The Corner Penthouse

Mill Creek recently released 'Til Death: The Complete Series (2006-2010) in a budget-priced 8-DVD box set. Read on to find out more about it...


'Til Death is the story of Eddie (Brad Garrett) and Joy (Joely Fisher) Stark, a loving couple with 24 years of war stories to share with their new neighbors, Jeff Woodcock (Eddie Kaye Thomas) and his blushing bride of 12 days, Steph (Kat Foster). It's not one-way street though - the optimistic newlyweds have a thing or two to teach the "old married couple" as they laugh, love, and are committed to the crazy institution of marriage. Later, after the Woodcocks have moved away without explanation, Eddie spends time with his new live-in buddy, Kenny Westchester (JB Smoove). The Starks are often visited by their daughter Allison 'Ally' Stark (Krysten Ritter, Laura Clery, Lindsey Broad, and Kate Micucci) and her hippie boyfriend Doug Von Stuessen (Timm Sharp).


'Til Death is your standard American sitcom, bolstered by some witty jokes performed expertly by Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher. It's no wonder that of the four "stars" of Season 1, Garrett and Fisher are the only actors to remain for the duration. They really do feel like a couple who has been married for over two decades. I enjoyed it, and would definitely recommend it, especially to fans of Garrett and Fisher. Do be aware that the series changes course a few times. While the Starks are present throughout the entire run, the Woodcocks are only there for the first two seasons. They disappear without any explanation. Eddie's new friend, Kenny Westchester, is brought in in Season 2 as a reoccurring character, becomes a regular for Season 3, and is gone by Season 4. The fourth season focuses on the Stark's relationship with their daughter Ally and her boyfriend Doug. At this point, Ally is being portrayed by Lindsey Broad, the THIRD actress to inhabit the role! Halfway through Season 4, Kate Micucci takes on the role, even though she appeared as a different character (a waitress) just two episodes earlier!


The last season also puts more of an emphasis on Eddie's work life at high school, giving us a chance to meet his co-workers, Whitey (Martin Mull), Ms. Duffy (Kathleen Rose Perkins), Karl (Nick Bakay), and Mr. Harris (Pat Fraley). This series is a great opportunity to actually see what voice actors Nick Bakay and Pat Fraley look like. You may have heard Bakay's voice as Salem in Sabrina the Teenage Witch (reviewed here) and as Norbert in Angry Beavers; and Fraley's voice as Jake Kong Jr. in Filmation's Ghostbusters (Vol. 2) and as Krang in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987). Other notable actors who appear in a few episodes include Kevin Nealon, Anthony Anderson, Dom Irrera, Kym Whitley, Lainie Kazan, Margaret Cho, and Mayim Bialik. The latter appears as "Dr. Bialik", who even brings her former Blossom co-stars, Jenna Von Oy and Michael Stoyanov, on board for the Season 4 episode "Baby Steps".


This box set contains all 4 seasons of the show, consisting of a total of 81 episodes. Each season is contained on 2 discs. For Seasons 1, 3, and 4, this means cramming 11 episodes onto each disc; 22 episodes per season. Season 2 has 7 & 8 episodes per disc; 15 total for the season. Below is the complete episode list and set breakdown. I believe that the episodes have been rearranged into the producer's intended order, which is probably for the best, as episodes are known to have been shown out-of-order when they originally aired on Fox, with some episodes that were produced for Season 2 shown YEARS later in Season 4! That said, the episodes are still not in the ideal continuity order. The character of Ally Stark was played by four different actresses over the course of the series: Krysten Ritter, Laura Clery, Lindsey Broad, and Kate Micucci. Season 4 features Lindsey and Kate. Instead of having one, and then the other, it switches back and forth due to the misplacement of the episode "The Wedding". Kate Micucci, who appeared as a waitress in "Check-Mate", plays Ally starting with "Merit Pay", but then Lindsey Broad is back as Ally in "The Wedding", before Kate resumes the role in "Joy's Mom".



'Til Death is presented in its original 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio. On the audio side, there is only an English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track for all episodes. All episodes only contain English SDH subtitles. As is the case with most Mill Creek Entertainment releases, there are no bonus features. Sony previously released the first three seasons separately, and their Season 1 and 2 sets had the bonus features listed below, which were not carried over by Mill Creek.

• MISSING: Behind the Scenes (13:13) - Cast members Brad Garrett, Joely Fisher, Eddie Kaye Thomas, and Kat Foster are interviewed about their characters and the show.
• MISSING: Brad Garret on the Set (6:04) - This is just Garrett telling jokes and interacting with the crew.
• MISSING: The Wedding (2:44) - A short clip of a promo event where Brad Garrett acted as the master of ceremonies for a group wedding.
• MISSING: Season 1 Blooper Reel (10:54)
• MISSING: Season 2 Blooper Reel
• MISSING: Pre-Show Antics with Brad Garrett

The 8 discs are stored in 4 tall two-disc paperboard sleeves packed inside a hard paperboard box with a top flap. This isn't packaging that I like, though it's a HUGE improvement over Mill Creek's similarly-designed box sets with the same tall sleeves in flimsy boxes that were easily crushed just by grabbing them. As much as I don't like these tall sleeves, I understand why Mill Creek uses them.


'Til Death: The Complete Series is available in a 8-disc DVD box set from Mill Creek. If you want some bonus features, you'll need to pick up Sony's original Season 1 and Season 2 DVD sets, even though all of the episodes are duplicated with the Mill Creek set (and Season 2 is in a vastly different order with only some of the episodes). Sony's Season 3 manufacture-on-demand release had no bonus features (so I won't bother linking to it), and Sony never released the fourth (and final) season on DVD. There is a Region 4 Australian "Complete Series" 12-Disc set that looks like it contains all of the episodes AND all of the Season 1 & 2 bonus features, but you may need a region-free player in order to play it (an Amazon reviewer hints at it being playable on a Region 1 U.S. player). It will, probably, also cost you a lot more than the Mill Creek set. So, unless you absolutely need bonus features, the Mill Creek Complete Series set is the best deal.




All images were taken from the IMDB gallery of the show. This item has been provided by Mill Creek Entertainment for review on this site. (Bonus feature info sources: DVD Talk's Season 1 review, DVD Talk's Season 2 review, and this Australian DVD set case photo)