Comedian Christopher Titus comes from a background that, to put it gently, is profoundly troubled. Others might go so far as to call it what it is: deeply fucked up. Upon discovering a statistic that over 60 percent of American homes are dysfunctional and realizing that meant that he and his family were in the majority, Titus set out to share his pain with the world. As a young comedian, Titus would riff on, among other things, his mother's mental illness and eventual suicide, his father's incessant drinking, tough-love parenting and numerous wives, fights with his father and getting into trouble with his step-brother. All of this angst was eventually turned into the stand-up work "Norman Rockwell Is Bleeding," (serving as the basis for his TV show lasting three seasons and 54 episodes) which is every bit as caustic, revealing and poignant as moments in the aforementioned short-lived series. This is a program for which "brutally honest" doesn't begin to describe the depths of emotional violence displayed.

That said, Titus is still so far afield from what many have to come expect from a sitcom that it felt years ahead of its time (and frankly, it's still tough to sit through some episodes). The jarring blend of a psyche ripped open and straight-ahead sitcom plots with all of their attendant cliches makes for some interesting viewing but occasionally turns into a chore to sit through multiple episodes back to back. However, this is due more to the jet-black material mined for laughs (heart attacks, schizophrenia, dysfunction, murder, broken homes, etc.) than it is the cast; Titus surrounded himself with several lesser known but quite talented faces, save for one: Stacy Keach. Keach anchors the show with his irascible, remorseless portrayal of the patriarch Ken Titus - the vicious interplay between father and son is a large part of what keeps you watching episode after episode. Co-starring as Titus's brother Dave is Scut Farkus himself, Zach Ward; "Drew Carey Show" veteran Cynthia Watros appears as Titus' girlfriend, Erin Fitzpatrick and David Shatraw co-stars as overly fastidious friend/co-worker Tommy Shafter.

With the third season of Titus, the comedian's famed light bulb, which illuminated his first-person rants, finally went dark – Fox cancelled the series as ratings sagged and its small (but loyal) audience dwindled; arguably, the show might've fared better on a network that isn't so inclined to kill shows required room to grow, but as Titus himself says at one point on this set, "Any ending is painful." The final season is as edgy as the first two – homosexuality, dysfunction, death and emotional brutality are all touched upon and perhaps most tragically, one gets the sense that the show was just hitting its stride when Fox placed it upon the chopping block. Hopefully, Christopher Titus will get another shot at bringing his brand of piercing, jet-black humor to a wide audience.

The third season of Titus is spread across four single-sided discs housed in a slipcase with two slimline cases.

Disc One:
(Spoilers may pop up - you've been warned!)
Racing In The Streets, dir. Brian Hargrove
While Titus recovers from the physical effects of his near fatal car crash, he still races to raise money for Erin's tuition – which, of course, backfires when Erin learns what Titus is doing and tries to stop him.

Amy's Birthday, dir. Gary Shimokawa
Erin's surprise birthday party for her niece Amy (Rachel Roth) goes awry when Erin discovers Amy's mom passed out drunk. Recognizing that Amy needs a change of scenery, she takes action, much to Titus' chagrin.

Tommy's Not Gay, dir. Gary Shimokawa
Titus attempts to reconcile Tommy and his father, who recently admitted his homosexuality, after Tommy rejects him. (Features commentary from Christopher Titus, Jack Kenny and Brian Hargrove.)

Shannon's Song, dir. Joe Regalbuto
Titus' world is turned upside down with the arrival of his "perfect" sister, Shannon (guest star Elizabeth Berkeley).

Grad School, dir. Gary Shimokawa
When Erin visits troubled teens for her first grad-school assignment in social work, she first pushes away then asks Titus for help.

Houseboat, dir. Joe Regalbuto
Ken, who thinks that his best friend has fallen overboard during Christmas on a houseboat, suddenly becomes a kinder and gentler soul.

Disc Two:
The Trial, dir. Jack Kenny
Titus' family is in turmoil as Juanita, Titus' mother (played by Connie Stevens), stands trial for murder; Ken can't wait to testify against her and put her away for good while Titus' friends mean well but offer up some highly incriminating evidence – the trial's eventual outcome is far from positive.

Grandma Titus, dir. Brian Hargrove
Grandma Titus (Phyllis Diller) gives Ken a run for his money, despite her Alzheimer's, which has her teaching a high school class. (Features commentary from Christopher Titus, Jack Kenny and Brian Hargrove.)

Errrr, dir. Jack Kenny
In an attempt to distract a distraught Amy (who's heartbroken over a shattered romance), Titus tells her about his the glory days of his own youth, which don't exactly make her feel better.

Tommy's Crush, dir. Kevin Sullivan
To nearly everyone's shock, surprise and anger, Tommy and a pregnant Shannon are caught in flagrante delicto, stunning the Titus family.

