The music world is in mourning. Last night, it was announced that rock superstar Ozzy Osbourne had died at the age of 76.
Known to millions of fans at the Prince of Darkness, Osbourne was the lead singer of Birmingham band Black Sabbath, and helped inspire hundreds of influential bands that came after – including Metallica, The Smashing Pumpkins and The Stone Roses.
He had been battling ill health for some time and passed away at home, surrounded by his family.
But as fans mourn, there is another way to look back on Osbourne’s legacy: through the reality TV show he starred in.
Titled The Osbournes, it came out in the 2000s and helped reshape the star’s image from a wild, hard-partying rock star to the benevolent, often-confused patriarch of his household. In the show, Osbourne could be seen wearing fuzzy slippers, attempting to wrangle life with his wife, Sharon, and their rebellious teen kids, Kelly and Jack. Oh, and their army of pets, of course.
To say that it was ground breaking was an understatement. The show was the first true piece of ‘reality TV’ to break into the mainstream, way before the Kardashians.
There were no competitions or eliminations, but that didn’t matter: viewers were hooked simply by the premise of seeing the Osbournes live out their chaotic daily lives.
Osbourne himself ended up being rather ambivalent about the show. In a 2022 interview with Metal Hammer, he called it the “worst decision” he ever made.
“All I can say to you is this. If someone offers you a shitload of dough to be on television, you’d have to be a mug to turn it down,” he told the publication.
“I thought it was gonna be a piece of cake. But you have a camera crew living in your house for three years and see how you feel at the end of it. You feel like a f**king laboratory rat.”
Nevertheless, the show still stands the test of time, and even went onto be nominated for Emmys.
Where can I watch The Osbournes?
To be honest, most of the series is free to watch on YouTube.
However, the quality isn’t great, so the best way to watch the show is probably on Prime Video, where four seasons are available to stream. While it’s free for Prime members, you can also watch it as part of Prime’s 30-day free trial, or even buy the seasons outright (season one costs £15.99). Happy watching.
