The Osbournes, from left: Jack, Sharon, Ozzy and Kelly
Fox has finally made good on its threat to return Ozzy Osbourne and his brood to TV.
The network will unleash “Osbournes: Reloaded” onto the world 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, granting it the post-“Idol” timeslot for maximum damage exposure.
Granted, “return” might be the wrong word to use here because, like some slacker college buddy, once Osbournes got comfy in our living rooms they were determined to stay there.
Kelly had a prominent role in the short lived ABC teen drama “Life as We Know It” during the 2004-2005 season; Jack enjoyed a short run in the UK series “Jack Osbourne: Adrenaline Junkie”; and Sharon’s most recent adventure involved, ahem, whipping wayward kittens into shape on “Rock of Love: Charm School.” Ozzy, meanwhile, has been getting wacky in those “World of Warcraft” commercials.
That said, the last time the Osbournes were on television as a family was in 2005, when MTV aired the final episodes of their unscripted sitcom “The Osbournes.” Now, that show was hilarious — unintentionally at first, then quite intentionally after it caught fire — and lit the wick of the celebreality craze still with us today.
But, the Osbournes? Doing a variety hour? It does make one wonder.
According to Fox’s press release, the show will feature “audience interaction, rowdy comedy, and hilarious stunts that will shock and amuse.” Why, what sorts of hilarious stunts, you ask? How about Sharon Osbourne unveiling a stripping grandmother? Or Ozzy dousing the audience in foam, or throwing french fries at unsuspecting customers during a bit at a fast food drive thru? But wait, America…there’s more. An ongoing feature will be the “Littlest Osbournes,” two wee child actors imitating Sharon and Ozzy “in all their four-letter glory.”
Clearly stage fright won’t be the issue here. Instead the question will be whether America is ready to embrace this kind of variety show or, for that matter, any other. Didn’t Rosie O’Donnell recently try to revive the format for NBC? Yes she did.
(We will speak no more on that subject, but our users had quite a bit to say about it.)
Then again, the Osbournes are pretty much the kind of family that forces Fox back to its roots, something it likes to do from time to time. (Or, if we’re counting animated families, every Sunday night.) They’re raunchy, bombastic, joy machines — like the Bundys, only with gobs of cash and a fierce loyalty to one another.
It could work. Couldn’t it? You be the judge. Here’s a preview clip from the show. Feel free to talk about it on IMDb’s message board for “Osbournes: Reloaded.”
Also benefiting from the plum slot following an “Idol” episode is a preview airing of “Glee,” a new musical comedy from Ryan Murphy (creator of “Nip/Tuck”). Yes, you read correctly — a musical comedy. Historically, scripted musicals don’t go over well with TV audiences, so Fox intends to do something a bit different this time and air the first hour at 9 p.m. on May 19, then re-launch the series as part of the fall line-up.
Fox has finally made good on its threat to return Ozzy Osbourne and his brood to TV
The Osbournes, from left: Jack, Sharon, Ozzy and Kelly
Fox has finally made good on its threat to return Ozzy Osbourne and his brood to TV.
The network will unleash “Osbournes: Reloaded” onto the world 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, granting it the post-“Idol” timeslot for maximum damage exposure.
Granted, “return” might be the wrong word to use here because, like some slacker college buddy, once Osbournes got comfy in our living rooms they were determined to stay there.
Kelly had a prominent role in the short lived ABC teen drama “Life as We Know It” during the 2004-2005 season; Jack enjoyed a short run in the UK series “Jack Osbourne: Adrenaline Junkie”; and Sharon’s most recent adventure involved, ahem, whipping wayward kittens into shape on “Rock of Love: Charm School.” Ozzy, meanwhile, has been getting wacky in those “World of Warcraft” commercials.
That said, the last time the Osbournes were on television as a family was in 2005, when MTV aired the final episodes of their unscripted sitcom “The Osbournes.” Now, that show was hilarious — unintentionally at first, then quite intentionally after it caught fire — and lit the wick of the celebreality craze still with us today.
But, the Osbournes? Doing a variety hour? It does make one wonder.
According to Fox’s press release, the show will feature “audience interaction, rowdy comedy, and hilarious stunts that will shock and amuse.” Why, what sorts of hilarious stunts, you ask? How about Sharon Osbourne unveiling a stripping grandmother? Or Ozzy dousing the audience in foam, or throwing french fries at unsuspecting customers during a bit at a fast food drive thru? But wait, America…there’s more. An ongoing feature will be the “Littlest Osbournes,” two wee child actors imitating Sharon and Ozzy “in all their four-letter glory.”
Clearly stage fright won’t be the issue here. Instead the question will be whether America is ready to embrace this kind of variety show or, for that matter, any other. Didn’t Rosie O’Donnell recently try to revive the format for NBC? Yes she did.
(We will speak no more on that subject, but our users had quite a bit to say about it.)
Then again, the Osbournes are pretty much the kind of family that forces Fox back to its roots, something it likes to do from time to time. (Or, if we’re counting animated families, every Sunday night.) They’re raunchy, bombastic, joy machines — like the Bundys, only with gobs of cash and a fierce loyalty to one another.
It could work. Couldn’t it? You be the judge. Here’s a preview clip from the show. Feel free to talk about it on IMDb’s message board for “Osbournes: Reloaded.”
Also benefiting from the plum slot following an “Idol” episode is a preview airing of “Glee,” a new musical comedy from Ryan Murphy (creator of “Nip/Tuck”). Yes, you read correctly — a musical comedy. Historically, scripted musicals don’t go over well with TV audiences, so Fox intends to do something a bit different this time and air the first hour at 9 p.m. on May 19, then re-launch the series as part of the fall line-up.
This entry was posted on Saturday, March 7th, 2009, 12:08 am and is filed under Commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.