The Kardashians have James Corden to thank for TV return

Rob Mills, Kris Jenner, Khloé Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Dana Walden and Craig Erwich attend the red carpet premiere for Hulu’s “The Kardashians" in LA on April 7, 2022.
Rob Mills, Kris Jenner, Khloé Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Dana Walden and Craig Erwich (L-R) at The Kardashians' red carpet premiere. (Image credit: Shannon Watts/Hulu)

It turns out The Late Late Show's James Corden had a hand in bringing The Kardashians back to TV.

During a Disney Plus premiere event held in London on Monday, April 11 ahead of the launch of The Kardashians, executive producer Ben Winston made a virtual appearance where he revealed how the series came about. 

Ben Winston is one of the founding members of Fulwell 73, the British company behind The Kardashians. 

Fulwell 73 also co-produces James Corden's Emmy-winning talk show with CBS. The former Gavin & Stacey star has a long-time working relationship with the other Fulwell partners that stretches back nearly 20 years now and in 2017, James Corden joined Fulwell 73 as the production company's fifth partner.

At The Kardashians premiere event, Ben said: "I was on holiday with my wife, and James Corden wouldn’t stop calling me to say, 'I know you’re on holiday, but Kim Kardashian is calling me and wants to talk about making a new series…'"

James Corden speaks to the audience during The Late Late Show on Tuesday, March 22, 2022

James Corden took over The Late Late Show in 2015. (Image credit: Terence Patrick/ CBS via Getty)

According to a 2021 report from The Sun, Kim Kardashian was so impressed with Fulwell 73's work on the Friends: The Reunion and Amazon's Cinderella adaptation that she personally reached out to the production company to help create a new reality series featuring the Kardashian-Jenners. 

An insider told The Sun: "[Kim] saw how everything James touches seems to turn to gold and knew they needed people with fresh ideas on board, so she reached out.

"Since KUWTK ended, the whole Kardashian family has felt the pressure to do something bigger and better, so there’s a lot riding on the new series. They’re confident they are in safe hands", they added.

The Kardashians is a new show that follows the biggest family in reality TV. Announced less than a year after the family bid farewell to its long-running predecessor, The Kardashians is a Hulu show that will continue to document the lives of Kim, Kourtney, Kris and the rest of the Kardashian family. 

From The Kardashians trailer alone, it looks like the new show will be just as dramatic as KUWTK, with Kim's high-profile split from Ye and new arrivals in the family playing a significant part in the teaser.

The Kardashians premieres on Hulu and on Disney Plus in the UK on Thursday, April 14, with new episodes releasing on the platforms each week.

Martin Shore
Staff Writer at WhatToWatch.com

Martin is a Staff Writer with WhatToWatch.com, where he produces a variety of articles focused on the latest and greatest films and TV shows. 

Some of his favorite shows are What We Do In The Shadows, Bridgerton, Gangs of London, The Witcher, Doctor Who, and Ghosts. When he’s not watching TV or at the movies, Martin’s probably still in front of a screen playing the latest video games, reading, or watching the NFL.