Into Thin Air, dir. John Amodeo
Thanks to bad news from Erin and Titus, Dave goes out of bounds on a skiing holiday and ends up trapped above a cliff. Fortunately for Dave, Titus becomes trapped as well, but not before Tommy falls to join them.

Too Damn Good, dir. Gary Shimokawa
Titus is elated when a car executive turns to him for a new design; unfortunately, Titus must rely upon Ken for some creative inspiration when he suffers from a creative block.

Disc Three:
Bachelor Party, dir. Leslie Kolins Small
Titus' bachelor party is a little derailed when he and the guys encounter a pregnant woman (Alex Borstein) going into labor, who needs their help to deliver her child.

Hot Streak, dir. Joe Regalbuto
In an attempt to win his father's love and respect, Titus takes Ken to the Bahamas, where he promptly suffers another heart attack while in the midst of a winning streak at blackjack.

The Session, dir. Brian Hargrove
Erin, who wants to help reconcile the Titus family, insists they all go into group therapy – the eventual results are anything therapeutic.

Same Courtesy, dir. Bill Shea
After being humiliated at the mock group therapy session, Titus plots an elaborate revenge scheme, plotting family members against one another on Erin's birthday.

After Mrs. Shafter, dir. Bill Shea
When Ken begins dating Tommy's mom, Titus and Tommy find their friendship being stretched to its limits; after Ken declares Mrs. Shafter to be the love of his life, the situation becomes further complicated when Tommy's estranged gay father attempts to reconcile his broken marriage.

The Visit, dir. Katy Garretson
With Titus and Erin working to officially adopt Amy, Titus' mother Juanita makes matters complicated by showing up in the midst of the social worker's last visit. Having escaped from the insane asylum, Juanita has come to make peace with Titus.

Disc Four:
Insanity Genetic (part 1), dir. Kevin Sullivan
In the tragic wake of Juanita's funeral, an incident on board a flight home causes Titus to wonder if perhaps insanity is genetic. (Features commentary from Christopher Titus, Jack Kenny and Brian Hargrove.)

Insanity Genetic (part 2), dir. Gary Shimokawa
Thanks to the fall-out from the plane incident, Titus now faces either jail time or being committed to a mental institution – for good or bad, his friends come to his rescue. (Features commentary from Christopher Titus, Jack Kenny and Brian Hargrove.)

The Protector, dir. Gary Shimokawa
When Amy is harrassed by a bully at school, Titus takes matters into his own hands, getting himself in trouble in the process.

The DVD

Presented in its original 1.33:1 ratio as broadcast**, Titus is slick, sharp and smooth throughout the third season, thanks to the show being shot in hi-def. Colors and contrast are sharp and don't smear, while video noise is kept to a minimum. Overall, a very clean image, particularly since the source material is a mere five years old.

**It's been previously brought to my attention that Titus was filmed in anamorphic hi-def and allegedly broadcast in widescreen while on Fox - my research was able to confirm that the show was indeed filmed with 24p cameras in the third season but it's unclear if it was ever broadcast in either hi-def or widescreen.

Dolby 2.0 stereo - again, as broadcast originally on Fox - is the only audio option here. Titus unfortunately is saddled with an annoying laugh track that tends to occasionally overpower the dialogue. However, every joke comes through loud and clear with no distortion or dropout.

The final season of Titus doesn't boast a wealth of supplemental material but what Anchor Bay offers up is worth wading through: the trio of creative minds behind the series – Titus, Jack Kenny and Brian Hargrove – contribute commentary tracks to four of the 21 episodes here and the remainder of the bonus features are housed on the fourth disc. The real meat of the extras are the interviews: "Honor Thy Father: An Interview with Stacy Keach," is a 15-minute, fullscreen chat with the man who gives full-blooded life to Ken Titus; "His Better Half: An Interview with Cynthia Watros," is an 11-minute discussion with Erin, Titus' girlfriend and eventual wife and "Brotherly Love: An Interview with Zack Ward," is a 16-minute talk with the actor who plays Dave Titus. Also on board are 15 minutes of season two bloopers, presented in fullscreen, occasionally rough-looking video and 13 minutes of season three bloopers, likewise presented in raw video form. A six page booklet containing episode synopses and a fictional "Investigation Report on Possible Patriot Act Violations" is included as are trailers for Doogie Howser, M.D. and Profit.

Titus is painfully raw and pretty damn funny - as Titus has pointed out, those raised in relatively normal homes won't find much to identify with, although those who struggled with dysfunction will relate on a number of levels. This is partly true - there's enough humor present to give everyone a chuckle, but the bulk of the show definitely traffics in topics that aren't necessarily hilarious on the surface. Recommended.