Kim Kardashian as Allura Grant in "All's Fair."
Matthew Noszka, Sarah Paulson, Kim Kardashian and Niecy Nash in "All's Fair."
Kim Kardashian in "All's Fair."

While watching Hulu's new star-studded Ryan Murphy drama "All's Fair" I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Surely there was some deeper reason that the series, which stars the likes of Glenn Close, Naomi Watts, Sarah Paulson and, yes, Kim Kardashian, was so unfathomably terrible. A wealth fantasy about high-powered divorce attorneys in Los Angeles, “Fair” didn’t make sense. When award-winning actresses give performances that would have gotten them fired from lesser shows, when the dialogue is stilted to the point of laughability, when plots are offensively dull and idiotic, and when it’s all wrapped in expensive and tasteless fashion, you'd think there'd be some kind of clever sleight of hand happening. Perhaps it was all a dream? Perhaps it was all a prank? Perhaps Kardashian's character was wearing visible underwear during legal meetings because the whole series takes place on some far-off planet that worships "The Thong Song"?

But no, it is with full, misguided earnestness that the creators of "Fair," both in front of and behind the camera, presented the abysmal show to the world on Nov. 4. And yet in spite of the avalanche of negative reviews, audiences flocked to it: The series delivered Hulu's biggest scripted series premiere in three years, garnering 3.2M views globally in its first three days streaming, according to Deadline.

It's all upside for Kardashian, Murphy and company, who get to enjoy their viewership numbers from their mansions and post cheeky Instagrams poking at the series’ 4% Rotten Tomatoes score. (There are plenty of viewers who actually enjoyed the show, considering the audience score on Tomatoes is a much-higher 66% positive.)

So in the end, do the negative reviews matter? Is the star power of Kardashian so strong as to overcome her lack of acting skill in this show? In short, yes and yes.

First the critics. Even in our era of aggresively mediocre TV, it's rare that a show sparks such resounding, unanimously negative reviews. The truth is, I can try my best to steer you away from bad TV shows that I think will waste your precious time all I want. But sometimes that bounces back and ends up encouraging viewership, also known as the "hate-watch." We critics can spark a morbid sense of curiosity among an unsuspecting public, unintentionally drawing them to a series with such scintillating lines as "Somebody has a revenge vagina."

Of course, you get to decide what you watch and what you enjoy. I personally think "Fair" is so frustratingly awful that it's not even a fun hate-watch, but if you find pure or jeering delight in Kardashian's cold, dead stares and A-list actresses embarrassing themselves, have at it. To borrow the parlance of the chronically online: I won't "yuck your yum."

Also at play is the Kardashian effect. Her fans have been bombarded with ads for the series through her social media, and they are used to the intentional facade the reality star and business mogul draws around herself. In many ways the hazy unreality of “Fair” is familiar to a longtime Kardashian follower. People don’t talk like the characters in "Fair" or act like them in real life, they don’t have mansions that big even if they’re ultra-successful divorce attorneys, and they don’t dress like third-rate social media influencers in court. But normal people also don’t act like the Kardashian/Jenner clan in their ubiquitous Hulu reality series “The Kardashians,” either. Maybe there’s a sliver of humor to be found in pretending that you get to own a private jet and create wanton destruction and spit lewd insults like a middle school boy if your clients are billionaires. Maybe there’s a small amount of interest in looking at the trainwreck of “Fair” as some kind of anthropological study of what happens when Hollywood is profoundly lazy and lethargic.

When Kardashian asked her 354 million Instagram followers, "Have you tuned in to the most critically acclaimed show of the year!?!?!?" It was both a joke about the pans and a challenge; tune in if you dare, everyone.

“Fair” director Anthony Hemingway, who has also worked with Murphy on acclaimed shows such as "Glee," "American Horror Story" and "American Crime Story," seems to think critics just don’t “get” the show. "You may have certain criticisms, while there are a million others who love it,” Hemingway told The Hollywood Reporter. “It may be out of your league, it may not be anything you can connect to, and I think that goes for anything that gets presented on screen.”

Watching the lifeless performances from actresses like Paulson and Close and Teyana Taylor, who will likely be in the Oscar conversation this year for her film “One Battle After Another,” I find it a bit rich to say “Fair” is simply “out of my league.” But he’s right, I didn’t connect with it. In fact I wish I could take back every minute I spent watching it. Time, after all, is our most valuable resource.

Not everyone in Hollywood gets to make exorbitantly expensive shows marketed to millions of Instagram followers. So here's my challenge to you: There are dozens of worthy, transcendent and profound series that have premiered this year that actually add something to our culture. They are made by sincere artists who put their hearts and souls into their work. They are funny and sweet and heartbreaking and tragic and triumphant. So perhaps for every minute you spend watching “Fair,” try an episode of Netflix’s exquisite military comedy “Boots” or Disney+’s “Star Wars” masterpiece “Andor.” Sample HBO Max’s deft and Emmy-winning “The Pitt” or Amazon’s riotously hilarious “Overcompensating.” Remember what it’s like to find a piece of media that doesn’t insult your intelligence, but instead delights you with wonder and thoughtfulness, that lets you escape real life without repeatedly using offensive profanity.

All’s fair in love and war, and in television criticism. Love what you love, but don’t forget about all the other TV shows that might just be your next favorite binge, too.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Critics hated Kim Kardashian's 'All's Fair.' Here's why that matters

Reporting by Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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