''Til Death'' is an American

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

that aired on

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

from September 7, 2006, to June 20, 2010. The series was created by husband and wife team Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, who were also the writers and executive producers. The show focuses on Eddie and Joy Stark (

Brad Garrett Brad H. Gerstenfeld (born April 14, 1960), known professionally as Brad Garrett, is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Garrett was initially successful as a stand-up comedian in the early 1980s. Taking advantage of that success in the la ...

and

Joely Fisher Joely Fisher ( ; born October 29, 1967) is an American actress and singer, the daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Connie Stevens, and half-sister of actress Carrie Fisher. Her breakthrough came in 1994, starring as Paige Clark in the Ame ...

), a couple married for 23 years who live in a suburb of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Premise

''Til Death'' centers on Eddie and Joy Stark, and their life, relationship and behavior after 23 years of marriage. The first two seasons often focus on the conflict between the Starks and their newlywed neighbors, Jeff and Steph Woodcock (

Eddie Kaye Thomas Eddie Kaye Thomas (born Edward Kovelsky; October 31, 1980) is an American actor. In film, Thomas rose to prominence for his lead role as Paul Finch in the ''American Pie'' film series (1999–2012). He had a supporting role as Andy Rosenberg ...

and

Kat Foster Kat Foster is an American stage and screen actress known for her roles in the TV series '' 'Til Death'', '' The Unusuals'', '' Your Family or Mine'', '' The Goodwin Games'' and '' Jean-Claude Van Johnson'' among others. She has also starred in fi ...

). The second season introduces a new character named Kenny Westchester ( J. B. Smoove) who is Eddie's friend from the Big Brothers Organization. The third season focuses primarily on Eddie and Joy's relationship with Kenny after he moves in with them. The fourth and final season focuses on the Starks coping with life with their daughter Ally (

Lindsey Broad Lindsey Broad is an American television, stage, and film actress. She is best known for her role as flirtatious temp Cathy Simms on the NBC series ''The Office''. Her film credits include ''21 Jump Street'', '' Don Jon'', and ''Get Him to the ...

, then

Kate Micucci Kate Micucci ( ; born March 31, 1980) is an American actress, comedian, and musician who is half of the musical comedy duo Garfunkel and Oates with Riki Lindhome. Some of her roles include Stephanie Gooch in '' Scrubs'', Ally in '' 'Til Death' ...

) and new son-in-law Doug (

Timm Sharp Timm Sharp (born 1978) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his roles as Marshall Nesbitt in the Fox sitcom ''Undeclared'', Doug Von Stuessen in the Fox sitcom Til Death'', and Jim in the Starz comedy '' Blunt Talk'', and Gabe Ugli ...

), who live in a

biodiesel Biodiesel is a renewable biofuel, a form of diesel fuel, derived from biological sources like vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled greases, and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made from fats. The roots of bi ...

-powered

Airstream Airstream is an American brand of travel trailer easily recognized by the distinctive shape of its rounded and polished aluminum coachwork. This body shape dates back to the 1930s and is based on the Bowlus Road Chief, an earlier model of the ...

motorhome A motorhome (or coach) is a type of self-propelled recreational vehicle (RV) which is as the name suggests, like a home on wheels. Features Motorhomes usually have sleeping spaces for two to eight people. Each sleeping space is either fixed o ...

in the Starks' back yard. The series takes place in

suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

Cheltenham Township Cheltenham Township is a home-rule township located in the southeast corner of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It borders Philadelphia to the south and east, Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Abington Township ...

Episodes

Characters

Main

* Eddie Stark (

): Eddie is a high school history teacher who has been married to Joy for over two decades. * Joy Stark (

): Joy is Eddie's sardonic wife who initially works as a

travel agent A travel agency is a private Retailing, retailer or public service that provides travel and tourism-related Service (economics), services to the general public on behalf of accommodation or travel supply chain, suppliers to offer different kin ...

, and later takes a job at Eddie's school. * Jeff Woodcock (

) (seasons 1–2): Jeff is an optimistic newlywed next-door neighbor to the Starks and also the vice-principal at the high school where Eddie teaches. * Steph Woodcock (

) (seasons 1–2): She is unemployed and developing her master's thesis, on which she is making little progress. * Kenny Westchester ( J. B. Smoove) (recurring, seasons 2 and 4; main, seasons 3): Kenny is Eddie's "little brother" from the Big Brother program and a recent divorcé. * Allison Stark (

Krysten Ritter Krysten Alyce Ritter (born December 16, 1981) is an American actress. After an early modeling stint, she appeared on the UPN noir mystery series ''Veronica Mars'' (2005–2006) and the CW comedy drama series ''Gilmore Girls'' (2006–2007). He ...

(recurring, seasons 1–2);

Laura Clery Laura Marie Clery (born July 22, 1986) is an American actor, comedian, and social media personality. She gained prominence through her comedic sketches and characters on platforms like Facebook and YouTube. Clery's content often revolves around h ...

