Kim Kardashian Explains Why She Returned to All's Fair Season 2

Kim Kardashian is returning as attorney Allura Grant in season two of "All's Fair" because, she tells the BBC, the show's writers decided to "lean into" the criticism that followed its first season rather than fight it. The Hulu legal drama, created by Ryan Murphy, was torn apart by critics last year — The Hollywood Reporter called Kardashian's performance "wooden," and the Times declared the series "may be the worst TV drama ever," according to the BBC. It was renewed anyway.

What happened when All's Fair first premiered?

"All's Fair" follows a group of divorce lawyers played by Kardashian, Glenn Close, Sarah Paulson, Naomi Watts and Niecy Nash-Betts. Per the BBC, the series became Hulu's most-watched scripted series debut of the past three years, and the network renewed it almost immediately. The ratings success ran alongside a wave of negative reviews, with critics singling out the acting — and Kardashian in particular — while the series set a streaming viewership record, the BBC reports, as audiences tuned in partly to see what the backlash was about.

Why did critics call it the worst TV drama ever?

The Times' assessment, cited by the BBC, centered on the show's quality as serious legal drama. Kardashian herself frames the mismatch bluntly: "We thought we were this law show, dealing with some really serious issues," she tells the BBC, "but viewers mostly enjoyed its comedy value." Outlandish wardrobe choices and one-liners from Paulson and Close pushed the series into what the BBC describes as the territory of camp classics rather than prestige television.

How did the show's creators respond to the panning?

Instead of retooling the drama to silence critics, the production leaned into the audience reaction. "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," Kardashian tells the BBC. She describes the result plainly: "We're a full comedy now." That shift — from courtroom drama to self-aware comedy — is the explanation Kardashian gives for why a widely mocked freshman season became a show worth returning to.

Why did Kim Kardashian decide to come back for season two?

Kardashian frames the decision as consistent with a pattern she says has defined her career: absorbing criticism and continuing rather than retreating. She points to her early years being passed over by Met Gala organizers before becoming one of its most anticipated guests, and to backlash over the launch of her shapewear company before it grew into what the BBC reports is now a $5 billion (£3.7 billion) brand. "What is the alternative, right?" she asks the BBC. "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?"

She tells the BBC she has "always had a really good sense of my mental health" after more than two decades in the public eye, crediting an ability to "brush off" detractors. "I always do things that are tough because I genuinely want to learn," she says.

What happened with her real law exam while the show aired?

While promoting the first season, Kardashian was waiting on results from a legal exam tied to a six-year apprenticeship she pursued in place of a law degree, the BBC reports. Shortly after the premiere, she learned she had failed. She tells the BBC that result will not end her pursuit of a law license: "If I don't pass something, if I don't do the best at something, then I'll get there."

What's next for All's Fair season two?

• Paulson and Watts are confirmed to return for season two, according to the BBC.
• The series is now positioned by its own cast as a comedy rather than a legal drama, a reframing Kardashian attributes directly to the writers' response to critical and audience reaction.
• Kardashian's bar exam attempt remains unresolved after the first failed try; she has not said when she plans to retake it.
• No premiere date for the new season appears in the BBC report.

The through-line in Kardashian's account to the BBC is less about defending the show's quality than about declining to treat the mockery as a reason to stop. Whether that calculation pays off again depends on whether a show built to be laughed at can sustain a second season once the novelty of the backlash wears off.