Titus (TV series)
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| Titus | |
|---|---|
| File:Christo.JPG The cast of Titus (Season 1). | |
| Created by | Christopher Titus |
| Starring | Christopher Titus David Shatraw Cynthia Watros Stacy Keach Zack Ward Rachel Roth(Seasons 2-3) Elizabeth Berkley (Season 3) |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of episodes | 54 |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 21 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | FOX |
| Release | March 20 2000 – August 12 2002 |
Titus was an Emmy-nominated American dark-comedy sitcom that debuted on FOX in 2000. The series was created by its star, Christopher Titus, Jack Kenny, and Brian Hargrove. This sitcom was based on Christopher's stand-up comedy act, which was based loosely upon his real-life family. Titus plays an outwardly childish adult (based on himself), who owns a custom car shop. The show follows him and his dimwitted step-brother Dave, his girlfriend Erin with the heart of gold, his goody-goody friend Tommy, and his arrogantly lewd, bigoted and multiple-divorced father Ken "Papa" Titus.
Series description
The series first aired as a limited-run mid-season replacement in March 2000 and it received rave reviews. It ran for 54 episodes over three seasons until it was cancelled in 2002.
The characters were essentially a dysfunctional family and the situations the show dealt with were often serious and dark and unusual for network sitcom fare, including death, attempted and committed suicide, rape, molestation, mental illness, road rage, and terrorism -- especially in the third season, which was to be the last (partly due to the controversial nature of the show).
One episode, "Tommy's Not Gay," dealt with the issue that Tommy — who uses stereotypically gay mannerisms and is called gay even though he isn't — lashes out at his homosexual father for harming his mother by marrying her while still being in the closet. However, Tommy later defends his dad against others' homophobia. The episode made reference to the real-life killing of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming.
The format of the show always began with Christopher turning on a dangling lightbulb hanging from the ceiling in a black-and-white "neutral space", often breaking the "fourth wall". A crude wooden chair would accompany Christopher and sometimes be used as a prop. He would do a short monologue, then the traditional sitcom story would begin. During the episode, segments would be intercut to this "neutral space" where he would narrate or comment on what was happening. There were also frequent flashbacks or dream/imaginary sequences to relevant events. However, almost all episodes took place in only one location. In the end, Christopher would turn the light off, sometimes smashing the bulb or even turning it off with a remote. Occasionally, an alter-ego type character of Titus would appear with him and gets abused randomly. These altered versions of Titus included Nerd Titus, high school Titus, Titus as a child, and little-person Titus.
The show, unusual for a sitcom, used serious points as a "stopping point" at times during episodes. These "stopping points" included Christopher admitting to being beaten by his ex-girlfriend, his mom's mental illness, and the mention of Matthew Shepard's death.
Censorship by the network
More than one episode was censored/banned by FOX, including a two-part episode made in the months after the September 11 attacks that centered on the premise that the U.S. government believes Titus is a terrorist after Titus suffers a nervous breakdown on a plane from his mother's suicide, Tommy complains to a stewardess about his chicken a la king (which sounds like "Allah king"), and Dave comes out dressed with a towel turban and a robe on, speaking unintelligibly.
Another episode, "The Protector," was not aired until the very end of the last season, and it dealt with Erin's niece, Amy, being molested by the man who babysat her while her parents were in prison (who turns out to be the father of a boy who harassed Amy in school). This episode is clearly out of chronological order as the other characters are unaware that Amy is a lesbian, which was revealed to them in the episode "Errrr." Had "The Protector" aired in the sequence originally planned, it may have made more sense out of why Amy was so antisocial (outside of the fact that her mom was a drug addict, her father was physically abusive to her, and both parents always ended up in prison). Also, the episode "The Session" makes reference to Amy's molestation, which makes little sense if one hasn't seen "The Protector." The episode "Insanity Genetic(2)" also made reference to "The Protector" wherein Tommy said "This one time he went after a kid with a bat, he didn't beat him like he planned."