(recurring, seasons 3–4);

(main, season 4);

(main, season 4): Allison "Ally" Mayweather Stark is Eddie and Joy's adult daughter who is away at college in early episodes, but is referenced in the pilot and shows up occasionally. During the show's fourth and final season, she lives in a

-powered

in her parents' backyard with her boyfriend and later husband, Doug. The fact that she is played by different actresses becomes a running gag in later episodes. * Doug Von Stuessen (

) (recurring, seasons 1–3; main, season 4): Doug is Allison's boyfriend and later husband who lives in a

-powered

in the Starks' backyard with Allison during the show's fourth and final season. He is an

idealistic Idealism in philosophy, also known as philosophical realism or metaphysical idealism, is the set of metaphysical perspectives asserting that, most fundamentally, reality is equivalent to mind, spirit, or consciousness; that reality is entir ...

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...

who becomes convinced his whole life is a sitcom.

Notes

* Kat Foster and Eddie Kaye Thomas, who played Steph and Jeff Woodcock, respectively, left the show after season 2, having "moved onto other projects". However, their characters continued to appear in several episodes of season three, and even one episode of season four, as these were filmed during the season two production batch but were not aired until later because of the 2007 Writers strike. * J.B. Smoove, who began appearing late in season two, was added to the show's main cast in season 3, playing Eddie's friend Kenny. His ex-wife appeared in the premiere episode of the third season. Smoove was subsequently dropped from the main cast in the episodes produced in the season 4 production batch.

Recurring

* Karl (

Nick Bakay Nicholas Bakay (; born October 8, 1959) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer and sports commentator. He is known as the voice of Salem Saberhagen on ABC/The WB's ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' and '' Sabrina: The Animated Series'', and ...

) * Whitey (

Martin Mull Martin Eugene Mull (, August 18, 1943 – June 27, 2024) was an American actor, musician, and painter. He became known on '' Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,'' its spin-off '' Fernwood 2 Night,'' and '' America 2 Night.'' Other notable roles included ...

) * Principal Duffy (

Kathleen Rose Perkins Kathleen Rose Perkins (born November 15, 1974) is an American actress. Life and career Perkins was born in New Baltimore, Michigan, the daughter of Leonard and Donna Perkins. She graduated from Anchor Bay High School (1992) and enrolled in We ...

) * Cofeld (

Anthony Anderson Anthony Anderson (born August 15, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, and television host. He is known for his leading roles in television shows such as Andre "Dre" Johnson on the comedy series ''Black-ish'' (2014–2022), Marlin Boulet on the ...

) * Nicole (

Margaret Cho Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian, actress and musician. In her Stand-up comedy, stand-up routines she critiques social and political problems, especially about race and sexuality. She starred in the Ame ...

) * Stan ( Jerry Lambert) * Russ (

Will Sasso William Sasso (born May 24, 1975) is a Canadian comedian, actor, and podcaster. After a starring role as Derek Wakaluk on the Global teen drama television series '' Madison'' (1994–1998), Sasso had his breakout as a regular cast member on the ...

) * Steven (

Kevin Nealon Kevin Nealon (; born November 18, 1953) is an American comedian and actor. He has earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination and two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. He first gained widespread attention during his tenure as a cast member on ...

) * Simona (

Susan Yeagley Susan Yeagley (born February 27, 1972) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Jessica Wicks in '' Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015). Early life and education Yeagley was born in Nashville, Tennessee. She earned a Bachelor of A ...

) * Donna, Joy's mother (

Lainie Kazan Lainie Kazan (born Lainie Levine; May 15, 1940) is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for ''St. Elsewhere'' and the 1993 Tony Award for Best Featured Actr ...

) * George Von Stuessen (

Barry Bostwick Barry Knapp Bostwick (born February 24, 1945) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Brad Majors in '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975) and Mayor Randall Winston in the sitcom '' Spin City'' (1996–2002). Bostwick has also ...

) * Tina, Kenny's ex-wife (

Kym Whitley Kym Whitley (born July 21, 1962) is an American comedian, actress and podcaster. She is known for her roles on television sitcoms, such as ''My Brother and Me'', '' Sparks'', ''Animal Practice'', ''The Boondocks'', ''Young & Hungry'', ''The Park ...

) * Beth (

Alison La Placa Alison La Placa (born December 16, 1959) is an American actress best known for playing Linda Phillips on the sitcom ''Duet'' and its spin-off '' Open House'', playing Catherine Merrick in 49 episodes of ''The John Larroquette Show'' and the recur ...

) * Stu (

Joe Manganiello Joseph Michael Manganiello ( ; , ; born December 28, 1976) is an American actor. His professional film career began when he played Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Man''. His breakout role was as werewolf Alcide Herveaux in five seasons ...

