Premiered: March 20, 2000 – Cancelled May, 2002 (ABC)
DAD: Ken Titus (Stacy Keach) / Divorced
DAD’S JOB: Loafing
KIDS: Christopher Titus (Christopher Titus) (20-something)
WHERE’S MOM?: “shacked up in the wacko basket” per Dad.
STAND-IN “MOM”: Unknown
Much more than a souped-up Sanford & Son. Christopher Titus is a guy who lives with his dad and runs a hot-rod shop in this half-hour sitcom. Here’s what Fox had to say about it:
Inspired by the real life of comedian Christopher Titus, TITUS is a half-hour comedy chronicling the heartbreakingly hilarious world of his dysfunctional family. And coming from a dysfunctional family means that nothing rattles him. Once you’ve driven your drunk father to your mom’s parole hearing…what else is there?
Titus (Christopher Titus) owns a custom car shop, Titus High Performance, and builds hot rods. His hard-drinking, hard-living father Ken was married five times which means Christopher was raised in five broken homes. His mother, Ken’s first wife, was a manic-depressive schizophrenic, which means Christopher was raised by five broken personalities. She now resides in a mental care facility — or as Ken so eloquently puts it, she’s “shacked up in the wacko basket.”
Ken Titus (Stacy Keach) is a noble, loving father, a caring human being who only thinks of others – when he’s sober. However, most of the time he’s the “anti-dad” — the most negative human being on the planet. Wherever there is hope, he will kill it; where self-esteem rears its shiny little head, he will be there to kick it in the testicles. Titus notes, “My father’s always been mean-spirited and evil. It’s been a lot of fun. Except when his mean-spirited evilness is directed at you.”
Erin (Cynthia Watros) is Titus’ smart, energetic and beautiful girlfriend. They knew each other as teens, but they went to a segregated high school — she was in the incredibly “hot-looking babes” group and he was in the “outcast-pimply-guys-who-hadn’t-discovered-deodorant-yet” group. Now she is the love of his life, and his first relationship that didn’t involve the justice system.
Also working at Titus’ car shop is his younger brother Dave (Zack Ward) — from another mother…and another father — and his best friend Tommy (David Shatraw), the only member of the group who was raised in a loving, stable household, which makes him the black sheep of the Titus team.
Created and executive produced by Christopher Titus, Brian Hargrove and Jack Kenny, TITUS is produced by 20th Century Fox Television
Update: Despite adequate ratings and critical acclaim, Fox cancelled the series. Rumor was that Fox execs had an uneasy, acidic relationship with Christopher Titus, and so the suits pulled the plug on the show. Sorry, Titus family!