TILL DEATH: An Example of Cynicsm In Our Society.

I was anxiously awaiting the debut of Till Death because of one reason: the return of Brad Garrett who so deftly played the put upon,long suffering Robert in the hit tv series EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND. This would surely be a sure-fire hit, especially with the talented Garrett at the helm. So, on September 7, I tuned in expecting to laugh my ass off. Instead,I sat through a mildly amusing show that brought home a most cynical message: Marriage Sucks.

According to the writers,(the husband and wife team of Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa) marriage is wonderful and romantic in the beginning but after a number of years it curdles like a bottle of old milk. What a wonderful message to convey to today's viewing audience. Not!

That's right, Fox network. For years, ever since MARRIED WITH CHILDREN, you've bombarded your audience with shows that depict the downside of marriage.And while the couples depicted do end up staying together, they are portrayed as unhappy, bitter folks resigned to being shackled to one another until the Angel of Death comes along to release them from their life of total misery.

It's my guess that a television show which portrayed people in a happy, healthy and harmonious union wouldn't reap the barrel of laughs that two people in complete and total misery would provide. Our society has become rather sardonic when it comes to marital relationships and one might say tv is simply mirroring us as we are. If so, it is sad making to think that we view marriage in such a downbeat fashion.

Now, to be fair I thought I'd give the show a second chance. However,I endured approximately five minutes of the Sex for Furniture episode before throwing in the towel and switching the channel. It was unfunny and(once again that word rears it's ugly head) cynical. From all the ads promoting the new series, Fox seems to predict TILL DEATH will be a smash hit. Perhaps. But from where I sit, I don't see it surviving more than one season. If the show winds up lasting for a few seasons or more,it'll prove that cynicism is more prevalent in our culture than it ought to be. And that ain't funny.