Titus was a comedy series that aired for three seasons on FOX from 2000 to 2002. The nine-episode first season aired during the spring of 2000, and the 24-episode second season aired during the 2000/2001 regular TV season. The show starred comedian Christopher Titus, Cynthia Watros, Zack Ward, Stacy Keach, and David Shatraw. It was based on Christopher Titus' stand-up comedy show Norman Rockwell is Bleeding, where he basically tells many stories from his life growing up in a dysfunctional family.
Titus is a sitcom, but it was a very non-traditional sitcom. It tackled very big issues like alcoholism, domestic abuse, suicide, murder, drugs, etc. If Arrested Development was the upper-crust (and very fictionalized) version of a messed-up family, this was the lower-class, trailer park (and more real) version of a dysfunctional family. The acting and writing were great, and the show had a unique ability to get a laugh out of any subject, no matter how serious. But it could turn on a dime from being funny to ultra-serious in a few seconds. Stacy Keach pretty much stole every scene he was in as Ken Titus, the hard-drinking, chain-smoking, womanizing father. Anyone old enough to remember him trying to play his tough guy roles in the 1980s was probably amazed at the comedic chops he had and how much better he did in that role than his others. The cast was rounded out by Cynthia Watros (playing Titus' girlfriend), Zack Ward as his hilarious burnout brother, and David Shawtraw as his "normal" friend. The show balanced all the great characters well and gave them all equal time, even having shows where one character would barely appear to give more time to the others.
Chances are, anyone reading this by now was a fan of the show when it was originally on the air, going on 15+ years ago now, and wants to try and get a hold of the DVD. They are around, but you really have to do some price shopping because they are out of print, and for a good copy, you can pay a very exorbitant price. This set is generally more available than season 3, which tends to be the higher priced of the two sets, but if you watch auction sites and/or keep an eye on third-party sellers, you can grab them for relatively good deals. But you are likely going to have to pay more now than the discs are actually worth.
For those who get the DVDs, they were produced after the show was canceled by Fox, so they are very bare bones. There are commentary tracks on a few episodes with Christopher Titus and two of the show's creators/producers. On the third disc, there is also a rehearsal reel and a half-hour look back on the series that gave some insight into why, even though it got decent ratings, it was canceled. It is ultimately a controversial show that pushed the bounds of a sitcom, even more than Married With Children did in some ways. If you grew up in, or even had a tangential experience with a dysfunctional family chances are you will relate to the show and really like it. If that was not your experience you may be appalled by and hate the show. I don't know how much middle ground there is between those who love and hate the show, but I love it enough to think it is worth paying extra for the out-of-print DVDs if you can find them at a reasonable price.
For those who get the DVDs, they were produced after the show was canceled by Fox, so they are very bare bones. There are commentary tracks on a few episodes with Christopher Titus and two of the show's creators/producers. On the third disc, there is also a rehearsal reel and a half-hour look back on the series that gave some insight into why, even though it got decent ratings, it was canceled. It is ultimately a controversial show that pushed the bounds of a sitcom, even more than Married With Children did in some ways. If you grew up in, or even had a tangential experience with a dysfunctional family chances are you will relate to the show and really like it. If that was not your experience you may be appalled by and hate the show. I don't know how much middle ground there is between those who love and hate the show, but I love it enough to think it is worth paying extra for the out-of-print DVDs if you can find them at a reasonable price.
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