely. Their ratings last night were about on par with ABC’s sitcoms on Wednesday or daytime soap operas. The special didn’t indicate a mandate for more of these women.