In 2015, there is no family on television who better represents our ever-evolving modern culture than the Kardashians. Flip through the TV, and you'll find countless shows attempting to find the next quirky, yet distinctly "now" family that exemplifies the shifting social and familial norms, but none compare to our friends in Calabasas.
In the sneak peek clip of Season 10 of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which premieres Sunday night on E!, Kim tells Khloé she's been having sex 500 times a day, and Kris reads a cease-and-desist letter that's been sent to her by "Kourtney Kardashian." Through nine seasons we've come to learn there aren't many taboos left amongst the Kardashian-Jenner clan. Khloé feigns shock, but we know better. The Kardashians and the orbit of people who surround them have turned a sex-tape-sparked reality show into a 10-season epic, showcasing the highs and lows of love, fame, and family. In doing so, KUWTK, a half-reality half-meta-reality show, has become the best representation of a truly modern family in a TV landscape suddenly filled with them.
Even ABC's aptly-titled hit Modern Family cannot, well, keep up when it comes to capturing 2015. While that mega-popular scripted series was built upon the pretense of progressive, unapologetic modernity — a tightly woven extended family made up of gays, Latinas, and even an adopted Asian child — its open, in-your-face politics are no longer seen as radical in today's fractured television landscape. Modern Family cannot hold a candle to the boundaries the Kardashians have pushed since we first met them in 2007. The writers, as eager as they are to stay up-to-date (with an entire episode taking place via Apple FaceTime), cannot script for the true chaos we've come to expect in Calabasas.
Consider the realities that have played out on KUWTK: a sex tape, parental death, interracial marriage, mental health issues, drug use, divorce, eating disorders, parenthood, infidelity, sock manufacturing. The list goes on. It's as if the Kardashians have taken every once-divisive cultural talking point and made sure to somehow incorporate it into their own lives. And, perhaps the most modern problem of them all — being a celebrity in 2015 — permeates every aspect of the show. Over the past eight years, we've had the chance to watch one very large, tight-knit family become one of the most famous families in the world, just as paparazzi culture, camera phones, and 24-hour celebrity coverage has transformed from a niche interest to a full-blown economy. The Kardashians allow us to see what our crazy obsession looks like from the inside out.
Through it all, the aspect of the show that is so evident is the love and loyalty the Kardashians show for one another. You see this in the way the family supported Khloé through her break-up with Lamar Odom (while also defended him to the press). They're supportive off screen, too, like just last week when Khloé took to Twitter to defend Kylie from comments made by Amber Rose. Most people equate "Kardashians" with "drama," but that's really not what keeps the show interesting and moving forward. Its success comes from the ability of its characters to care for one another and provide support when someone is making a life choice that may be less than traditional.
A modern family has flaws. We've seen plenty of them in the past nine seasons. But, the Kardashians' resilience and love for one another doesn't waver, even when the sisters bicker or feelings get hurt. In 2015, our country sees more adult children still living with their parents, and last season we saw Kris insist that Kim, Kanye, and North stay at her Calabasas house to be closer to family. Even when the circumstances (i.e. income levels) are vastly different, the Kardashians can't help but hold a mirror up to society.
As rumors circulate regarding Bruce's upcoming interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, the rest of the Kardashian-Jenner clan has remained steadfast in their support, with Kim adding in an interview, that he is the "happiest" she's ever seen him. Bruce's current situation is just another example of the way in which Hollywood's first family has become a beacon of progressive change for an audience that may not even realize it. While the Kardashian-Jenners may not be typical, it's worth asking what is typical these days? Modern Family is such a silly name for a show, but if a TV family was really going to hold that title, it wouldn't be the Dunphy/Pritchett/Tuckers. The Kardashians are TV's true modern family because of their ability to tackle issues big or small with real and loving solutions. A modern family is one that shows us what it's really like to live in America in 2015, and right now, there is no better example than the Kardashians.