Numbers off for ‘Osbournes’

“The Osbournes” didn’t quite pick up where they left off, as viewing of the second-season premiere Tuesday totaled 6.6 million viewers -- impressive by MTV’s standards, but about 1.2 million short of the audience that tuned in for the unscripted show’s finale last spring.

The show did face original network fare, including CBS’ “Judging Amy,” which won the time period with 14.7 million viewers, per Nielsen Media Research estimates, while a prime-time showcase for “Today” host Katie Couric, “Katie at Night,” drew a mere 9 million.

That said, the “Osbournes” episode ranks as the most-watched program on basic cable this fall, according to MTV.

-- Brian Lowry