On Thursday, the First Family of reality TV returned to the small screen with the premiere of their new Hulu series, The Kardashians. The glossy docuseries is part of the family’s major global content deal with Disney, though it doesn’t stray too far from the formula that worked for 14 years on E!’s seminal reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Cameras follow the five sisters and matriarch Kris Jenner through their charmed daily lives of posting Instagrams, calling their lawyers, and being tended to by a small army of makeup artists, stylists, publicists, and assistants. So, the usual.
In the 10 months since the Kardashians last graced our TV screens, however, a lot has happened. Kourtney got engaged to Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker after less than a year of nonstop PDA (and they got pretend-married in Vegas after the Grammys earlier this month). Kylie welcomed a son with Travis Scott and promptly decided that the name they originally chose, Wolf, was too basic (at least, we’re assuming). Kim got into a tabloid-baiting relationship with Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson, much to the chagrin of Kanye West, who went off on his ex-wife and her new beau in frequent, often frightening social media tirades.
The big question is, how much of this played out while the cameras were rolling? “Private” and “low-profile” aren’t descriptors commonly associated with the Kardashians—a family who has built an empire on broadcasting their most intimate moments to millions of people—so there’s a solid chance viewers will be treated to a behind-the-scenes look at some of the drama over the course of the series.
But for now, here’s what we know after watching the premiere episode of The Kardashians.
Does Pete Davidson appear on the show?
Kim has already revealed that Davidson did not film for The Kardashians, but as the trailer confirmed weeks ago, he will at least be mentioned. However, the first few episodes were filmed before the couple linked up, so this premiere was totally Pete-less. In fact, one of the main storylines of the episode centers on the lead-up to the beauty mogul’s SNL hosting gig, when the two are believed to have struck up a fling after sharing a kiss as part of a sketch.
What about Travis Barker?
Barker, on the other hand, is in the show plenty, and he provides some of the most fun moments. He and Kourt seem genuinely, deeply in love, and it’s sweet to watch him bond with her kids; a particularly adorable moment sees the punk rocker teaching 9-year-old Penelope to play the drums. Plus, we get to see Kris relentlessly poke fun at the couple for their gratuitous making-out. Fans familiar with the details of the relationship will know their engagement is imminent—and there was, naturally, a camera crew present for the big moment, so expect to see that later this season.
Do they talk about Kanye?
Yes, but not about his out-of-control social media antics. Again, the premiere was filmed prior to the start of Kim and Pete’s relationship, so the A-list exes were on good terms at the time. Kim even discusses the possibility of Kanye appearing as the musical guest on her Saturday Night Live episode and frets over making too many jokes at his expense. She also reveals that he floated the idea of quitting his music career to become her full-time stylist.
What’s Khloe’s status with Tristan Thompson?
As of the first episode, Khloe and the serial cheater are amicably co-parenting. They chat together about his past infidelities and Khloe notes without a hint of humor in her voice that he was lucky she was eight months pregnant when the first cheating rumors broke, or else she would have fucked him up. (Yes, those were her exact words.) Instead, she resorted to pouring water on his clothes. As we already know, disaster is in store for Koko, who simply can’t catch a break with this loser; previews for the rest of the season indicate that it will cover the fallout from the surprise birth of Thompson’s child with another woman in December.
Where is Scott Disick in all of this?
Poor, wayward Lord Disick. Now that Kourtney is in a loving and fulfilling relationship—despite Disick’s best efforts to sabotage it by teaming up Avengers-style with her other ex-boyfriend—he isn’t being invited to family barbecues anymore. All he has left is Khloe’s pity and an endless string of 21-year-old Instagram influencer girlfriends. He’s as slimy as ever, using his few minutes of screen time in the premiere to lament that when he is finally ready to settle down, it will need to be with someone older, “but not over 30.”
No Pete, no Kanye. So what is the premiere even about?
Well, nothing, really. Much of it is spent at a producer-staged barbecue at Kim’s house, where the family gathers for some definitely authentic chatter about how weird it feels to be back in front of cameras. We get to see Kravis in action and watch Kim get ready for her SNL appearance. But the main drama of the first episode revolves around a revival of Kim’s decades-old sex tape scandal when an ad pops up on Saint’s Roblox app (??) alleging that there is unreleased footage from the tape.
Is Kim still studying for the baby bar exam during the show?
Yes. Yes, she is.
