Musical reality shows are among the most popular on TV, with competition shows such as The Voice and American Idol both finding massive success on network television over the last 20 years. Other reality series document the daily lives of famous families have also found massive audiences, with the Kardashian family becoming superstars from them.
Naturally, combining the two would seem like a good fit. Taking already established musicians and putting them (and their families) in front of the camera has spawned plenty of entertaining reality shows. Viewers have been able to see a more intimate view of their favorite musicians thanks to reality TV shows.
The Osbournes
Possibly the most successful reality show about a music star, The Osbournes lasted four seasons from 2002-2005, even winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Non-Fiction Reality Program in 2002. The show starred eclectic Black Sabbath lead vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, his wife and talk show host Sharon Osbourne, and their two kids, Jack and Kelly.
The show gave an inside look at the life of the family. While Ozzy was no stranger to the camera, having multiple iconic movie cameos, seeing the rest of his family and how he interacted with them captivated audiences. The show is unfortunately unavailable to stream anywhere, though DVDs if the series are still available.
Love & Hip Hop: New York
While the Love & Hip Hop franchise has spawned many different series, the New York iteration is probably the most essential. It was the original, first airing in 2011, and is tied with Atlanta for having the most total seasons with ten.
The show lives up to its title, featuring the budding careers and love lives of New York based hip-hop artists. Familiar faces such as Cardi B, Remy Ma, Joe Budden, Papoose, and Juelz Santana all make appearances in the series. It mainly focuses on the women trying to pave their way in a male dominated industry, and gives a good behind the scenes view of it for Hip Hop heads. The show can be streamed on a handful of sites, which can all be found here.
Gene Simmons: Family Jewels
After The Osbournes officially ended in 2005, Gene Simmons: Family Jewels took the torch as the flagship rockstar reality show. Running from 2006-2012, the show ran for a whopping seven seasons and over 150 episodes, featuring the Kiss rocker Gene Simmons and his equally as successful family, with his wife and daughter being models and his son a voice over actor.
The show was similar to Ozzy's show, showcasing the Simmons family in a variety of situations that came up in their busy lives. With each family member having their own career, the show had great variety from episode to episode, not relying too heavily on Gene. Most episodes can be streamed on the A&E website.
Meet The Barkers
While Meet The Barkers may have lasted only sixteen episodes across two seasons, the stars of the show have been back in the spotlight as of late. It starred Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker and his at the time wife, Shanna Moakler. Barker is now engaged to Kourtney Kardashian, while Moakler appeared on season three of Celebrity Big Brother.
The show followed typical day in the life reality shows, with cameras giving an intimate look into the home life of the married couple and their three children from 2005 through 2006. The two divorced not too long after the show ended, ending any chance of a reboot. It does appear that Travis will take centerstage on the new Hulu series, The Kardashians. Much of his original show can be viewed on YouTube in the meantime.
Supergroup
The concept behind Supergroup was extremely fresh and unique. The show brought together five rockers (Sebastian Bach, Jason Bonham, Scott Ian, Ted Nugent, and Evan Seinfeld) with extensive performing experience, moved them into a house together for twelve days, and had them prepare to perform as a band. They named themselves "Damnocracy". Unfortunately, intriguing concept aside, the show lasted just one season and the band only made one original song, and never officially released finalized studio recordings.
The band did complete their intended goal of a concert, but the hot headed group were unable to make any substantial moves in the music industry. The show ended in 2006, and the band officially announced their disbanding in 2010. The seven episode series can be streamed on YouTube though.
Married To Jonas
Much to the dismay of Jonas Brothers superfans, eldest brother Kevin married Danielle Jonas in 2009, leading to a hiatus of the band. In 2012 however, the group came back with a bang. Married To Jonas premiered, giving an inside look to the life of Kev and his wife. The series lasted two seasons, with the first season also heavily focusing on the famous family band and their comeback.
The show was canceled after its second season, which primarily focused on just Kevin and his wife. It showcases Kevin's music prowess and Danielle's foray into her first business endeavors. The sixteen episode series can be streamed in its entirety on NBC's website.
Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life
Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life was a two season long, inside look to the life of pop star Kesha. It aired on MTV for two seasons, showing her life from 2011 to 2012. The acclaimed singer who had two number one hits ("TiK ToK" and "We R Who We R") was able to get her film maker brother, Lagan Sebert, to film the show.
Both seasons were different from one another, with season one primarily focusing more on her professional career. It featured footage from her Get Sleazy Tour and studio sessions from the recording of her second studio album, Warrior. Season two went a different route, focusing more on her personal and family life. Much of the fourteen episode series can be found on YouTube.
Married To Rock
Similar to Married To Jonas, Married To Rock was a show documenting the lives of wives of rockstars. The show was a one and done, with just eight episodes airing over the course of one season.
A stated goal of the show was to demonstrate that rock lives aren't all about mayhem with groupies, drugs, and constant touring. It wanted to show that these rocker families have much more in common with the average person than one may have previously assumed. Whether or not it actually did that is up for debate and up to the eyes of the viewer. They can be viewed on NBC's website in their entirety.
Snoop Dogg's Father Hood
Snoop Dogg is arguably the most recognizable rapper in the world, as he as appeared in a plethora of media. He has over twenty albums under his belt, a slew of popular movies, and a TV show with Martha Stewart. An under the radar project of his though, is his reality show. Snoop Dogg's Father Hood lasted two seasons, showcasing Snoop and his family.
The show focuses on Snoop trying to be a good father while balancing dealing with all of his entertainment and business ventures. His wife, Shante, and three children, Cori, Cordell, and Corde, all feature heavily in the series. The show also features a cameo from British soccer star David Beckham. The show can be streamed on Amazon Prime in certain locations.
Rock of Love with Bret Michaels
Starring highly recognizable musician and actor Bret Michaels, Rock Of Love was a reality dating show similar to The Bachelor, but instead starring a rockstar. Women competed for the affection of Bret, with the show lasting three seasons, and three different women "winning" the chance to go on a date with Bret.
Bret did have an opportunity to do a season four, but instead opted to go a different route with a new show that would instead focus on his life titled Bret Michaels: Life as I Know It. Unfortunately for him, the show was not nearly as successful as its predecessor, lasting just one season before abruptly ending after nine episodes. The show can be streamed for free with ads on Amazon.