Sharon Osbourne Show Canceled
by Lia Haberman
Jan 29, 2004, 4:30 PM PT
Sharon Osbourne's attempts to strike out on her own have failed.
The wacky lady's daytime talker--featuring Ozzy's missus hosting in-bed interviews--has been axed by the Tribune stations, its main outlet.
Sources close to the production confirmed the cancellation to E! on Thursday.
No official statement has been issued by producers, but without the support of a major TV-station group, the show might as well be airing on local access.
"We haven't renewed the show," a Tribune spokesperson told the Chicago Tribune (part of the same corporate family). "We've told them we're not interested."
Replacing The Sharon Osbourne Show will be an as-yet untitled Larry Elder vehicle.
Critics have suggested that Sharon's in-your-face attitude, foul language and quirky guests just didn't sit well with daytime TV watchers.
The show debuted in September to poor ratings and failed to improve, averaging a mere 1.2 rating for the week ended January 11. By comparison, Ellen DeGeneres' new talk show averaged a 1.9 rating for the same week.
Still in production, the show will end sometime this summer.
Not that the news will come as any great disappointment to Mama Osbourne. She's reportedly been trying to get out of her contract ever since Ozzy's ATV accident in December.
Wish granted, Sharon.
Apparently less obtrusive to the family are the ever-present MTV cameras at Casa Osbourne in Beverly Hills.
A new season of The Osbournes kicked off on the music network Tuesday night.
But, as usual, the show will have to play catch up just to keep up with the family's real-life exploits.
In the premiere episode, Sharon still has a job (though cracks have begun to show) and Ozzy is still a couple of months away from his near-death ATV accident.
According to USA Today, Ozzy's accident will show up in episode five, when the rocker returns to the family's Buckinghamshire estate in England. He and Kelly were in the U.K. to promote their duet "Changes," a track he originally recorded with Black Sabbath.
The Prince of Darkness broke several ribs, fractured his collarbone and suffered a broken vertebra in his neck after wiping out on his all-terrain vehicle. He also underwent emergency surgery to stem bleeding in his lungs and restore blood flow to a major artery.
MTV backed off while Ozzy struggled in ICU. Cameras started rolling again once it was clear he would recover. But doctors have predicted it could take up to six months for Ozzy to make a full recovery, something that will show up in new episodes airing this spring.
Meanwhile, another Osbourne clan member is trying to make her TV mark without the entire family in tow.
Kelly will make her scripted series debut in an upcoming ABC pilot titled Doing It.
Based on Melvin Burgess' teen novel, Doing It is about the sexual exploits of three 16-year-old Seattle boys: Dino, Jonathan and Ben.
The reality star-turned-recording artist will play a love interest for Jonathan.
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote
