<P> However, several critics were more positive towards the show . A number of publications welcomed the show as "guilty pleasure", including The Huffington Post, The Atlantic, and The Week . Tim Stack, writing for Entertainment Weekly, described the reality series as: "my favorite little slice of reality TV spongecake ." Lauren Le Vine of Refinery29 appreciated the success of the family which "achieved the American dream of making something out of nothing," using the given platform . Libby Hill of The A.V. Club also acknowledged the show's success and said: "Keeping Up With The Kardashians gives us real, joyous, ugly, unsavory, hilarious life, with all the polished sitcom trappings . And though the latter may have launched a multimedia empire, the former has made it last". Maura Kelly of The Guardian evaluated the aftermath of the failed wedding of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries, which was documented on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and subsequently caused public outrage, including an online protest petition to cancel the show . "Since Kim doesn't exactly seem to be an exemplar of self - awareness, I suppose it's possible that she really believed she and Humphries would live happily ever after," Kelly speculated whether or not the marriage was a publicity stunt . "But more likely, she and E! are laughing all the way to the bank--10.5 million viewers tuned into "Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event", after all," Kelly summarized the controversy . Josh Duboff, writing for Vanity Fair, commented on the show's long run and said that "it is near impossible to argue that their continued relevance, 10 years later, is anything other than awe - inspiring and remarkable". </P> <P> Keeping Up with the Kardashians has been a ratings success for E!--in its first month it became the highest - rated series aired on Sunday nights for adults 18--34 and was seen by 1.3 million total viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research . Lisa Berger, executive vice president of original programming and series development for E!, said: "The buzz surrounding the series is huge, and viewers have clearly fallen for the Kardashians . (...) Seacrest and Bunim - Murray's unique ability to capture this family's one - of - a-kind dynamics and hilarious antics has made the series a fantastic addition to our prime - time lineup ." The second season continued the success and was viewed by 1.6 million viewers on average, which led to a third season renewal . The two - hour fourth - season premiere, which aired on November 8, 2009, and featured the wedding ceremony of Khloé and Lamar Odom, brought in then - record ratings with 3.2 million viewers . The subsequent season debuted with nearly 4.7 million total viewers, which ranked as the highest - rated season premiere of the show, as of August 2015 . It was also the second highest - rated episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, second only to the previous season's record - breaking finale with 4.8 million viewers . </P> <P> The seventh - season premiere of the series, which aired on May 20, 2012 in its earlier timeslot, continued to deliver high ratings attracting almost three million total viewers which exceeded the premiere of the previous season by 16% . Kim Kardashian has explained the success of the show by saying that people tune in to watch the series because they can relate themselves to the members of the family; in an interview with the V magazine she said: "You can see that soap operas aren't on the air as much anymore . I think reality shows are taking over that genre, but I think the draw to our show is that we are relatable ." The eighth season debuted to 3 million viewers, up 6% from the previous season, while the subsequent ninth season's premiere was down by 20% . The ninth season averaged 3.3 million total viewers and almost 2.2 million in the 18--49 years adult demographic, the most sought after by advertisers . It was the highest rated cable show in its timeslot . The series finished as the most - social ad - supported cable program and, as of March 2015, Keeping Up with the Kardashians is the most - watched show on E! network . The first episode of the tenth season averaged 2.5 million viewers, slightly less than the premiere of the ninth season . In 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that Keeping Up with the Kardashians "tends to most popular in areas with large Hispanic populations, particularly in the Southwest". </P> <P> Keeping Up with the Kardashians has been nominated for, and won, several television awards . The reality series has received nominations for a Teen Choice Award in the Choice TV: Celebrity Reality Show category nine consecutive times between 2008 and 2016, winning the award in 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2016 . The show also won a People's Choice Award as Favorite TV Guilty Pleasure in 2011 . The Kardashian sisters have been nominated as part of the cast for five awards, winning four times; Kim Kardashian has been nominated for three awards winning one in 2012 . In 2010, Kris and Caitlyn Jenner received a Teen Choice Award nomination in a one - time Choice TV: Parental Unit category . </P>

Number of viewers keeping up with the kardashians