Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! This week, I’m continuing our coverage of a woefully underrated three-season sitcom from the early 2000s called Titus (2000-2002, FOX), which is currently available, as of this writing, on DVD and YouTube.

Titus stars CHRISTOPHER TITUS as Christopher, CYNTHIA WATROS as Erin, ZACK WARD as Dave, DAVID SHATRAW as Tommy, and STACY KEACH as Ken.

Season Two — Titus’ first full year — is when the series’ naturally diminishing novelty of premise intersects with its intentionally rising knowledge of character to create what we would traditionally call its best conditions, or peak era. However, this is an idea-led show, so the novelty of premise (and of situation en masse, which includes the tone and how that’s represented in story) is more important, and indeed, Titus’ brief debut season was more proportionally gem-filled. Additionally, while the aforementioned calibration of elements necessary for peak-level success is felt here in Two, I have to qualify this by saying that it applies more to the first half of Season Two, for the second portion of the year already sees a comedown in quality. This is not merely because the show is no longer fresh enough to play to its situation as reliably in story, but also because of what I imagine to be network interference. That is, Titus famously had a lot of trouble with censorship by a worried FOX, and rather than the show gaining more freedom as its run progressed, it was subjected to a progressively heavier hand, which basically shows up via the dilution of some of the series’ shock value and dark sensibility. This is most obvious within the relationship between Christopher and his dad — the fulcrum of the series, and the place from which it derives its richest comedic and dramatic material — for the latter becomes less surly than before and their bond becomes less dysfunctional. Similarly, episodic stories are not quite as shocking as they were in the first season. Oh, yes, this year was written to end on another heavy outing — with Christopher in a coma after an accident — which reminds us of the show’s cynicism while also evidencing its ability to balance such darkness with big comedy (in validation of the genre), but otherwise, the best ideas, the ones that most reinforce what Titus promised to be, arrive in Two’s first half. And, hooray, there are many good episodes there — in that first half especially, which boasts an arc where Ken dates a harridan who adds laughs and tweaks the ensemble dynamic. Also, that rising character knowledge can’t be understated — Titus may be getting a bit cleaner and brighter, but both the show and the audience know more about the leads and their histories together now, so this is ultimately a great collection of sitcommery: one of the best shows of the 2000-2001 season.

 

01) Episode 11: “The Test” (Aired: 10/10/00)

Christopher and Erin worry about getting STDs.

Written by Christopher Case | Directed by Brian Hargrove

Following the episode last year where Christopher and Erin broke up and slept with other people, this laugh-filled excursion finds them learning that neither used protection in their dalliances and thus have opened themselves up to possible STDs. It’s a rich conflict that reiterates Titus’ rebellious identity, predicated both on some narrative continuity and a key relationship within the situation — as Christopher and Erin’s mutually dysfunctional upbringings color all of their interactions. Easily one of their best.

02) Episode 12: “The Surprise Party” (Aired: 10/17/00)

Ken’s new girlfriend kicks the kids out of his house.

Written by Tom Saunders & Kell Cahoon | Directed by Robert Berlinger

This is the best entry featuring Mary Lou Rosato as Kathy, the nasty and calculating nurse who debuted in last season’s finale and becomes Ken’s recurring love interest during the first half of Two. As noted, she’s a funny presence who deepens the tension between Christopher (and Dave) and his father, and this is her best showing because it most highlights how she fits into the relational dynamics at play with the regulars — specifically, how she exacerbates conflict.

03) Episode 13: “What’s Up, Hollywood?” (Aired: 10/31/00)

Ken is busted for DUI on live television.

Written by Sally Lapiduss | Directed by Kevin Charles Sullivan

The highlight of this garage-set installment is a centerpiece where Ken is arrested on live television for driving under the influence  — an embarrassing public display that’s used to once again explore the dysfunctional bond between Christopher and his dad, the cornerstone of this series and one of the seminal relationships that defines how the lead approaches all other human interactions, along with the tone of this sitcom that’s built around him.

04) Episode 14: “Locking Up Mom” (Aired: 11/14/00)

Christopher and the gang attend his mother’s competency hearing.

Written by Christopher Titus | Directed by Jeff Melman

Frances Fisher takes over this season as Christopher’s mom (replacing Christine Estabrook) and debuts in this episode, where the cast goes down to the mental institution for Juanita’s competency hearing — an automatically great setup for Titus, exhibiting the show’s tonal identity through the title character’s well-built backstory and the traumatic history he has with his mother: something that, again, colors his entire life and all his relationships. Although Estabrook’s showing last week was the Juanita character’s finest, I believe Fisher is the best casting; she plays the role with the choicest balance of humor and humanity.

05) Episode 15: “The Perfect Thanksgiving” (Aired: 11/21/00)

Christopher and Erin’s families have a disastrous Thanksgiving together.

Written by Chris Sheridan | Directed by Jeff Melman

Bad Thanksgivings are a sitcom staple — especially since Roseanne — but Titus takes the formula and ratchets up the angst, in accordance with what we expect of this series. And it works well, particularly in this offering, which introduces us to members of Erin’s family and reiterates that her upbringing, though different from Christopher’s, has its own share of crazy as well, thereby nuancing our understanding of her and their relationship. (Hamilton Camp guests.)

