The List: #20 Six Feet Under

#20
Number of Seasons: 5
Years Active: 2001 - 2005
Network: HBO

I haven't seen the entire series yet (I just started Season 4 today), but so far, this is an incredible series. Created by Alan Ball (writer of the absolutely incredible American Beauty), Six Feet Under follows the Fisher family, who run an independent funeral home in Los Angeles. The series begins with oldest (prodigal) son Nate returning home for Christmas, only to learn that he is in for an extended stay when his father dies and leaves him a 50% share in the home. Over the next five years, Nate, his siblings David and Claire, mother Ruth, employee Federico, and family friends (sort of) Brenda and Keith deal with the hardships of life. The life lessons are often learned because of their constant exposure to death. Sometimes, the families of the dead people brought to the Fisher & Sons funeral home offer their own unique philosophies on living, and other times the Fishers learn about life due to the nature of the deaths.

On a pay cable network like HBO, where nearly anything goes, it is interesting to note that the Fishers are an extremely repressed family. Ruth and David strive for "normality", while Claire and Nate reject it, but are unsure how to live, since they have always been accustomed to shutting away their feelings. This has led Nate to leave and Claire has turned to drugs. Meanwhile, Ruth and David aren't the saints they try to pass themselves off as. While Rico is completely comfortable working with dead bodies, a rather abnormal trait, his home life is pretty strict, and though he is generally a fairly nice guy, an uglier side of his personality emerges when confronted with things he is uncomfortable with (such as homosexuality). And Brenda throws Nate for a loop with her approach to life. Her family is the exact opposite of the Fishers; these people grew up expressing their feelings, even when it was inappropriate.

The series follows the various relationships of the characters, whether they be romantic, familial or platonic. We see them at their best and at their worst, and we are given solid proof that this is a great show when we begin to feel with the characters. When David and Keith are down and out, we wish them to make up. When Claire, who seems to be drawn to guys in need of saving, starts to fall for a lost cause, we worry. And when Rico has to deal with a situation he doesn't understand, like his wife's depression, we feel worried with him. Six Feet Under lets the relationships evolve naturally (for the most part; there were one or two times when I thought that things didn't seem to fit), and we almost always feel like we understand why people are doing what they are doing. And when we are confused about a character's actions, like Brenda's in Season 2, eventually, the motives are revealed.

I thought that this was going to be a dark show about death, but the funeral home is almost a backdrop. Death defines life (sounds like someone has been reading The Sandman), and this show is about the intricacies of life.

Up next: #19...