Why Kim Kardashian came back to 'the worst TV drama ever'
The media personality and businesswoman says she's worked on her acting for series two of All's Fair.
Why Kim Kardashian returned to “the worst TV drama ever”
“I’m not a quitter”: Kim Kardashian on retaking the bar exam
Kim Kardashian was supposed to make a triumphant debut as a lead actor, but last year’s legal drama *All’s Fair* was so widely slammed by critics that it ended up breaking streaming records as viewers rushed to see what the uproar was about.
Kardashian, better known as a media personality and businesswoman, tells the BBC she had no option but to “lean into” the reaction and return for a second series.
“We thought we were this law show, dealing with some really serious issues,” she jokes.
But audiences mostly embraced it for its comic appeal, with extravagant outfits and sharp one-liners from co-stars Sarah Paulson and Glenn Close pushing the show into the realm of “camp classics.”
“We’re a full comedy now,” the 46-year-old says, adding: “The beauty in producing a show with writers that are really tuned in to pop culture is they can see what the response is and write accordingly to that.”
Created by *American Horror Story* and *Glee* showrunner Ryan Murphy, *All’s Fair* became Hulu’s most-watched scripted series debut in the past three years and was quickly renewed.
The series, which follows a team of divorce lawyers played by Kardashian, Close, Paulson, Naomi Watts and Niecy Nash-Betts, was criticized for poor acting, with Kardashian taking most of the blame.
*The Hollywood Reporter* described her as “wooden”, while *The Times* said the show “may be the worst TV drama ever”.
Still, Kardashian’s career has been defined by her willingness to back herself — whether that meant going from years of being overlooked by Met Gala organisers to becoming one of its most anticipated guests, or weathering backlash over the launch of her shapewear brand and turning it into a
Kardashian says: “What is the alternative, right? What is the other choice that you have when you’re getting criticised?
“Do you just fall in and feel that, or keep your head down and try better, try harder and try a different path?”
After more than 20 years in the spotlight, she says she has “always had a really good sense of my mental health”, and says that comes from being able to “brush off” people who try to drag her down.
“I always do things that are tough because I genuinely want to learn,” Kardashian says.
While promoting the legal drama last year, Kardashian was also waiting to learn whether she had passed the exams needed to become a lawyer in real life, after six years of studying for an apprenticeship that removed the need for a university degree.
Soon after the first series aired, she learned she had failed the exam — but says that will not end her pursuit of the qualification.
“If I don’t pass something, if I don’t do the best at something, then I’ll get there,” she says. “I don’t worry. I just have to keep going.”
But after admitting that she had used AI for legal advice, external, she says she will be less public about her studies.
“I’m going to be a little more quiet about my journey until I get there,” says Kardashian, who has four children with rapper Kanye West and is now in a relationship with British Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton.
“I know there was a lot of talk out there like, ‘she’s given up’, and that’s funny to me.
“I like people to think what they want to think and I’ll take it again and let you guys know once I’ve passed. I’ll be very vocal about that,” she says.
Viewers have only seen a preview of what the second series of *All’s Fair* will offer so far.
Co-star Watts, who also produces the show with Kardashian, says they have “doubled down” on “the high fashion, high drama and heightened reality” that audiences liked the first time.
On Kardashian’s acting, Watts says she is on a “trajectory” that will see her “stepping up in the second season”.
“She was improvising, riffing, doing all kind of things that I thought were deeply impressive,” Watts adds, prompting Kardashian to joke: “I think I’m just naturally so funny.”
Among the few positives critics noted was the show’s aim to highlight the duality of professional women who are both feminine and successful, something Kardashian says she “loves” because it is “a really realistic depiction of a lot of women I know”.
“It doesn’t mean that just because you’re super smart that you can’t be fashionable and into glamorous things as well,” she adds.