'TIL DEATH - and Beyond

In a week when I was planning on discussing the return of 24 and AMERICAN IDOL, FOX is rocking the world with news that is completely unexpected.

'TIL DEATH has been renewed.

Not just renewed, mind you. 'TIL DEATH has been given a full 22 episode order for a fourth season.

Huh?

'TIL DEATH was never a brilliant sitcom. It was marginal at best, but the original premise had promise. A pair of newlyweds move in next door to a couple that has been married for 25 years.

Unfortunately, that premise got tossed to the curb, along with the actors playing the newlyweds during the writer's strike. When 'TIL DEATH returned from the strike hiatus, it was a completely different show - and not for the good.

Seven episodes from the current season remain unaired. The last time we saw Brad Garrett was in an embarrassing YouTube video. The last time we saw him in 'TIL DEATH was back in October. Ratings were too poor for the show to get any airings during the all important November sweeps.

So the questions is "For the love of God, why?"

The answer is remarkably simple. Sony, the producer of the show, offered a drastic cut in the licensing deal for the show for a fourth season. Even with marginal numbers, the economics of the show suddenly become much more attractive for FOX. And with the 22 additional episodes, Sony has a product available for syndication that will have 83 episodes instead of 61.

Never mind the fact that it's really a library of 31 episodes of the original sitcom and 52 episodes of the lesser version.

Oh well. You get what you pay for.