Among television’s sorry collection of reality shows, only one emerges as a gem:
Gene Simmons Family Jewels, aired on the Arts & Entertainment Network cable channel since August 2006.
Israeli-American Simmons, the middle-aged co-founder of the notorious KISS rock band, brings new meaning to the term “tongue in cheek.“
Blessedly without the gratuitous profanity of The (Ozzie) Osbournes reality show. Jewels manages to deliver genuine humor and pathos to the routines of a mega-millionaire family.
Simmons comes across as a surprisingly normal husband and father whose dead-pan reactions to life’s surprises and frustrations mimic those of comedian Buster Keaton.
He, his Playmate common-law wife and their unaffected teenaged daughter and son deal mostly with mundane experiences shared by most families.
Jewels: altogether a pleasant way to spend 60 minutes of one’s time. (28 OCTOBER 2007)