"The Wedding" was aired out of order as well, as the Season 3 premiere "Racing in the Streets" dealt with Titus's recovery from the accident in "The Pit" and continued in "The Pendulum," yet he seems unaffected and the accident is not mentioned in the Season 2 finale. This is also confirmed by these episodes' production codes, which put "The Wedding" in between "Tommy's Girlfriend II" and "Hard Ass".[1]
On a Sirius Radio Interview on Raw Dog 104, Christopher said the show got canceled due to an argument with executives. They wanted to split up Titus and Erin because the show Dharma and Greg had done similar. Upon Christopher's refusal, on-air promotion ceased and the show was soon canceled.
DVD releases
Anchor Bay Entertainment has released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seasons 1 & 2 | 33 | July 12, 2005 |
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| Season 3 | 21 | January 17, 2006 |
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Format
Part of the show's success was its unique format; a few exceptions aside, the show stuck to what worked. The "neutral space" was where Titus opened and ended the show. This lead-in and lead-out allowed for one liners and a monologue, before heading to (what the producers called) the Main Narrative, or "Live Story." The live story was the bulk of the action, and was the basis for the theme of the episode, and the other gags. The live story was unique in that it was extensively rehearsed throughout a production week, and shot in one day, in as few takes as possible - the result allowed the actors to keep their comedic timing, and kept the studio audience engaged - to the point that they didn't have to use a laugh track on the show. Also of note was that the Live Story was (for an overwhelming majority of shows) shot on just one set. Most episodes also took place over a short course of time - usually only a few hours; very rarely would a plot carry over till "the next day". The main narrative was frequently intercut with the Neutral Space, sometimes just for a quick one-liner from Titus, sometimes for some informative exposition, and often for a quick flashback or a sparingly used fantasy scene.
Neutral Space
The neutral space (always in black and white) would always start and end the show. Titus was the neutral space's only occupant, (except in two episodes, when he was replaced by Ken and Erin respectively) and would appear always wearing similar clothes, with a wooden chair, a lightbulb, and the bland walls. Frequently, props appeared for one-shot gags in the neutral space. Very rarely would anything from the live story appear there, and vice versa (one notable exception was Dave's suicide note in "Private Dave"). There are many allusions to the neutral space being Titus' mind, though it is never said outright. On a few occasions, the Neutral Space is used to demonstrate the passing of time, or Christopher will do something "in" the neutral space when he is really just thinking about it while doing it - we only see his thought process. Also, as in "The Trial", sometimes he'll say something in the neutral space, and also be saying it in reality, and not realize it, like when he calls the prosecutor stupid, thinking he just thought it.
Flashbacks
Flashbacks - always introduced from the Neutral Space - were frequently used for character development and background. Flashbacks generally went back to one of three time periods - when Titus was five, ten, or seventeen. Two different child actors played the five and ten year old versions of Titus, the latter sometimes joined by five year old and ten year old versions of Dave and Tommy. Flashbacks to high school with the 17 year old Titus had all of the current actors playing the younger versions of themselves. To compensate for being too old to believably play the roles, the actors have humorously exaggerated costumes and mannerisms. Except for a few flashbacks in "Grandma Titus," that featured Ken as a child, Stacy Keach is the only one to appear in all of his character's flashbacks; only his hair and clothes change with the times. The flashbacks themselves had no specific format, other than being quick, one laugh gags. They frequently showcased Ken Titus' unique approach to parenting, relationships, and drinking. The women that Ken is shown dating (or even married to) in these flashbacks are frequently not given a name, and their faces are rarely shown. Episodes with guest characters who had any connection with the main characters (Like Tommy or Erin's families) frequently appeared in flashbacks as well. Ultimately, flashbacks were free-for-alls, doing whatever was necessary for a laugh.
Occasionally, instead of a flashback, a far-fetched future scenario will be presented. These exaggerations (relative to the rest of the show) usually represent Christopher's fears, such as still being bossed around by Erin in a nursing home, or everything in his life becoming perfect - resulting in his suicide (he has nothing left to work towards).
Other Information
In an interview featured on the DVD of Seasons 1 & 2, Chris Titus states that, based on the fact that they had higher ratings than two comedies that Fox didn't cancel, he believes the cancellation of the show was because it pushed the envelope and not because it wasn't funny.
