14 DAY TRIAL // “‘Osbournes: Reloaded,’ a revolting debacle that debuted last night on the feckless Fox network, could make history – as the first TV show ever to be recalled for fear of poisoning the atmosphere.” Tom Shales says for the Washington Post. He’s not the only one to consider the new reality show so bad it should actually be banned, since several major TV stations in the US have already refused to air it during the scheduled interval, as gossip blogger Perez Hilton informs.
The first one to do so was Fox affiliate WPGX in Florida, which refused to air the upgraded version of the old “The Osbournes” show after seeing only a six-minute preview of it. Apparently, laden with bad language and inappropriate behavior, the show could simply not air after “American Idol,” so the station chose to replace it with reruns from “The Simpsons.”
As noted above, this is not the only TV station to have done so, or, for that matter, the only media outlet to have deemed the new reality show a complete, but very offensive, waste of time. So far, local Fox affiliate in Milwaukee, WI, Cincinnati’s Fox 19 channel, Knoxville TN’s Fox affiliate, WTNZ, Fox 4 in Kansas City, MO, and Fox 13 in Utah have all refused to comply with the schedule and to air the new reality series. All stations offered just one explanation for their refusal, meaning, that it was not appropriate for the same audience that would also be watching “American Idol,” and certainly not at the scheduled hour.
Fox, in its turn, said that each affiliate was free to make whatever changes to the schedule it saw fit. However, as Perez Hilton points out, this does not change the fact that more stations will likely follow after the season premiere. The aforementioned stations, for instance, refused to air the show only based on what they saw in the preview, that is, before it was officially released on cable.
If what reviewers are saying of the show is true, then it’s no wonder things have turned out that way, it has been suggested. With the likes of Shales billing it a “must-flee TV,” “Osbournes: Reloaded” also seems to have cost Fox a fortune in terms of sponsors, as the same critic argues. “Many of the commercial breaks were filled with Fox promos, suggesting sponsors have been hard to find – and not because of the recession, either. Fox should do all of America a big favor and make ‘Osbournes: Reloaded’ hard to find as well, pulling its plug before another egregious episode can air and endanger us all.” Shales tells.