# Tidying Up with Marie Kondo
*Tidying Up with Marie Kondo* is an American reality television series in which the Japanese organizing consultant [Marie Kondo](https://www.edgepedia.org/marie-kondo) visits cluttered homes in the Los Angeles area and helps their residents declutter using her KonMari method, keeping only the belongings that "spark joy." The eight-episode first season premiered globally on Netflix on January 1, 2019, and the show ended after that single season.[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/80209379) • [2](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/80209379)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Eight-episode reality series; Kondo guides people "at a crossroads" through home makeovers built on the question of whether an object sparks joy[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/80209379) |
| Premiere | January 1, 2019, released globally on Netflix; all eight episodes aired that day[3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvyeapVBLWY) • [2](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/80209379) |
| Production | Produced by The Jackal Group; executive producers included Gail Berman, Joe Earley, Marie Kondo, Takumi Kawahara, Hend Baghdady, and Bianca Barnes-Williams[2](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/80209379) • [4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/shows/tidying-marie-kondo) |
| Rating | TV-PG; genre listed as reality television[2](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/80209379) |
| Recognition | Two nominations at the 71st Emmy Awards: Outstanding Structured Reality Program and Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/shows/tidying-marie-kondo) |
| Reception | 81% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (37 reviews) and 72% on its audience Popcornmeter; a Metascore of 65 on Metacritic[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/tidying_up_with_marie_kondo/s01) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/tidying-up-with-marie-kondo/critic-reviews/) |
| Follow-up | Kondo later hosted the Netflix series *Sparking Joy*, described as taking her signature approach a step further[7](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81231940) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and format
Each episode follows a household overwhelmed by possessions as Kondo, accompanied by her translator Marie Iida, leads the family through the KonMari method, a five-step approach to evaluating belongings on an emotional level in which objects that do not "spark joy" are let go.[8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/marie-kondo-brings-something-besides-her-famous-tidying-skills-to-reality-tv-gratitude/2018/12/30/7f806e7a-0ad1-11e9-88e3-989a3e456820_story.html) The series is based on her international bestseller *The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing*.[9](https://archivesaware.archivists.org/2019/01/30/responses-and-retrospectives-alexandra-bisio-on-tidying-up-with-marie-kondo/)
Kondo's on-screen manner differs from earlier decluttering television. The Washington Post's review contrasted her with predecessors such as "Clean House" and "Hoarders," noting that she brings a calming influence, even asking the owners if she may kneel in a spot and silently greet their home before beginning.[8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/marie-kondo-brings-something-besides-her-famous-tidying-skills-to-reality-tv-gratitude/2018/12/30/7f806e7a-0ad1-11e9-88e3-989a3e456820_story.html) [The New Yorker](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-new-yorker)'s Troy Patterson described the show as grafting Kondo's methodology onto a makeover-show format with little conflict, and observed that the word "tidying" understates the physical task, which can involve gathering an entire wardrobe accumulated over decades into a single pile.[10](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/on-television/tidying-up-with-marie-kondo-reviewed-the-organizational-consultant-as-freelance-exorcist)
### Season 1 episodes
All eight episodes were released on January 1, 2019, with runtimes of roughly 35 to 47 minutes.[11](https://www.netflix.com/title/80209379?s=i&trkid=13752289)
1. **Tidying With Toddlers** (47 min): a harried couple with two young children learn to pare down playroom clutter, organize the kitchen, and sort clothes.[11](https://www.netflix.com/title/80209379?s=i&trkid=13752289)
2. **Empty Nesters** (36 min): a retired couple cut back on clothing, store Christmas decor, and display old family photographs.[11](https://www.netflix.com/title/80209379?s=i&trkid=13752289)
3. **The Downsizers** (35 min): a family in a cramped apartment creates temporary storage and makes better use of hard-to-reach cabinet space.[11](https://www.netflix.com/title/80209379?s=i&trkid=13752289)
4. **Sparking Joy After a Loss** (44 min): a grieving widow learns to store her purses, make a memory box, and say goodbye to things she no longer needs.[11](https://www.netflix.com/title/80209379?s=i&trkid=13752289)
5. **From Students to Improvements** (41 min): two writers sort through sentimental items and gadgets to organize their library.[11](https://www.netflix.com/title/80209379?s=i&trkid=13752289)
6. **Breaking Free From a Mountain of Stuff**: a family of four tames its garage, folds scarves, and clears out old toys.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/tidying_up_with_marie_kondo/s01)
7. **Making Room for Baby**: an expectant couple stores shoes, folds socks, and tackles paper clutter.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/tidying_up_with_marie_kondo/s01)
8. **When Two (Messes) Become One**: newlyweds with two dogs merge their possessions and organize pet accessories.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/tidying_up_with_marie_kondo/s01)
