Today's flashback column at NJ.com is an interview I did with Christopher Titus before the premiere of "Titus," a sitcom I really loved most of the time.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
From the archives: Dad's drunk, Mom's a killer. Ha!
Today's flashback column at NJ.com is an interview I did with Christopher Titus before the premiere of "Titus," a sitcom I really loved most of the time.
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It's still amazing to me that Fox managed to cancel Titus, Undeclared, Greg the Bunny, The Tick, Grounded for Life, and Andy Richter Controls the Universe--all of which I thought were pretty funny--within a matter of months. At least karma caught up with them and they haven't managed to develop a single funny or successful sitcom since.
I forgot--they also canceled Family Guy and Futurama then too. Geniuses.
Btw, what exactly did Titus say about/to Gail Berman that ticked her off so much?
Does that show still hold up?
Btw, what exactly did Titus say about/to Gail Berman that ticked her off so much?
I don't know if it was so much the content as it was him being repeatedly disrespectful to her, with the last straw being that he unloaded on her in front of a lot of Berman's subordinates at Fox.
Titus always felt like Fox didn't treat the show well enough, and that they would suggest that creators of other sitcoms (notably "Grounded for Life" and "Bernie Mac") add certain "Titus"-like elements (the non-chronological storytelling, the main character baring his soul directly to the audience).
Does that show still hold up?
I haven't watched my DVDs in a long time, but I expect the episodes that were great at the time (say, the one with the funeral for Titus' abusive girlfriend) are still great now.
The show always walked a knife edge between being a really broad, dumb sitcom (particularly anything with the best friend, Tommy) and something much darker and richer, and it definitely fell into the broad and dumb side from time to time. But when it was good... damn.
I'll vouch for the show still holding up.
I bought the Season 1&2 DVDs a while back because they were on sale. I figured I would watch a couple of episodes every once in a while.
I couldn't stop. They were without fail hysterical. I went back and bought Season 3 within two weeks.
Incredibly worth it. They absolutely hold up.
Oh, man, I loved this show. I'd never seen anything like it before, and I'm not sure I've seen anything like it since. The intercut B&W scenes in the empty room with the swinging lightbulb? That took voiceover/commentary to a new level.
I felt it lost its fire by the final season, and I didn't watch it as often, but I can't imagine those first couple of seasons not holding up...
I loved this show. It made me feel like my family was somewhat normal!
Yes, it definitely holds up. I have the DVDs of the show, and also have a recording of Norman Rockwell is Bleeding, the cable special (HBO? Showtime?) that the series was based on. It's really not time-specific. It's grounded in family problems that are sometimes painfully familiar, but carried to an extreme that -- while they may have been real for him! -- are reductio ad absurdum for the rest of us.
I'll close with one of my favorite Titus lines: Get down off the cross, use the wood to make a bridge and get over it!
You all are right, just watched the first 3 episodes, very funny (especially by todays standards). Will have burned through the whole show soon.
Titus absolutely still stands up. I pull these dvds out at couple of times every year, and they just get funnier.
This is one of the most underrated shows ever.
Fox cancelled their funniest shows at the time because they had "too many comedies" on the schedule. Brilliant!
I miss "Titus"--it was one of my fave sitcoms ever. Hopefully, Christopher gets another project soon (and something way better than "Big Shots")!
I remember watching this show as a kid and feeling very guilty every time I laughed aloud. It was an absolutely brilliant show on most days. I wish something better than Big Shots will sign on Christopher Titus soon
I thought the cast of this show was hilarious too- I thought it was a great use of Cynthia Watros for sure.
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