'Til Death

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’Til Death
Til-death-logo.png
’Til Death Logo
Format Sitcom
Created by Josh Goldsmith
Cathy Yuspa
Developed by Josh Goldsmith
Cathy Yuspa
Starring Brad Garrett
Joely Fisher
Timm Sharp
Country of origin United States
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 4
No. of episodes 81 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Josh Goldsmith
Cathy Yuspa
Producer(s) Alec Barnow
Marc Firek and Annette Sahakian Davis
Camera setup Multiple-camera setup
Running time 20-21 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel Fox
Picture format 480i (SDTV),
720p (HDTV)
Original run September 7, 2006 (2006-09-07) – present
External links
Official website

’Til Death is an American sitcom which premiered on the Fox network on September 7, 2006. The series was created by husband-and-wife team Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, who are also the writers and executive-producers. The show focuses on Eddie and Joy Stark (Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher), a couple married for 23 years.

Contents

[edit] Premise

’Til Death centers on Eddie and Joy Stark, and their relationship and behavior after 23 years of marriage. The first three seasons often focused on the contrast between the Starks and their newlywed neighbors, Jeff and Steph Woodcock (Eddie Kaye Thomas and Kat Foster). The second season introduced a new character named Kenny Westchester (J. B. Smoove) who is Eddie's friend from the big brother program.

The fourth season focuses on the Starks adjusting to life with their daughter Ally (Lindsey Broad) and new son-in-law Doug (Timm Sharp), who live in a trailer in the Stark's backyard. The series takes place in suburban Philadelphia in Cheltenham Township.

[edit] History

The first season ran from September 7, 2006 to April 11, 2007 and contained 22 episodes. The series initially aired Thursdays at 8/7c alongside fellow freshman sitcom Happy Hour. On November 16, 2006, ’Til Death was given a full season order and then later paired with The War at Home.[1][2] Beginning on March 14, 2007, the show was given the coveted time slot directly following the American Idol results show, which led to an improvement in the ratings. On May 11, 2007, ’Til Death was renewed for a second season.[3]

The second season ran from September 19, 2007 to May 16, 2008 and consisted of 15 episodes. This season, ’Til Death aired on Wednesdays at 8:30/7:30c following a new comedy Back to You. On November 6, 2007, production was halted due to the 2007-2008 writers' strike, and only 19 episodes were produced.[4] The series went on hiatus beginning November 28, but returned with a new episode on a special night Tuesday March 25, 2008 at 9:30PM Eastern/8:30PM Central.[5] Then on April 16, 2008, 'Til Death moved again to Wednesday's at 8:00PM Eastern/7:00PM Central leading into Back to You.[6] On May 9, 2008, the series was given a 13 episode order for its third season, while comedy companion Back to You was cancelled.[7]

The third season ran from September 10, 2008 to October 8, 2008 and consisted of 7 episodes (3 of which were produced during the second season). In this brief season, ’Til Death aired Wednesdays at 9/8c alongside a new comedy Do Not Disturb. The ratings for both shows were low and as a result, the network pulled the sitcom from its November schedule.[8] Despite Fox not airing all of season three and low ratings, ’Til Death was renewed for a fourth season on January 9, 2009.[9] On May 18, 2009 as part of the Fox network upfront presentation it was announced that 'Til Death would return for a fourth season on Friday nights as part of their fall lineup.[10]

Season 4 premiered on October 2, 2009 in a new time slot of Fridays at 8:30/7:30c. ’Til Death and followed a new sitcom, Brothers, which stars former NFL player Michael Strahan.[11]

On October 27, 2009, Fox announced that four new episodes of ’Til Death would air on Christmas Day from 8:00/7:00c until 10:00/9:00c. ’Til Death moved to Sundays at 7:00/6:00c and 7:30/6:30c on January 31, 2010.[12] The series is currently broadcasting new episodes from both the series' third and fourth seasons.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Main characters

  • Eddie Stark (Brad Garrett): Eddie is a high school history teacher who has been married to Joy for over two decades.
  • Joy Stark (Joely Fisher): Joy is Eddie's wife who works as a travel agent.
  • Jeff Woodcock (Eddie Kaye Thomas) (Seasons 1-3): Jeff is a newlywed next-door neighbor to the Starks and also the vice-principal at the high school where Eddie teaches.
  • Steph Woodcock (Kat Foster) (Seasons 1-3): Steph is Jeff's sarcastic wife with a wild past.
  • Kenneth Westchester (J. B. Smoove) (Seasons 2-present) Kenny is Eddie's "little brother" from the Big Brother program and a recent divorcé. Recurring Season 2 & 4, Regular Season 3.
  • Allison Stark (Lindsey Broad) (Season 4-present): Ally is Eddie and Joy's adult daughter who lives with her boyfriend and later husband, Doug. (Played by Krysten Ritter during Seasons One and Two, and Laura Clery during Season 3).
  • Doug Von Stuessen (Timm Sharp) (Seasons 1-present): Doug is Allison's boyfriend and later husband who currently lives in a trailer in the Stark's backyard. Recurring Season 1-3; Regular 4 - present.

Kat Foster and Eddie Kaye Thomas, who played Steph and Jeff Woodcock, respectively, left the show, having "moved onto other projects."[13] However, their characters continued to appear in several episodes of season three, which were filmed during season two but not aired due to the Writers' Strike. Krysten Ritter, who played the recurring role of the Stark's daughter, Allison, was also replaced in season three by Laura Clery. J. B. Smoove was also added to the cast, who began appearing late in season two, as Eddie's friend Kenny. His ex-wife appeared in the premiere episode of the third season.[14].

Beginning with Season 4, J.B. Smoove, who plays Kenny, was dropped from the show while Lindsey Broad and Timm Sharp were added to the main cast as Allison Stark and Doug Von Stuessen, respectively.[15]

[edit] Recurring characters

On October 24, 2008, TV Guide reported that Nathan Lane will be a guest-star on an upcoming episode as Eddie’s gay brother.[16]


[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of 'Til Death episodes

[edit] DVD releases

DVD Name Region 1 Region 4 Episode Number
The Complete First Season August 21, 2007 February 13, 2008 22
The Complete Second Season January 13, 2009 February, 2010 15

[edit] Ratings

Seasonal ratings based on average total viewers per episode of ’Til Death on Fox:

Season Timeslot (EDT) Season Premiere Season Finale TV Season Rank Viewers
(in millions)
1 Thurs. 8:00 PM (September 7 - February 15)
Wed. 9:30 PM (March 14 - April 11)		 September 7, 2006 April 11, 2007 2006-2007 #82 7.1 [17]
2 Wed. 8:30 (September 19 - November 14)
Tues. 9:30 PM (March 25, 2008)
Wed. 8:00 P.M. (April 16 - May 14, 2008)		 September 19, 2007 May 14, 2008 2007-2008 #131 6.1 [18]
3 Wed. 9:00 PM (September 10 - October 8) September 10, 2008 October 8, 2008 2008-2009 #141 4.4 [19]
4 Fri. 8:30 PM (October 2 - October 23)
Sun. 7:00 P.M. (January 31 -)		 October 2, 2009 2009-2010 #TBA TBA

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7238
  2. ^ http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7246
  3. ^ 'Til Death: FOX's Brad Garrett Sitcom Renewed, TV Series Finale, May 11, 2007Boedeker, Hal (July 10, 2007). "Fox announces premiere dates; "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" returns Aug. 30". Orlando Sentinel. http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2007/07/fox-announces-p.html. Retrieved July 10, 2007. 
  4. ^ "Production Stops on at least 6 Sitcoms". http://tv.yahoo.com/back-to-you/show/41055/news/urn:newsml:tv.ap.org:20071106:hollywood_labor. Retrieved November 6, 2007. 
  5. ^ Breaking News - FOX RETURNS SERIES TO PRODUCTION | TheFutonCritic.com
  6. ^ Breaking News - FOX Overhauls Spring Lineup: New 'House' to Anchor Mondays | TheFutonCritic.com
  7. ^ "FOX Cancels Back to You, Renews 'Til Death". http://tvseriesfinale.com/articles/fox-cancels-back-to-you-renews-til-death/. Retrieved May 10, 2008. 
  8. ^ http://www.fox.com/futurefox/blogs/
  9. ^ Fox Orders More "'Til Death", Hollywood Reporter, January 9, 2009
  10. ^ "Fox 2009-10 Schedule Announced". Archived from the original on May 20, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5gv2dbemy. Retrieved May 18, 2009. 
  11. ^ Matt Mitovich (July 28, 2009). "Fox Moves Up Two Fall Premieres; Plus a Glee Video Preview". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5igmUHb2N. Retrieved July 28, 2009. 
  12. ^ http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=8359
  13. ^ "Interview with Brad Garrett from 'Til Death". http://www.comedycentric.com/2008/09/10/brad-garrett-on-death-and-beyond/. 
  14. ^ http://www.comedycentric.com/2008/09/06/til-death-season-three-premiere-details/
  15. ^ [1]
  16. ^ Nathan Lane + 'Til Death = One Gay Ol' Time" TV Guide. October 24, 2008. Retrieved on October 24, 2008
  17. ^ "Hollywood Reporter: 2006-07 primetime wrap". May 25, 2007. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/features/e3ifbfdd1bcb53266ad8d9a71cad261604f. 
  18. ^ http://www.abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=052808_06
  19. ^ "ABC Medianet". Archived from the original on August 10, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5iwEcAyP4. Retrieved August 7, 2009. 

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%27Til_Death"