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Are Variety Shows Next? Ask the Osbournes

TV Week , Monday, June 30, 2008 10:30 AM

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne--who pioneered the comedy-reality format with their MTV series--are betting the next retro TV trend will be weekly variety shows. "American Idol" producer FremantleMedia landed the rights to do the Osbourne's new variety program, which will also include appearances by Osbourne offspring Kelly and Jack.

Rather than trying to re-create the amateur comedy sketches and elaborate production numbers of the variety hours of the 1960s and '70s, the Osbourne show is expected to mimic today's international variety shows, with comedy, musical performance and competition-style games.

Many reality industry observers have been predicting a resurgence of variety shows, which once dominated network TV but have been mostly absent the last 20 years---some would say for good reason.

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