Tales, Titles, and Twists: Executive Producer Farnaz Farjam Dishes on 20 Seasons of KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede Executive producer Farnaz Farjam has a spectacular claim to fame regarding KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS: She came up with the name of the show! There are only three episodes remaining in the incredible 20-season run of KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS, airing Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on E!.  Farjam, who has been with the series from the beginning, told a fascinating origin story about the title – and many more fun tales – in a wide-ranging interview about the show, its impact, and what it has been like behind the scenes working with the Kardashians: Q: Recalling a media event with the cast in Los Angeles back in 2009, when the show would have been heading into Season 3, the general tone from reporters seemed to be genuine puzzlement. Is that how you remember those early years? FARJAM: “Yeah, I think there definitely were the people who really loved the show and got it right away, and then there were people who were baffled, and didn’t understand it. A lot of people would say to me, ‘My girlfriend watches that show, but I just don’t get it – like, who are they? Why do they matter?’ But I think they mattered because they were, you know, a family who always had each other’s backs. But I remember that I would even get calls from other network execs, who were like, ‘That Kardashian show is doing really well, huh? What’s it about?’ And I was like, ‘It’s a family sitcom, in a way.’ Because at the time, they were half-hour shows – they weren’t an hour yet, that kind of happened around Season 4.” Q: KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS worked wonderfully as a title, but it’s a mouthful. It goes against traditional thinking for what a TV title should be, right? FARJAM: “Yup, 100%. And you know, the title was found completely by accident, too. Because we all had a big meeting, where we were supposed to brainstorm titles, and everybody was supposed to come in with, like, 15 possibilities. So they had ‘The Kardashians’, ‘Crazy Kardashians’, ‘Something Family,’ or whatever. But when it was my turn, I had been so busy figuring out what their stories are, and what it was going to be like filming with them, and where we’re going to be shooting, and how we’re going to be shooting, and what cameras are we using. I didn’t have time to think about titles. So I was like, ‘You guys, I’m sorry, I don’t have a list – I have been keeping up with the Kardashians.’ And a network exec was like, ‘That’s it!’ I said, ‘What’s It?’ ‘That’s the title!’ And I was like, ‘Oh! Look at me!’ ” Q: So it was you individually who came up with the title, merely as a way of describing how busy you were. FARJAM: “Exactly.” Q: Have you had the opportunity yet to consider what a wild ride this has been? FARJAM: “Yeah, I do it all the time. You know, when you work in TV, you never know what’s going to stick, and this one stuck, every single day. They’re constantly evolving and growing. Even when there weren’t cameras on them, when you had a meeting with them, they would get really passionate about a topic or whatever. And they would forget that other people were in the room. They would just go off on their little tangents. It was just kind of fun watching how they communicate with each other, and how they are with each other. You almost watch them and you want to be a part of the family.” Q: How are they the same as they were back in 2007, and how have they changed? FARJAM: “The same, I would say, is that they’re still a big family unit, and they always will ride or die with each other, no matter what. You cross one, you’ve crossed all of them, and that will never change. And what’s different is, they are definitely way more famous, and with fame, and all the people that kind of critique you and judge you, some of them are a little bit more guarded, I would say. They’re still transparent, but they’re a little bit more guarded, and a little bit more sensitive.” Q: This series made “outtakes” and “bloopers” obsolete, because everything went into the show! The smallest thing could fuel an entire episode. You must have a million memories and anecdotes. FARJAM: “I remember when we started, everybody was like, ‘story story story.’ And I would always be, ‘let it breathe, let it breathe, let it breathe.’ Because they have such Kardashian-isms, which you’re referring to as outtakes. I wanted to make sure those moments that really showed their characters were included. So we didn’t worry so much about story all the time, because I wanted their personalities to shine. The way they deal with each other, it’s so delicious. For my memories, I mean, I remember the very first family trip I did with them. Kris and Caitlyn were in first class, but everybody else was in coach. And they all brought so much luggage, it was just painful and insane trying to travel with them. And they would just yell at me, but it was like a funny yelling. It wasn’t evil, it was just kind of, ‘I can’t believe you don’t have this for us, or that for us!’ And I was like, ‘The budget doesn’t have any of that stuff, I’m sorry!’ But you know, cut to Season 8, and all of a sudden it’s first class or better. And now it’s just private jets.” Q: THE OSBOURNES was a groundbreaking reality show that a lot of people have forgotten about now, but it seems likely that KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS will be a pop-culture reference point forever. Any theories as to why? FARJAM: “I have a few. I think one, it was a perfect storm. When we first started the series, there was no Instagram, no Twitter, there were just tabloids. But once social media came into play, and they could interact with their fans and answer questions, I think it just gave it another level of people feeling like they were accessible. And then, before the Kardashians, not talking about THE OSBOURNES specifically, but most of the beautiful women that you looked at on TV were tall, lanky, blonde. And here come these curvy girls, they’re family members, all at different ages. So you can relate to the mom, because managing six kids is a lot, or you can relate to one of the sisters, because each sister is so different. They all come in different shapes and sizes. So everybody had somebody that they could connect with, which really helped to hook the viewers and fans.” Q: Are you sad that it’s over, or do you think, ‘It’s time’? Both can be true. FARJAM: “Um, I’m sad. It’s bittersweet. I’m sad because I’m going to miss how we did the show. But I do feel like 20 was a good number. It was time. You know, we all have to kind of enter the next chapter of our lives.” Q: Hey, how many shows get to go 20 seasons? Congratulations! FARJAM: “Thank you so much. We are very proud of it.” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv