The Osbournes was as scripted as we have come to learn reality television shows can be, by blending actual moments and reshooting or manipulating some aspects.
The Curse of The Osbournes, also known as The Osbournes, is one of the first reality shows to have crossover international success after premiering in 2002.
When the family came out to share that some moments of the show were scripted at the time, it threatened the future of the show.
Was The Osbournes the first reality show?
Technically, The Curse of The Osbournes, was not the first reality show ever. The first reality show is recorded as Candid Camera, which first premiered in 1948.
The Osbournes, on the other hand, was one of the first reality format shows to have a famous family’s lives documented on camera, which was pivotal at the time.
Was The Osbournes scripted?
In 2002, when The Curse of The Osbournes premiered on television, the conversation surrounding reality television and its authenticity was still trepidatious.
Mostly, due the fact that many believed that reality shows were shot in the moment and were not manipulated or reshot at a later stage to highlight a moment or properly shoot a moment.
Therefore, during the first season when Kelly and Jack Osbourne called out the show for manufacturing some of the most popular scenes from the first episode, many believed that the reality show was entirely scripted.
At the time in an interview with ABC in 2002, Kelly stated, “The most fake thing about that show was the family meeting, because that was an MTV idea.” Jack, on the other hand, stated, “The dog and the dog therapist, that was an MTV thing.”
Ozzy Osbourne counters the scripted allegations
“Nothing is ever scripted or planned on The Osbournes. Ozzy and Sharon would not have done it unless it were all real,” Ozzy claimed in an interview with The Guardian.
When did The Osbournes end?
The Osbournes had a four-season run between 2002 and 2005, and all the seasons aired on MTV as one of the rating-pullers at the time.
Why did The Osbournes end?
The Osbournes ended when Sharon decided to pull the plug, due to the stress the show put on the family behind-the-scenes.