The Osbournes

Template:Short description Template:More citations needed Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox television The Osbournes is an American reality television series featuring the domestic life of English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne and his family— his wife Sharon, their daughter Kelly, and their son Jack. The series premiered on MTV on March 5, 2002, and, in its first season, was cited as the most-viewed series ever on MTV. The final episode aired on March 21, 2005.

The Osbournes is considered to be a pioneering reality television series which ushered in an era of shows focusing on celebrity family life.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The show was developed as a result of the success of the Osbourne family being featured in the September 2000 pilot episode of MTV Cribs<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> — also focusing on celebrities, a new series (Union Jack) premiered in 2003, with Jack Osbourne interviewing famous friends (such a pastor Jack Stahl and Adam Grace), in a parallel series to The Osbournes.<ref>https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379674/fullcredits/</ref><ref>[Jack Osbourne scores C4 show | Channel 4 | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/aug/29/channel4.broadcasting#:~:text=5pm:%20Hell%2Draising%20teenager%20and%20reality%20TV%20star,series%20on%20Channel%204%20later%20this%20year. Hell-Raising Teenager and Reality Star Series]</ref>

Overview

The show was filmed from October 2001 to March 2005,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and documents the daily lives of the Osbourne family, primarily in their Beverly Hills home. In addition to heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, the show features his wife and manager Sharon, and their children Jack and Kelly. The couple's other child, Aimee, declined to participate in the show and publicly criticised her parents for their antics on the show. In most family photos shown on the show, she is either absent or blurred. The series also followed the family as they dealt with major events such as Sharon's battle with colon cancer, the aftermath of a 2003 ATV accident that nearly killed Ozzy and Kelly's entry into rehab for addiction to painkillers. In May 2009, he confirmed in an interview on BBC Radio he was "stoned during the entire filming of The Osbournes" and would not watch the episodes for this reason.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Jack and Kelly's friend Robert Marcato made regular appearances on the show;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sharon took him in during the second season after his mother died of cancer. While a constant presence in front of the camera, few plots revolved around Robert and he had few lines. After the series ended, it was reported that the Osbournes had sent Robert back to Rhode Island to live with his father after spending a week at a psychiatric ward. The Osbournes were assumed to have adopted Robert, but Sharon Osbourne has denied this.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Another person who makes recurring appearances on the show is Melinda, Sharon's Australian-born executive assistant and nanny, married to Ozzy's former tour manager.<ref name="battle">Adams, Cameron. Ozzy Osbourne battles on. The Herald Sun. November 1, 2007.</ref> She is often seen trying to get Jack out of bed while he berates and belittles her, telling her to "get a real job." <ref name="battle" />

The show was both famous and controversial for the family's frequent use of profanity,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which was censored in MTV broadcasts of the series in the United States. In an interview, Ozzy stated that while he was happy that the Canadian broadcasts were uncensored, he preferred the censored version because the cursing was more noticeable due to the bleeps.Template:Citation needed The Canadian broadcasts on CTV and UK broadcasts on MTV and Channel 4 are uncensored.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Some episodes were also aired uncensored to Australian audiences when shown on Network Ten.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It is broadcast uncensored on MTV Australia.

Contrary to popular belief,<ref>Pat Boone on Ozzy Osbourne</ref> veteran singer Pat Boone never covered "Crazy Train" for the show’s theme. The version audiences heard was actually performed by session singer Lewis LaMedica,<ref>[1]</ref> who flew to Los Angeles specifically for the recording.<ref>Low Key Singer Makes Mark in the Land of Oz</ref><ref>Veteran Crooner is Heard by Millions but Remains an Unknown</ref> Boone had previously covered "Crazy Train" for his 1997 album In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, but this is not used in the series, although LaMedica would adopt Boone's big band style for his own version. Boone, a former neighbour of the Osbournes, later lamented "I'm flattered... but I wish they had used me. I would have done it for free."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Concurrent with the success of the series, Kelly launched a brief career as a singer, while Sharon hosted The Sharon Osbourne Show. The family also parodied their TV series during cameo appearances at awards shows and in the film Austin Powers in Goldmember.

