Kim Kardashian’s legal drama All’s Fair will officially be returning for a second season on Hulu, proving that viewership will often outweigh the opinion of critics. The show, created by Ryan Murphy, premiered on the 4th of November and almost immediately became Hulu’s most-watched debut, racking up an insane 3.2 million views in the first 72 hours. However, critics were less impressed. With an 18/100 score on Metacritic, being called “too awful to love, too boring to war over”, and a 4% Rotten Tomatoes rating, All’s Fair has had a wide spectrum of engagement.
Despite the harsh criticism, the show has already been renewed by Hulu for a second season before the first ended. In the age of modern streaming, this isn’t surprising, as sites usually prioritize engagement and virality on social media over the traditional-style reviews. We have seen this trend before in shows like Emily in Paris and The Idol, where they have had low ratings by critics but became popular on social media and with streamers. Analysts say “hate-watching” is one of the main factors behind these statistics because people watch out of curiosity or amusement rather than actual enjoyment. The series All’s Fair has become a cultural sensation through TikTok reaction videos, memes, and online discussions.
Kim Kardashian stars as Allura Grant, a chaotic but sharp and stylish lawyer. The rest of the cast includes Sarah Paulson, Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash, Matthew Noszka, Glenn Close and Teyana Taylor, a mix of admirable actors and pop culture icons. This mix brings attention in from different demographics and fanbases: people who know Ryan Murphy’s style, Kardashian fans, and viewers who are just interested in seeing how a reality star performs in a more scripted drama.
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Surprisingly, both Kim Kardashian and Glenn Close have addressed the negative reviews with humour. Kardashian took to Instagram jokingly calling All’s Fair “the most critically acclaimed show of the year”, while Close gave a nod to her Fatal Attraction role, referencing “Critic-Bunny Stew”. By directly engaging with the criticism, the stars have turned what could have turned out to be a setback into marketing strategies, keeping the conversation about the show alive and drawing even more viewers in.
The show’s success this early into being aired demonstrated how star power and influence on social media can increase engagement. Kim Kardashian’s huge following of 354 million combined with Ryan Murphy’s signature camp style makes sure that every episode will get people talking. Whether people love it or hate it, any press is good press this early into the release of a new show like this.
Overall, All’s Fair shows that in the TV and film industry, a series doesn’t necessarily need to please critics to be successful. Viewers are watching, engaging in discussions online and keeping it relevant, and this can be more helpful to keep numbers up than positive reviews. Season 2 will probably have even more drama and comedy, guaranteeing that audiences will keep watching and engaging.
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