)

Broadcast and production

The first season of ''Til Death'' 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 Happy hour is a marketing term for a time when a venue such as a restaurant or bar offers reduced prices on alcoholic drinks. Discounted menu items like appetizers are often served during happy hour. This is a way for bars and restaurants to ...

''. In November, the series was given a full season order and then later paired with '' The War at Home''. Beginning in March 2007, the show was given the coveted time slot directly following ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

'' results show, which led to an improvement in its ratings. In May, ''Til Death'' was renewed for a second season. The second season ran from September 2007 to May 2008 and consisted of 15 episodes, during which it aired on Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. following a new comedy '' Back to You''. Late in 2007, production was halted because of the 2007–2008 writers' strike; only 19 episodes were produced. The series went on hiatus beginning November 28, but returned with a new episode on a special night in March 2008 at 9:30 p.m. Then in April, ''Til Death'' moved again to Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. leading into ''Back to You''. In May, the series was given an 18-episode order for its third season, while comedy companion ''Back to You'' was canceled. The third season consisted of 22 episodes (four of which were produced during the second season) and initially ran from September to October 2008. During this brief run of seven episodes, ''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. Despite not airing all of season three and low ratings, ''Til Death'' was renewed for a fourth season in January 2009.Hibberd, James (January 9, 2009
"Fox Orders More 'Til Death"
. ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', ''The Live Feed''. Retrieved March 28, 2010. Fox confirmed at its upfront presentation in May that the new season would air on Friday nights in the fall. The surprise renewal was attributed to a significant licensing discount offered to Fox by the production company of Til Death'' (

Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production company, production and broadcast syndication, distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, California, it is a division o ...

), because it needed one more season to make the program viable for syndication. The fourth and final season premiered in October 2009 at a new time, Fridays at 8:30/7:30c, following a new sitcom, ''

Brothers A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingl ...

'', starring former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

player

Michael Strahan Michael Anthony Strahan ( ; born November 21, 1971) is an American television host, journalist, and former professional American football, football player. He played his entire 15-year professional career as a defensive end for the New York Gian ...

. This season is notable in that a large number of episodes produced for the third season, but previously unaired by Fox, were shown alongside new episodes produced for season four. Four new episodes of ''Til Death'' aired sequentially on Christmas Day from 8/7c until 10/9c. The schedule changed again, when ''Til Death'' moved to Sundays at 7/6c and 7:30/6:30c on January 31, 2010, with these first two episodes airing against

Super Bowl XLIV Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champions New Orleans Saints and the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Indianapolis Colts to decide the National Football League (NFL) c ...

. Eventually, it was paired for three episodes with the soon-to-be-canceled comedy ''

Sons of Tucson ''Sons of Tucson'' is an American sitcom starring Tyler Labine, Frank Dolce, Matthew Levy and Benjamin Stockham. It premiered on Fox on March 14, 2010. The show was announced as a midseason show to air on Sunday nights at 8:30 pm ET/PT in b ...

''. The fourth season (and series) finale aired on May 23, 2010, although three unaired episodes formerly consigned for season three were

burned off In American broadcast programming, "burning off" is the custom of quickly airing the remaining episodes of a television program, usually one that has already been or is planned to be cancelled, without the intent to attract a large number of vie ...

in June. Two months prior, Fox finally canceled production of ''Til Death'' after years of below-average ratings.

Syndication

On July 26, 2011, it was announced that the show was picked up for syndication by affiliates

The CW Plus The CW Plus is a secondary national broadcast television broadcast syndication, syndication service feed of The CW, whose controlling stake of 75% is owned by Nexstar Media Group, with Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery holding their ow ...

, and

WGN America WGN America was an American subscription television network that operated from November 9, 1978 to February 28, 2021. The service was originally uplinked to satellite by United Video Inc. as a national feed of Chicago independent station WGN-T ...

, which debuted the program on September 12, 2011. It was also announced on July 28, 2011, that

Spike Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave * ''The Spike'' (Broderick book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick * ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter ...

had picked up the show for syndication, which debuted on October 3, 2011. In June 2013,

TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division's MTV Entertainment Group. It was originally launched as Nick at Nite’s TV Land as a spinoff of Nick at Nite programing block consisting e ...

brought the show, but was removed later on. From 2019 to 2020, the show aired on

GetTV Get (Great Entertainment Television, stylized as get. since 2023, and formerly stylized as getTV) is an American Digital subchannel#Commercial networks, digital multicast television network owned by the Sony Pictures Television#Sony Pictures Tel ...

Home media

The first season DVDs include all 22 episodes from season one. The second season DVDs include 18 out of the 19 episodes produced for season two in airdate order.

Ratings

Seasonal ratings based on average total viewers per episode of ''Til Death'' on

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Til Death 2000s American multi-camera sitcoms 2006 American television series debuts 2010s American multi-camera sitcoms 2010 American television series endings American English-language television shows Television series about families Television series about marriage Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television shows set in Philadelphia Fox Broadcasting Company sitcoms