Fox has always been the home of the dysfunctional family sitcom, whether it be animated (“The Simpsons”) or live action (the pioneering “Married … With Children”).

During this midseason-replacement season have come two worthy successors to those illustrious shows. First came the offbeat “Malcolm in the Middle,” which has a family with both a mother and a father, yet still manages to be dysfunctional. Now comes “Titus,” which premieres at 8:30 tonight.

“Titus,” based on the stage show of stand-up comic-series star Christopher Titus, puts the dys- back in dysfunctional. The womanizing father of the titular character has been divorced five times, and is a true believer in tough love, readily dismissing his two sons as “wussies.” His mother, a manic-depressive schizophrenic, resides in a mental care facility, or as his father puts it, she’s “shacked up in the wacko basket.” His simple-minded younger stepbrother, Dave, chose to stay when his mother left Titus Sr.

Still, Titus feels his upbringing is an advantage, as being from a screwed-up family means nothing rattles him: “Once you’ve driven your drunk father to your mother’s parole hearing, what else is there?.”

Titus has one island of stability: his girlfriend, Erin. They knew each other as teens, but they went to a segregated high school — she was in the “incredibly hot-looking-chicks” group while he was in the “pimply faced losers” class. The insecure Titus can’t believe that this smart, attractive woman wants to be with him, and he’s continually waiting for their relationship to collapse, the way all the others in his life have.

Comic and part-time actor Titus has smartly grounded himself in material he knows — his life — which has made his show seem considerably less contrived than many of the stand-up star vehicles that have bombarded TV over the past decade since the success of “Home Improvement” and “Seinfeld.” Titus is a comfortable TV presence, even during the frequent black-and-white asides to the audience.

Stacy Keach steals the show whenever he’s on screen as father Ken Titus, the hardworking, hard-drinking, hard-to-love father. His response to the many disapproving looks that his parenting skills draw from passers-by is “What?”

Cynthia Watros, an Emmy winner on “The Guiding Light,” is a gem as the level-headed but occasionally unhinged Erin. Titus the character explains: “Although she seems perfect, she does have a temper. But it’s a Northern Irish temper. She doesn’t fight, she just puts a bomb in my car.”

Zack Ward as simple Dave and David Shatraw as the simpering, token normal Tommy round out a solid supporting cast.

“Titus” and lead-in “That ’70s Show” gives Fox the potent hour of adventurous comedy that CBS wishes it had in that time slot. Maybe being unveiled this late in the season will actually be an advantage, as viewers are looking for something fresh, and “Titus” is definitely that.