There was Ozzy before The Osbournes and Ozzy after The Osbournes. For much of his life, the Black Sabbath founder and legendary heavy metal frontman who died at 76 on Tuesday was known to much of the public as a dark purveyor of deeds ranging from decadent to downright Satanic. Wild stories followed him. Clergy condemned him. Parents sued him. But with the debut of his family reality show on MTV, the world learned what those who'd been paying closer attention already knew: Ozzy Osbourne was soft and fuzzy under the darkness, write Andrew Dalton, Itzel Luna, and Alicia Rancilio at the AP.
During its relatively short run from 2002 to 2005, The Osbournes became a runaway hit and made stars of his wife Sharon and kids Jack and Kelly. But more than that, it made a star of the domesticated version of Ozzy Osbourne, and in the process changed reality TV. In 2025, when virtually every variety of celebrity has had a reality show, it's hard to see what a novelty the series was. MTV sold it as television's first "reality sitcom." Reality shows at the time, especially the popular competition shows like Survivor, thrived on heightened circumstances. For The Osbournes, no stakes were too low.
They sat on the couch. They ate dinner. The now-sober Ozzy sipped Diet Cokes, and urged his kids not to indulge in alcohol or drugs when they went out. He struggled to find the History Channel on his satellite TV. They feuded with the neighbors because, of all things, their loud music was driving the Osbournes crazy. The Osbournes had both an immediate and a long-term effect on the genre. Experts say shows like Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, which followed then-pop stars Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey after they married, was clearly a descendant. And countless other shows felt its influence, from The Kardashians to The Baldwins—the recently debuted reality series on Alec Baldwin, his wife Hilaria and their seven kids. Click for the full piece.
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