Six Feet Under (2001–2005)

A drama series that takes a darkly comical look at members of a dysfunctional California family that runs an independent funeral home.

Creator:

Alan Ball

Stars:

Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy

Won 3 Golden Globes. Another 46 wins & 117 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Peter Krause	...	Nate Fisher (63 episodes, 2001-2005)
Michael C. Hall	...	David Fisher (63 episodes, 2001-2005)
Frances Conroy	...	Ruth Fisher (63 episodes, 2001-2005)
Lauren Ambrose	...	Claire Fisher (63 episodes, 2001-2005)
Freddy Rodríguez	...	Federico 'Rico' Diaz (63 episodes, 2001-2005)
Mathew St. Patrick	...	Keith Charles (63 episodes, 2001-2005)
Rachel Griffiths	...	Brenda Chenowith (63 episodes, 2001-2005)
Justina Machado	...	Vanessa Diaz (42 episodes, 2001-2005)
Jeremy Sisto	...	Billy Chenowith (29 episodes, 2001-2005)
James Cromwell	...	George Sibley (27 episodes, 2003-2005)

Storyline

A drama series that takes a darkly comical look at members of a dysfunctional family that runs an independent funeral home. With the prodigal elder son (Nate) returning home for the holidays to shattering news, the family must learn to deal with a death of their own, while figuring out how to go ahead with the business of the living. A funny and emotional look at a grieving American family...that just happens to be in the grief management business.

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Plot Keywords:

funeral | funeral home | death | dysfunctional family | prodigal son | 

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Taglines:

Your whole life is leading up to this...

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Official Sites:

Official site - Six Feet Under (HBO) Showcase

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 June 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Six pieds sous terre

Filming Locations:

2302 W. 25th Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Home Box Office (HBO), The Greenblatt Janollari Studio, Actual Size Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

55 min 55 min (63 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Freddy Rodríguez's real son Giancarlo Rodriguez plays Rico's on-screen son Julio.

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Quotes

Celeste: [on the phone] Fine, I'll do the crappy Kids Choice Awards, but I'm not presenting with Hilary fucking Duff.

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Connections

Referenced in Two and a Half Men: That Special Tug (2006)

User Reviews

Raw, personal conflict was never so mesmerizing

Six Feet Under is meticulous, beautiful, daunting, and powerful. One way or another, it will connect with you, perhaps in places you didn't expect and aren't willing to expose. At times wrenching, at other times cathartic, but always staring back at you knowingly, this show stands head and shoulders above the advertising-driven fare that clogs network TV with mediocrity, token minorities, and jarring commercial breaks. It changed the way I view television, and I recommend it to anyone who's tired of the same old crap.

After watching the series finale (which I won't spoil, don't worry), I sat in bed, unable to sleep. After poring over everything I'd seen over the past season, it struck me that SFU is the most raw and personal television show I've ever seen. Even more, there are no stand-alone episodes for easy syndication. Every single installment is part of a huge puzzle, or a few more miles on the Fisher family's road. I've always found Peter Krause to be a disappointingly flat performer, which is unfortunate because his character anchors the show, but the other actors are often transcendent. Regardless, every one of them radiates with a sometimes painfully familiar pathos. The cinematography is also staggering sometimes, taken from film rather than typical 3-camera TV work. If that's not enough, the music they choose to score the episodes is almost symbiotic; it seems ingrained into the film itself, even when you know it was just licensed.

This is not really a family-friendly show, though, encompassing profanity, nudity, violence, drug use, "alternative lifestyles" ... So in other words, it's just like real life. And despite the interpersonal conflicts that fuel the narrative to the point of melodrama, the show isn't afraid to pause every once in a while and let the show communicate without dialogue.

I feel very gratified to have watched SFU, and I've never felt that way about any other show in the almost-27 years I've been alive. Hopefully it will start a trend, if only on premium cable.