'Osbournes' premiere draws 6.6 million viewers

Wednesday November 27, 2002

LOS ANGELES (AP) MTV has reason to be thankful for ``The Osbournes,'' which produced stellar ratings in its second-season premiere.

The reality series about rocker Ozzy Osbourne's unorthodox family and home life drew 6.6 million viewers on Tuesday, according to the music channel.

That represented an 84 percent increase over the first season's premiere episode, MTV said Wednesday. Viewership was close to that of the highest-rated episode for last season.

``'The Osbournes' juggernaut shows little signs of slowing down,'' MTV programming president Brian Graden said in a statement.

The content of the series is decidedly different this year, as the family copes with its newfound celebrity and Ozzy's wife, Sharon, battles colon cancer.

Last year, the show became an unexpected hit for 21-year-old MTV and its highest-rated series ever.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)