If you watched the Keeping Up With the Kardashians Season 13 premiere last week, you know that despite some enticing trailers, it left much to be desired.
Unless you live and die with each fake storyline regarding the fate of DASH boutiques, the episode failed to deliver in the drama department.
Upcoming episodes will address Kim getting robbed in Paris and her marital troubles with Kanye West, but it could be a case of too little, too late.
The Keeping Up premiere's ratings were the show's lowest to date, and according to Radar Online, E! execs are already talking cancelation.
Granted, sure as Kylie posts racy pics on Insta, rumors of Keeping Up With the Kardashians getting canceled seem to surface every few months.
(Perhaps it's a bit of wishful thinking on the part of the public.)
But this time, there are numbers to support the claims - and when any show is on its 13th season, you're already on borrowed time.
KUWTK pulled in its lowest ratings to date on Sunday, scoring a paltry .70 rating for adults in the 18-49 demo and just 1.48 million viewers overall.
It's reportedly that first figure that has E! most concerned.
The show and its niche audience has never received massive total ratings, but it always performed well in that most crucial demographic.
(In fact, we're a bit shocked that, based on the figures quoted above, about half the show's audience falls outside of that age range.)
Making matters worse is the fact that the show is costlier than ever to produce as the overhead costs (read: salaries) increase exponentially.
Sources say a reluctant Kim Kardashian received a massive bonus to return for Season 13, and the huge cast keeps growing in size.
North, Saint, and Kourtney's kids aren't getting paid yet (and there's no word on whether or not Rob's daughter, Dream, will appear on the show).
Neither were Kendall and Kylie back in the day, though, but those background stars have become main attractions, and their paychecks reflect it.
The shifting landscape of TV hasn't helped. When the show premiered a decade ago, there simply wasn't as much competition on basic cable.
The Kardashians, ironically, have struggled to ... keep up.
It's often said that Kim and her sisters don't really care if the show continues or not, and they're basically running out the clock at this point.
Keeping Up has already established them as huge stars, and they have countless other revenue streams, so there's a level of ambivalence.
Of course, there's at least one prominent member of the famous family who deeply concerned about the prospect of cancelation.
One guess as to who that could POSSIBLY be.
Sources say Kris Jenner even boasted to friends and family members that this season would be the show's most popular to date.
Due to all the explosive drama of the past few months, with Kim, Kanye, Scott, Kourt, Rob, Chyna and Khloe, how could it not be, right?
Looks like that was a major miscalculation.
Turns out even the infamous E! Momager has a shelf life.
Try as she might, her powers of manipulation are limited. Morever, even her offspring may be limited when it comes to fans' caring.
So is this finally the end of an era? An empire, if you will?
That remains to be seen, and there is still time for Kris & Kompany to turn things around. One lackluster week does not a season make.
The trajectory is as poor as it's ever been, though.
Fortunately, no matter what happens after this season, you can always watch Keeping Up With the Kardashians online at TV Fanatic.
There were some great times.
