America’s love affair with The Osbournes continued this week as 6.6m viewers tuned in to see the first episode of the new series.
MTV said the ratings were up 84% on the first season’s premiere, making it one of the most watched instalments of life with the British rocker and his dysfunctional family.
“The Osbournes’ juggernaut shows little signs of slowing down,” said Brian Graden, programming president at the station.
The reality TV programme became an unexpected hit during the first series and the highest-rated show in MTV’s 21-year history.
The new season sees a shift in content as the family copes with its new-found fame and Ozzy Osbourne’s wife, Sharon, battles cancer of the colon.
Yesterday the teenage children of the former Black Sabbath frontman claimed that at least two scenes from the first series were staged for dramatic effect.
Twenty episodes are planned for the second season, which is still being shot.
Ten will be screened now, with the other 10 scheduled for next year.