Keeping Up With the Kardashians finale review: Kim & co. bow out with a satisfying and emotional ending
It's the end of an era for the world's most famous family.
The end is nigh for the world's famous family as Keeping Up With the Kardashians finally comes to an end after a whopping 20 seasons.
A whole decade on screen has boiled down to this, the final episode, which airs in the UK on Sunday at 9pm on E!.
And the krew are going out in style for their final episode, during which they find enough time for a holiday before heading back to Los Angeles for the final day of filming.
The nostalgia levels are high in the final episode as the family starts off with a joke war against each other, with two teams competing to guess the most iconic moments from the show. Though personally, I was pretty sad not to see a couple of our best ever Kardashian moments represented.
This fun game was swiftly followed by the cast and crew all gathered outside on the last night of their holiday to enjoy some fireworks and say goodbye to most of the hard-working team members on the show. There were plenty of hugs and tears to go around as Kris raised a glass of Veuve Clicquot to everyone. What else?
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
It seemed like a fitting end, really, but this was actually just half way through the episode - there was time for one more emotional look-back. Thoughtful Khloe decided to make a time capsule for each family member (though no Rob, rather Scott Disick instead) to pop a memory in the crisp white tube. Cue each Kardashian/Jenner placing in an item which reminds them of where they started – for Khloe it's Dash store keys, for Kourtney it's a Smooch T-shirt and for the more entrepreneurial sisters, Kylie and Kim, it's some lip kits and a debut perfume. After all, if you can't promote your businesses on the finale, when can you?
Alongside the nostalgia, there was time to address some of the bigger questions of the series surrounding the futures of Scott, Kourtney, Kim and Kanye.
Arguably the show's biggest couple, Kourtney and Scott were on and off for pretty much the entire longevity of the series and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who didn't secretly wish they were back together. It seems the Kardashian/Jenners had the same desire and all through the season have been keen to grill the pair.
Sadly there isn't a fairytale ending this time, with Kourtney admitting Scott has to prove himself to her for a prolonged period. Not quite the happily ever after, but it's certainly not a no. And with recent news the Kardashians are moving to Star on Disney Plus, the door certainly hasn't been closed on this age-old drama.
And then there's Kimye. The most iconic couple of the past decade, fans have been floored by recent rumours the pair were set to divorce. While Kim was coy in the episode about the future with her husband, the show offered as much of a resolution as possible, showing the businesswoman reassuring Kris she's happy and knows what she wants for the future. We couldn't exactly leave them on a cliffhanger, could we?
If that wasn't enough, we also saw some light at the end of the tunnel for Khloe and Tristan, who seemed to be rekindling their relationship after Khlo took the plunge and moved to Boston to be with her basketballer baby daddy.
The finale was perhaps a little stunted at points though (after all, where do you cut when you're filming a family of superstars who live and breathe drama?), and two grandiose send-offs did seem a bit much, while also shoe-horning some life updates in, but ultimately the show prompted me to consider what a remarkable feat Keeping Up with the Kardashians really was.
Where else in show-business would you get such a close insight into the lives of the world's most recognisable rapper and his wife, a supermodel, and the ultimate social media influencer? All of these people were in one show. And not only that, they bared their souls to millions of viewers across the world throughout 268 episodes. We were with them throughout births, weddings, separations - the lot. Barely anything was off limits, and it was much to the strength of the series.
Sure, the Kardashians spawned from a run of successful reality shows such as The Osbournes, but there hasn't really been anything comparable in recent times. Just like each family member on the show, KUWTK really was one of a kind, and it's much to the detriment of the reality genre that it's ending.
So for now, we say a fond farewell to our beloved Keeping Up With the Kardashians, even if we know TV's famous family won't be off our screens for too long.
Keeping Up with the Kardashians is available to stream on hayu. You can sign up to hayu in the UK for £4.99 per month, or £3.99 through Amazon or NOW.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
Authors
Helen Daly is the Associate Editor for Radio Times, overseeing new initiatives and commercial projects for the brand. She was previously Deputy TV Editor at a national publication. She has a BA in English Literature and an MA in Media & Journalism from Newcastle University.