Ozzy Osbourne is an entertainment legend. From his early days with the wildly popular and influential rock-band Black Sabbath, through a successful solo-career that continues to this very day, Osbourne has emerged and remained one of the most beloved icons in Rock and Roll of the past fifty years. And his legend only grew when he teamed up with wife Sharon and children Jack and Kelly in 2002 to deliver the award-winning show "The Osbournes"- one of the original and quintessential Reality-TV series. It broke barriers, won over critics and audiences alike, and it eventually paved the way for many follow-ups and imitators who tried to replicate its great success to mixed results.
And while rumors have swirled about an "Osbournes" revival or reboot in the twelve years that have passed since it went off the air, the Osbourne clan have all moved on to their own solo-projects. Sharon continues to manage Ozzy's career. Jack built a miniature media empire with several shows of his own. Kelly became a TV personality and presenter. And Ozzy... well, he's continued to rock out, releasing album after album and selling out concerts the world over.
However, in 2016, Ozzy and Jack returned to the small screen together with a new series- "Ozzy & Jack's World Detour." And as a massive fan of not only their prior reality-franchise, but of Ozzy Osbourne in general, I can safely say that "World Detour" is a fantastic and genuinely hilarious new show that will please fans old and new alike.
Ozzy and his adrenaline-junkie son Jack are looking to have some quality father-son time. After all, Ozzy has been on the road basically his entire life, and as a result he didn't always get to do the things he wanted with his children. And so, the series follows the two as they take road-trips throughout the United States (and occasionally other nations), stopping at strange, notable or historically important locations to learn some facts and history, and most of all... to have a ton of fun in the process. What'll happen when Ozzy and Jack decide to visit the infamous and supposedly-haunted doll 'Robert'? Will Ozzy ever be able to find the perfect vintage RV? And will the boys turn into smugglers to get some of those sweet Cuban cigars? The answers to these questions and more will be found in "Ozzy & Jack's World Detour!"
While it might not technically be the long-awaited "Osbournes" revival and is produced by a different company for a different channel... "World Detour" very much feels like the best possible spiritual-successor to that ground-breaking original. The series is fast, loose and surprisingly informative, with a good structure that mixes in fun vignettes of the Osbourne men just chatting and joking, with educational segments for each of the locations they visit. You'll learn a thing or two each episode while getting plenty of chuckles and giggles from Ozzy and Jack's antics. It's not particularly deep, complex or challenging... but it excels at what it sets out to accomplish and does it with a great gusto that I just love.
I also really appreciate that the series eschews most of the tentpoles and tropes that have emerged in the Reality-TV craze. There's no falsely-manufactured drama, nor contrived story lines created in the editing room. The clearly-scripted segments feel organic and work well in the overall structure when mixed in with the unscripted segments. And on the whole, it's just very entertaining. It feels like you're right along with them, on a fun family road-trip with Ozzy and Jack.
"Ozzy & Jack's World Detour" is a charming, engaging and fairly educational program that fans of the Rock Icon and his delightful family will surely love. You'll learn some cool factoids, get plenty of belly-laughs and have lots of fun each time you tune in. And honestly... what more could you want? I give it a fantastic 9 out of 10 and highly recommend it!