Staging

Jack and Kelly stated in an interview that some of the situations on the show, including the visit from the dog therapist, were arranged by MTV producers.<ref name="staged">Osbourne Kids Says Some Shows Were Scripted. ABC News. Retrieved May 24, 2014.</ref> Ozzy Osbourne's publicist denied that any reactions were staged.<ref name="staged" />

After filming

On November 30 and December 1, 2007, items belonging to the Osbournes and featured in the show were auctioned off to the public. The two-day event listed memorabilia as well as furnishings of the home. Bidders could bid through the Auction Network.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

In 2009, the Osbournes reunited for the debut of their new variety show Osbournes Reloaded for the Fox network. Produced by Fremantle Media North America, the series debuted on March 31, 2009, at 9:25PM ET/PT, following American Idol. It consisted of sketches, stunts, celebrity cameos, music performances, and pretaped segments.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The show was canceled after airing its first episode.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On its debut, 26 Fox affiliates pre-empted or delayed the program due to its racy content, which the stations felt was more appropriate for older viewers.<ref name="wapo">Template:Cite web</ref>

From 2016 to 2018, Ozzy and Jack starred in Ozzy & Jack's World Detour, a reality-series that initially aired on History before moving to A&E for its second season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On January 23, 2018, Jack revealed on his official Instagram page that the series had been picked up for a third season.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The eight-episode third season premiered on A&E on June 13, 2018, with Jack's sister Kelly Osbourne joining the cast.

More recently, The Osbournes Want to Believe was released on August 2, 2020, on Travel Channel. The show focused on Ozzy, Sharon and Jack reacting to video clips and photographs purportedly containing supernatural and unexplained phenomena before determining if they are either real, fake or inconclusive.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Planned revival

In October 2015, Kelly Osbourne stated that she was open to the idea of a revival that was new and different, saying that "we did it on MTV and that had never been done before so if we're going to come back, we'd want to do it in a way that has never been done before either."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In August 2025, the BBC announced that it planned to air a documentary called Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home, which was released on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on 2 October 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Filmed over a three-year period, it follows his return to the UK, efforts to perform one last time, and his death shortly after a final concert in Birmingham. Originally planned as a series called Home to Roost, it was released as a one-hour film.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Broadcast and distribution

Home releases

Only seasons one and two (released in two sets as season two and two 1/2 or 2.5<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>) have been released on DVD by Miramax Home Entertainment and Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

YouTube

Beginning on 29 March 2025, 20 years after the show ended, full episodes were uploaded to The Osbournes official YouTube channel. Since 16 July 2025, all Seasons 1, 2, 3 and 4 are available to watch.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

International airings

The series aired on CTV and MusiquePlus in Canada, Channel 4 in the UK and MTV UK and Ireland in Ireland and the UK, VH1 India in India, RTÉ Two in Ireland, Network Ten and MTV Australia in Australia, TV2 Denmark, MTV Finland and Nelonen in Finland, MTV Latin America in Latin America, MTV Portugal in Portugal, TV2 in New Zealand, MTV Germany in Germany, MTV Ukraine in Ukraine, MTV Poland in Poland, MTV Brasil in Brazil, MTV Italia in Italy, MTV Nederland in the Netherlands and MTV Europe.

Compilation album

The Osbourne Family Album, a various artists compilation based on the show, was released in June 2002.

Awards and nominations

As well as achieving the highest ratings in MTV history, The Osbournes won the 2002 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In popular culture

• The Osbournes has a slot game adaptation created by Microgaming.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• The retro looking typeface used for the main title is called Swanky and was designed by Stuart Sandler of Font Diner.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In the South Park episode "My Future Self 'n' Me", Stan Marsh is watching the show on MTV before his mom changes the channel by force, claiming that it will make him retarded.

See also

• Hogan Knows Best (2005)
• Gene Simmons Family Jewels (2006)
• Rock of Love with Bret Michaels (2007)

Further reading

• Template:Cite news

External links

• Template:IMDb title