Completely Batty! (Osbournes, The)

Member Name: alirigby

Product:	Osbournes, The
Date:	03/07/02 (310 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very Funny

Disadvantages: Excessive use of F word!

‘The Osbournes’ has been MTV’s most successful television show ever in the USA and has recently made its way over here where it is set to be equally as big a hit. Currently shown on MTV, it lasts for 30 minutes and is on Wednesday nights at 10pm.

This is ‘Fly on the wall’ as ‘Fly on the wall’ should be: no pretences, just raw real life and it’s incredibly funny to watch. Ozzy Osbourne, his wife/manager Sharon, daughter Kelly son Jack, nanny Melinda and numerous pets make up ‘The Osbournes’ and gave MTV almost unlimited access to their lives in order to make the show.

They live in a gothic style mansion in Beverley Hills and the show follows their normal daily lives (as normal as they can be considering Ozzy’s career and previous reputation as a heavy metal star) from going on world tours and TV shows to moving house, teenage misdemeanours and Ozzy trying to switch on the telly/find the cat etc… Due to their personalities this makes for side-splitting viewing and very blue language.

Sharon is definitely the leader of the pack (being the wife/manager of Ozzy stands her in good stead!), Ozzy shuffles along basically doing as he’s told and grumbling at things he finds nonsensical! Kelly and Jack seem to be pretty average teenagers attempting to live as normal teenagers with a less than average background and upbringing.

I must say that my laughter is often accompanied by a small twinge of guilt; it is evident that Ozzy is paying the, physical/mental price for his many years of excess and the many moments of comedy are often due to the unfortunate situations he finds himself in.

Despite the bad language, family dramas and Ozzy’s dubious reputation, the stability and love within the family shines through. Kelly and Jack do not come across as spoilt kids from a rich family and the family appear to be very grounded, close knit and supportive
of each other. Kelly seems to be confident and self-assured, she is the older of the kids (I think around 18yrs) whereas Jack (16yrs I think) comes across as a bit of a ‘dork’ and I think has had a rough ride at school; currently he is causing his parents concern by staying up all night, smoking pot and going out without telling the nanny where he is. It is amusing to hear Ozzy say ‘I will not have dope smoked in my house’ when we are all very aware he has smoked practically every substance under the sun and more besides!
We don’t see that much of Melinda, the nanny, although what we do see shows that her job is very difficult especially the relationship between herself and Jack (who is at that rebellious stage).
It would not do the programme justice to write quotes from the show here, there’s nothing quite like hearing Ozzy’s thick Brummie accent uttering gems that no script writer could ever come up with!

On MTV’s website they call the family ‘America’s most famous export’ which seems a little far-fetched considering Ozzy is a Brummie through and through and none of the family have acquired American accents (thankfully). It is a surprise that this show has been so successful in the states considering the last time Ozzy caused so much media attention was for urinating on the Alamo (and consequently being banned from Texas) and for biting the head off a bat in concert; he has recently received an invitation to the White House! I have always though America’s TV is far more prudish than here (my American family couldn’t believe how Graham Norton was allowed to be shown!), perhaps this is the start of a revolution!

There are a total of 10 episodes in the 1st series, will be followed by a longer second series as such a hit in the states. Channel 4 has won the rights to broadcast the first series on terrestrial TV, although I don’t know when this will
happen.

There are bound to be many more shows in this genre coming out featuring a variety of pop and rock stars, however I doubt that any could rival the hilarity or down-to-earth drama brought to us by ‘The Osbournes’.

Summary: