MTV has best first quarter ever, thanks in part to The Osbournes.

March 29, 2002 7:45 PM

MTV has best first quarter ever, thanks in part to The Osbournes. The extremely high, record-breaking ratings of The Osbournes have helped "MTV [score] its highest first-quarter ratings in its history among all its young viewer demographic categories," Mediaweek.com reports. (via Reality Blurred)
posted by ncurley (17 comments total)

while i definitely think mtv had to hand in it's "i'm so cool" card early in the 90s, 'the osbournes' is... the best... half hour... of family viewing and fun ... eva!
posted by eatdonuts at 8:08 PM on March 29, 2002

So what makes this show so fun? I've heard many people commenting on how they love this show, but I haven't been able to get a true sense of why they love it. Is it like real-life metal Simpsons or something??
posted by xena at 8:23 PM on March 29, 2002

xena- it has his Ozzness. That's all it takes.
posted by jonmc at 8:32 PM on March 29, 2002

Xena, yes basically.

You get to see The Osbourn family at its worst/funniest/. They are trailer trash with money. (not that being trailer trash is bad)
posted by madmanz123 at 8:39 PM on March 29, 2002

Thanks, Jon. Like Ozzy lamenting that it took him over 2 hours to get to a dinner, until Sharon corrected him and told him that it only took 20 minutes? (story I heard on Stern).
posted by xena at 8:41 PM on March 29, 2002

i don't know if you can fully articulate it, however there is something intangibly funny with the "(rock)prince of darkness" shuffling around like my own father, fighting with his remote control, his ten thousand (mini)'toy' dogs letting loose on the carpet, getting tied up in his own clothing and battling with his neighbors who happen to sing 'kum-ba-ya' at 2 am. i think it just gives one pause to think: 'if you're ozzy osbourne, how in the world do you chastise your children for doing a fraction of the things you did younger than them? and can you?'
posted by eatdonuts at 9:12 PM on March 29, 2002

exactly, eatdonuts.Part of Ozzy's appeal is that he was just an ordinary shlub who happened to have a great voice and a killer band behind him. Contrary to the popular image of him as "the Prince of Darkness" the Ozzmeister has always been something of soft-hearted lug at his core. Check out "Revelation(Mother Earth) if you dont believe me.
posted by jonmc at 9:19 PM on March 29, 2002

I hope they put out an uncensored DVD of the show.

It's only supposed to run 13 episodes.
posted by BarneyFifesBullet at 9:20 PM on March 29, 2002

I love this show - it's probably the only show ever to elicit genuine belly laughs from me every single time.

First, the theme song - Pat Boone's cover of "Crazy Train". Lounge-metal! I love it! I love how Ozzy is just this grumpy old man, and the way he yells, "Shaaarrrronnnn!" when he needs something. Sharon is psycho in a totally funny and adorable way. The kids crack me up too (Jack: "I'm an ass-kicking fat kid." Ozzy: "What?" Jack: "Nothing."), and their nanny is Australian, which charms me. I don't know how to sum up the things I love about this show without gibbering on for hours and hours.

MTV has kind of redeemed itself :-)
posted by sammy at 9:33 PM on March 29, 2002

Wow, time to add MTV back to my channel listings!

Seriously, I gave 'em the chop whem MTV2 got rid of AMP. Pretty pathetic when you can't devote 0.06% of your broadcast to stuff that doesn't fit in your standard broadcast. Not that they beat out Much, which got the chop last year when they gave up their R U Receiving, which took up a whopping 0.01% of their airtime.

Nothing to see here, move along...

But I still don't know why MTV-classic is still called Music TV. Where's the music? Isn't it about time they renamed it to something more accurate, like iMature TV?
posted by shepd at 10:44 PM on March 29, 2002

MTV has kind of redeemed itself :-)

Sort of. Howard Stern first pitched the idea for the show to Ozzy & Sharon Osbourne, and Sharon ran to MTV with it. MTV has a money printing machine with this show, and Stern gets squat. In fact, when Sharon tried to pay for a 'thank you' dinner with Stern (paying respect for the sudden cash-cow), the waiter wouldn't hear of it - and put it on Stern's bill. $1,000 according to Stern.

MTV has kind of got lucky.
posted by fahfooh at 1:20 AM on March 30, 2002

My saturday night's haven't been the same since they took Headbanger's Ball off the air.
posted by ph00dz at 5:54 AM on March 30, 2002

I want to love that show, but I just can't get past the kids. Some day Jack's going to climb into a clock tower and start picking people off and not know what he did wrong.
posted by yerfatma at 7:13 AM on March 30, 2002

I like the show because it makes me feel better about myself. Despite having a metric ton of money and a house that could fit my whole town, the family dog still shits on the hall rug and their children need therapy.
posted by FunkyHelix at 10:18 AM on March 30, 2002

"The Osbournes" is the only reason I want cable.
posted by timothompson at 10:51 AM on March 30, 2002

"The Osbournes" is the only reason I want cable.
I couldn't agree more. Well for that and The Daily Show of course.
posted by ncurley at 12:09 PM on March 30, 2002

Ozzy to daughter:"you're mother isn't upset that you got a tattoo, she's upset because you're a stupid little girl"
daughter: "I didn't need a tattoo to tell me that"
son:(outside yelling at neighbors) "c*nts! I have to get up at 2 in the morning. Turn that sh*t the f*ck down you silly c*nts!!"

His wife is a total idiot. His son and daughter are spoiled to a degree which I am sure all other people in the world are wholly unfamiliar with. Ozzy is the only reason to watch. He pretty much sits on the couch moaning at passerbys.
posted by Settle at 5:05 PM on March 31, 2002