06) Episode 16: “Tommy’s Girlfriend” (Aired: 11/28/00)

Christopher, Dave, and Tommy accidentally end up holding Tommy’s ex hostage at the garage.

Written by Patrick Meighan | Directed by Robert Berlinger

Nicole Sullivan guest stars in this notable entry as Tommy’s ex, with whom he tries to reconcile via an elaborate scheme that draws her into Titus’ garage, where the guys accidentally end up holding her hostage. It’s an outrageously funny idea because of its inappropriateness, and in the same way that Titus’ real-life history invites Norman Lear-like drama about some of the harsh realities of this world, the beat where the woman accuses Tommy of attempted rape touches on taboo territory that has both humor and (for its era) a degree of thoughtfulness. So, this is a fine display of the series’ identity, and a character-building show as well (for Tommy).

07) Episode 18: “The Last Noelle” (Aired: 12/19/00)

Christopher goes to the funeral of an ex-girlfriend without telling Erin.

Written by Jennifer Fisher | Directed by Jack Kenny

My pick for this season’s Most Valuable Episode (MVE), “The Last Noelle” is an appropriately bleak Christmas-themed show that takes place at a funeral home, where Christopher has gone to pay his last respects to his ex-girlfriend Noelle, about whose death Erin (who tracks him) was not aware. She was also not aware of what happened in their relationship — which we learn (thanks to flashbacks and Christopher’s revelations from the “neutral space”) was actually quite abusive on Noelle’s end. This is another dark but Lear-ian topical notion that most sitcoms dare not touch, and indeed, this is a dramatic half hour even by Titus’ standards. However, it’s totally in validation of the series’ chosen situation, where familial dysfunction follows people throughout their lives, manifesting within their other relationships, and this script has great, shocking, cathartic comedy that fulfills the obligations inherent to the genre. Accordingly, this is one of the best examples of what Titus wants to, and can, be. A series-defining outing.

08) Episode 23: “Deprogramming Erin” (Aired: 02/13/01)

Christopher tries to get back together with Erin, whose family won’t let her go.

Written by Chris Sheridan | Directed by Gary Shimokawa

Although the relationship between Christopher and Erin is depicted as mostly healthy, the fact that both come from rough families definitely is felt inside their conflicts, and after a previous entry that sought to bring Christopher to such a dark place that he and Erin split, this follow-up gets them back together — but in an irreverent, cynical, totally un-cute and non-romantic way that once again highlights Erin’s family and the baggage she’s carrying with her. She’s not on Titus’ level when it comes to trauma-induced dysfunction, but she’s no slouch… (Hamilton Camp returns, and future recurring player Rachel Roth appears as Amy.)

09) Episode 24: “NASCAR” (Aired: 02/20/01)

Erin tricks Christopher and Ken into taking a road trip together.

Written by Christopher Case | Directed by Jeff Melman

As noted, almost every episode of Titus has its main action occur at a single locale and sometimes even in real time — a style of storytelling that takes advantage of the multi-camera format’s unique strengths, which include a theatricality that forces a simplicity of plot, tending to push character to the fore. This outing does not stick entirely to one setting, but a lot of it occurs just between Christopher and his father in the car — an exchange between the show’s two most important figures, whose relationship defines the whole series.

10) Episode 32: “The Pendulum” (Aired: 05/15/01)

Ken and Erin must decide whether to unplug a comatose Christopher.

Written by Christopher Titus | Directed by Jack Kenny

Season Two’s penultimate showing — intended to be the finale but bumped up because of network concerns about another excursion (highlighted below) — this entry returns to the hospital, where the previous year’s cliffhanger put Ken’s life in jeopardy. Now, Christopher is in a coma from a car accident that occurred after a fight with his dad — another quintessential display of how their complicated relationship yields darker comedy and sometimes even drama. As usual, this drama is not antithetical to the demands of the sitcom genre though, for it’s actually funny — even the scene where Christopher is unplugged from life support is handled in a way that neither undermines the narrative nor ignores the need for humor. Peak Titus! 

 

Other notable episodes that merit mention include: “Life Forward,” which memorably guest stars Frasier’s David Hyde Pierce as a life coach (his casting sets expectations higher than this script actually delivers), “The Reconciliation,” which is a bit too on the nose with regard to Titus and his established dynamic with both parents, and “The Wedding,” which is the final aired half hour of the season, where Christopher and Erin’s attempts to get married are ruined when his mother murders her abusive boyfriend (a good idea for the series, but it’s not as character-backed and a little too comedically ridiculous — a foretaste of Season Three). I’ll also take this space to cite the premiere, “Titus Is Dead,” which concludes last year’s cliffhanger and sees Ken starting a relationship with Kathy, “When I Say Jump,” which is creatively set on a bridge from which the group is parachuting, “Episode Twenty-Seven,” which ends the Kathy arc and calls back to the video of Ken’s DUI, and “Gift Of The Car Guy,” which does a fine job finding tension between Christopher and Erin and using all the leads well.

 

*** The MVE Award for the Best Episode from Season Two of Titus goes to…

“The Last Noelle”

 

 

Come back next week for more Titus and stay tuned Monday for another musical rarity!