Denise Richards: It's Complicated
A reality series following Denise Richards and her family.
Denise Richards: It's Complicated is an American reality-based television series that aired on E! from May 26, 2008 to July 26, 2009. It is the second series to be produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions, following Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The program details the daily lives of actress Denise Richards, her daughters Sam and Lola, and her family as she deals with her career and the publicity she had received since her divorce from actor Charlie Sheen.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Reality
- Starring
- Denise Richards
- Lola Rose Sheen
- Sam Sheen
- Michelle McLaughlin
- Irv Richards
- Shoichi Shingu
- Narrator
- Denise Richards
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 2
- Episodes
- 17
- Executive producers
- Ryan Seacrest; Kevin Lee
Facts from the source article.
Overview
Denise Richards faced backlash in 2007 when she announced a reality show, with critics objecting to her children's involvement and the heavy promotion. She hoped the series would let her share her perspective. In January 2008, she decided to feature her two daughters with Charlie Sheen, who called the plan greedy, vain, and exploitative. On January 25, 2008, a court ruled in Richards' favor, allowing her to include the children. After a judge denied Sheen's request to block the show, he called for a boycott. The exes later reached a custody agreement. Rumors in late August 2008 claimed the show was canceled due to falling ratings, but an E! representative said it wasn't canceled and a second season was under consideration. Richards confirmed to Usmagazine.com on September 17, 2008, that the show was renewed, with filming starting in a few months. Production for the second and final season began in January 2009. Its premiere drew 1.5 million viewers, the series' highest ratings.
Critical reception
Along with another E! reality-based series that debuted the same day, Living Lohan, Denise Richards: It's Complicated received negative reviews. Variety summed it up by saying she had traded on her sexuality to become one of those public figures who cavorts with other public figures, and that viewers are voyeurs. Entertainment Weekly gave the series a D; Gillian Flynn noted that the show is one of those celebs-are-just-like-us programs in which viewers are expected to enjoy watching a famous pampered person doing things they do not want to do either. The Boston Herald also gave it a D; critic Mark A. Perigard, after watching the first episode, summed up Richards' life as one steaming pile of pig poop, literally. The Palm Beach Post's Kevin Thompson, after seeing the first episode, suggested a name change to Denise Richards: It's Boring. Slate thought the first episode hit its peak too early. The Los Angeles Times compared both Richards' and Lohan's shows and concluded that both had flaws, noting that the manor houses were lovely but often cold and impersonal, and that while Richards could afford a $9,000 grill or an instant-tan house call, viewers would not want the burden of maintaining such a life.
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