The List: #32 Titus

#32
Number of Seasons: 3
Years Active: 2000 - 2002
Network: FOX

Aside from myself and two people in my family, I can think of only two people who ever watched this show. I also think that they are the only two people that I can think of off the top of my head who even remember Titus. Which is a real shame since since Titus was brilliant in its own right. Based on Norman Rockwell Is Bleeding, Christopher Titus' one-man show based on his own life, the series follows Titus, his girlfriend, best friend, adopted brother and father as they go through "normal" family situations in warped, fucked up ways.

The show is narrated by Titus in a black and white "neutral space" where he observes the events of each episode, commenting on how "normal" people are supposed to react to the situations present. He laments the troubled relationship he has with his father, but acknowledges that it prepared him for life in ways that no "normal" father-son relationship ever could have.

The brilliance of the show was in the social commentary. In the pilot, Titus noted that the LA Times reported that the number of dysfunctional families has outnumbered the number of functional families, making dysfunctional the new normal. Titus and his friends and family deal with work, jealousy, success, failure, therapy, even homosexuality and child abuse in rather depraved ways. In one of the most poignant episodes, Titus is comfortable making gay jokes until he learns that someone close to him is gay. So how does he rectify the situation? He is willing to beat the crap out of the people he used to laugh with. Or what about the time his girlfriend accidentally embarrassed him during a therapy session? He willfully and maliciously set up a revenge scenario against his girlfriend and everyone present at the session.

Sadly, the show was canceled relatively quickly. To call the content controversial is an understatement, and the timeslot was moved constantly (Titus claims that when he wouldn't dial down the controversy, FOX pulled advertising time and changed the timeslot). Fortunately, the show is available to see on DVD, and though some aspects are dated (laugh track), it is still a very funny series.

Up next: #31...