## Reception
Critics responded favorably. The Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus called Kondo "a delightful instructor" who gently encourages viewers to cut clutter from their lives; the season scored 81% among 37 critics and 72% with audiences.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/tidying_up_with_marie_kondo/s01) Metacritic recorded a Metascore of 65, with five positive and four mixed reviews and no negative ones; Paste gave it an 87, and The Guardian a 40.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/tidying-up-with-marie-kondo/critic-reviews/) The show earned two Emmy nominations in 2019, for Outstanding Structured Reality Program and for Kondo as Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program, though it did not win either category.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/shows/tidying-marie-kondo)
**Cultural impact.** The series fed a broader American decluttering moment. Within weeks of its release, Goodwill and online resellers such as thredUP and Poshmark reported donation and sales boosts as viewers slimmed down their wardrobes.[12](https://time.com/5541135/marie-kondo-apps/) *Time* placed the show in a wider organization trend alongside Inbox Zero and the popularity of neatly arranged "organization" imagery on [Pinterest](https://www.edgepedia.org/pinterest) and Instagram.[13](https://time.com/5559039/organization-tidying-up-benefits/)
**Criticism.** Some commentary targeted Kondo herself. The journalist [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://www.edgepedia.org/barbara-ehrenreich) posted a now-deleted tweet saying she would be convinced America was not in decline only when the decluttering guru "learns to speak English," a jab at Kondo speaking Japanese on the show; writers in several outlets described the criticism as carrying racist and classist undertones.[14](https://thetartan-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/edition/pdf/423/Vol113Issue15.pdf) • [9](https://archivesaware.archivists.org/2019/01/30/responses-and-retrospectives-alexandra-bisio-on-tidying-up-with-marie-kondo/) The New Yorker review also raised the possibility of [Orientalism](https://www.edgepedia.org/orientalism) in the series's framing of its Japanese star.[10](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/on-television/tidying-up-with-marie-kondo-reviewed-the-organizational-consultant-as-freelance-exorcist)
## Aftermath
The show ended after one season, and Netflix later announced *Sparking Joy*, a follow-up in which Kondo takes her approach "a step further" in a transformational format.[2](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/80209379) • [7](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81231940) In January 2023, promoting a new book, Kondo said she had "kind of given up on" keeping her home tidy at all times after the birth of her third child, telling a webinar that "my home is messy, but the way I am spending my time is the right way for me at this stage of my life."[15](https://www.axios.com/2023/01/27/marie-kondo-tidying-up-parenting)
## References
1. [Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/80209379)
2. [Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, New On Netflix USA](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/80209379)
3. [Tidying Up with Marie Kondo | Official Trailer, Netflix on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvyeapVBLWY)
4. [Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/shows/tidying-marie-kondo)
5. [Tidying Up With Marie Kondo: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/tidying_up_with_marie_kondo/s01)
6. [Tidying Up with Marie Kondo critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/tidying-up-with-marie-kondo/critic-reviews/)
7. [Sparking Joy, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81231940)
8. [Marie Kondo brings something besides her famous tidying skills to reality TV: Gratitude, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/marie-kondo-brings-something-besides-her-famous-tidying-skills-to-reality-tv-gratitude/2018/12/30/7f806e7a-0ad1-11e9-88e3-989a3e456820_story.html)
9. [Responses and Retrospectives: Alexandra Bisio on "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo," KonMari, and Archival Appraisal, ArchivesAware](https://archivesaware.archivists.org/2019/01/30/responses-and-retrospectives-alexandra-bisio-on-tidying-up-with-marie-kondo/)
10. ["Tidying Up with Marie Kondo," Reviewed: The Organizational Consultant as Freelance Exorcist, The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/on-television/tidying-up-with-marie-kondo-reviewed-the-organizational-consultant-as-freelance-exorcist)
11. [Watch Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, Netflix Official Site](https://www.netflix.com/title/80209379?s=i&trkid=13752289)
12. [Spring Cleaning Comes Early as Apps See a Donation Boost Thanks to Marie Kondo, Time](https://time.com/5541135/marie-kondo-apps/)
13. [Americans Are Obsessed With Tidying Up. But There's a Downside to Being Organized, Time](https://time.com/5559039/organization-tidying-up-benefits/)
14. [Marie Kondo and the rise of minimalism, The Tartan (Carnegie Mellon)](https://thetartan-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/edition/pdf/423/Vol113Issue15.pdf)
15. [Marie Kondo: "I've kind of given up on" keeping home always tidy, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2023/01/27/marie-kondo-tidying-up-parenting)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Celebrity, family, lifestyle, and court reality series › Lifestyle, dating, and docusoaps › Wealth, real estate, and lifestyle series*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license