The wooden chair in Titus' "neutral space" is the same chair he uses in "Norman Rockwell is Bleeding". At the end of "The Protector" on the DVD version, Titus is shown dragging the chair out of the neutral space onto a street where he sets the chair on fire.
A number of different actresses (filmed from the neck down) have played Ken Titus' wives and girlfriends. Chris Titus admits that, in an odd way, it flowed with the show well, considering how many times Ken was married and divorced.
Three different actresses portrayed Juanita, Christopher's birth mother, throughout the course of the show: Christine Estabrook in Season 1, Frances Fisher in Season 2 (who also had the longest run as Juanita, making 3 appearances), and Connie Stevens in Season 3. On the DVD commentary, producer Brian Hargrove mentions that was not intentional, as the actresses were committed to other projects when a new season began.
In "Dad's Dead," Ken Titus doesn't appear in the Live Story during the episode until the last few seconds. His appearances before that are all in flashback. This is because Chris felt that if Ken was built up the right way without being seen, he would exceed the audience's expectations when he finally appeared.
On the DVD commentary, it is revealed that Erin's short haircut was not a character change brought on by the producers of the show. Cynthia Watros had it cut that way herself and surprised everyone when she showed up on set.
Ken Titus and Erin Fitzpatrick each had their own episode in their neutral space where they provided commentary instead of Christopher. The original plan was to have all cast members do this once, but the show ended before Tommy and Dave could have the chance to do it.
According to the DVD commentary, Steve Carell was up for the part of Tommy but the producers ultimately chose David Shatraw.
In an interview, Christopher Titus, speaking for the entire cast, comments that they enjoyed working with Stacy Keach, because even with the driest line the writers could invent, Keach would find a way to make the line funny.
Fire was a running gag over the show’s run. Only three episodes did not contain a flame or "threat of burning" in some way. Sometimes it was small as a candle burning, or lighting a cigarette, but in most cases, the fire was large or things were being "prepared to be burned" such as Ken Titus pouring lighter fluid on Dave's belongings, or Titus pouring whisky on a pile of paper work in his garage.
Titus and Erin never got officially married during the show's run despite having a wedding episode (Christopher's mother killed her boyfriend during the ceremony which cancelled the wedding).
During the filming of the episode "Deprogramming Erin", which first aired on February 13, 2001, Christopher Titus' real-life father Ken died. Christopher comments in the DVD commentary that after taking a week off work for the funeral, he found it hard to play scenes with Stacy Keach in "Nascar"; he often had to leave the set for periods of time to regain his composure.
Stacy Keach would often receive tips from the actual Ken Titus on how to portray him more accurately.
The real Ken Titus appeared at the very end of "The Pendulum," (which featured Stacy Keach as Ken Titus hosting from the neutral space throughout most of the episode). The episode closes with the real Ken Titus sitting in the neutral space chair saying with a chuckle, "There's about 10% truth to any part of this," as the audience groans. The bottom of the screen reads, "In loving memory. Ken Titus 1942-2001."
Dave (Zack Ward) was not Christopher's brother by blood. He was actually abandoned by his mother and left with Ken Titus. His actual last name, “Scovill”, was only mentioned a couple of times.
Jack Kenny has commented that his favorite character is the 17-year old Titus.
Two episodes were written by Robert Hawkins, who also played Erin's brother Michael.
Characters
| Role | Performer | Character Summary |
| Christopher Titus | Christopher Titus | The protagonist and center of the dysfunctional chaos of the show |
| Erin Fitzpatrick | Cynthia Watros | Christopher's girlfriend (and later fiancee), with a dysfunctional family of her own. |
| Dave Titus aka. Dave Scovill | Zack Ward | Christopher's step-brother |
| Ken Titus | Stacy Keach | Christopher's father |
| Tommy Shafter | David Shatraw | Christopher's buddy since childhood |
| Amy Fitzpatrick | Rachel Roth | Erin's rebellious teenage niece who lives with Erin and Christopher during the third season. |
Episode list
- (Episodes listed as they were ordered on the DVD release)
| Season | Ep # | First Airdate | Last Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 9 | March 20 2000 | May 22 2000 |
| Season 2 | 24 | October 3 2000 | May 22 2001 |
| Season 3 | 21 | November 14 2001 | August 12 2002 |
