Debuting on 5 March 2002, The Osbournes quickly became the cult TV hit of the year.
Ozzy Osbourne, the middle-aged British heavy metal star (and former Black Sabbath frontman) with a leaky brainpan, was the foul-mouthed, befuddled centrepiece of this genre salad – equal parts anti-Ozzie and Harriet family comedy, reality-TV show and special Beverly Hills edition of This Is Spinal Tap.
Osbourne worried that fans of his old bat-gnawing excess might be disappointed to see him at home flummoxed by the remote wonder control – “I wonder if it will crush their illusion about me” – but his wife and manager, the sardonic Sharon, reassured him: “People know you’re not some mystical bloodsucking creature. You’re a cottage cheese eater.”
One of the Osbournes’ teenagers, Aimee, opted out of the series, but second-generation rock and roll kids Kelly and Jack clomped through the Osbourne mansion in a perpetual adolescent funk.
“I have the foulest mouth on earth, and I don’t really care,” Kelly told TV Guide in April 2002, proving she was a bleep off the old block.
Over four seasons, the show saw Ozzy attempt to cope with his controlling spouse, near out-of-control teenagers, and a Beverly Hills mansion-filling menagerie of pets whose excreta featured in many episodes – often after having been trodden in by Mr O.
Rather than simply featuring outrageous car-crash moments, The Osbournes offered several surprising insights into the family’s life. Episodes often featured typical parental topics, such as Ozzy dealing with Jack upon learning that he was leaving the house carrying a knife.
Conversely, a single season four instalment showed Kelly struggling with rehab while Jack celebrated his newly attained sobriety.
Sharon’s diagnosis of colon cancer was covered, with her treatment featuring in a few episodes, as was a life-threatening ATV accident. That’s not to say there wasn’t mania and mayhem – including an unfortunate incident of canicide.
It’s little wonder that The Osbournes became the highest-rated program in MTV history.
The Osbournes
Ozzy Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Jack Osbourne
Kelly Osbourne
Osbourne worried that fans of his old bat-gnawing excess might be disappointed to see him at home flummoxed by the remote wonder control – “I wonder if it will crush their illusion about me” – but his wife and manager, the sardonic Sharon, reassured him: “People know you’re not some mystical bloodsucking creature. You’re a cottage cheese eater.”
One of the Osbournes’ teenagers, Aimee, opted out of the series, but second-generation rock and roll kids Kelly and Jack clomped through the Osbourne mansion in a perpetual adolescent funk.
Rather than simply featuring outrageous car-crash moments, The Osbournes offered several surprising insights into the family’s life. Episodes often featured typical parental topics, such as Ozzy dealing with Jack upon learning that he was leaving the house carrying a knife.
