Living With a Nerd

John Waters tended to stick with movies.  So what happens when he makes the move to television shows?  We get ‘Til Death Do Us Part (aka Love You to Death, in the UK.)

John Waters narrates and stars in this short-lived series that (in the USA, anyway) aired on Court TV back in 2007.  It takes real life court cases of spousal murder, and reenacts the marriage.  Starting with the wedding day, the audience is shown how happy and perfect the couple is, after which a jump forward takes us to the time of turmoil.  From there, the final days and weeks of the relationship are played out, culminating in the murder and subsequent apprehension.  There aren’t any indications of how each episode is going to play out, and you never know who was going to do the murdering and why; half the fun of this show is the discussion, and as a result I recommend watching it with another person.

Even though it wasn’t created, written, or directed by John Waters, ‘Til Death Do Us Part still maintains his sick sense of humor and twisted ideas.  I’ll admit, I was quite surprised to hear that Waters did nothing but act and provide voiceovers…this entire show seems like something he would dream up, and is even done in a style similar to his own.  Waters’ character of “the Groom Reaper” seems like it was made for the actor.  Puns, one-liners, and situational comedy make up the bulk of the character.  Waters’ voice and slight accent are also perfect for narration, given the dark yet comedic tone of the show.  It is quite difficult to imagine someone else in his place.

The acting and script are deliberately bad, seemingly poking fun at reenactments on shows like America’s Most Wanted.  Still, despite the intentional lameness, sets are well designed and makeup effects are quite good.  Camera angles make you feel like you are really a part of a scene, and the baffled/deranged look that eventually takes over the murderer in each story feels universal across each actor or actress.  Sound design is decent enough, with clear dialogue and a good mix between ambient and actor volumes.  The production values are overall quite high, a surprising detail considering that this show likely had a fairly small budget.  For reasons unbeknownst to me, this series was horribly received and barely maintains a 2 star rating on Netflix.  I personally loved it, and even if Waters hadn’t been a part of it I still think it would have been entertaining.  Ignore the reviews and critical reception; do yourself a favor and find a copy of this show.  It is quite entertaining and doesn’t get the credit it deserves.