Six Feet Under (TV series)

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For the band, see Six Feet Under (band)
Six Feet Under
File:Sfu logo 23.jpg
Six Feet Under title screen
Created byAlan Ball
StarringPeter Krause
Michael C. Hall
Frances Conroy
Lauren Ambrose
Mathew St. Patrick
Freddy Rodriguez
Rachel Griffiths
Country of originUSA
No. of episodes63
Production
Running timeapprox. 60 minutes (commercial-free)
Original release
NetworkHBO
ReleaseJune 3, 2001 –
August 21, 2005

Six Feet Under was a popular and critically acclaimed American television drama produced by HBO. It first aired on June 3, 2001 and concluded its fifth and final season on August 21, 2005.

Overview

Template:Spoiler The show, created by Alan Ball, stars Peter Krause as Nathaniel ("Nate") Fisher, Jr., the son of a funeral director who reluctantly becomes a partner in the family funeral business with his brother David, played by Michael C. Hall. The Fisher clan also includes mother Ruth (Frances Conroy) and sister Claire (Lauren Ambrose). Other regulars include mortician and family friend Federico Diaz (Freddy Rodriguez), Nate's longtime girlfriend and eventual wife Brenda Chenowith (Rachel Griffiths), and David's boyfriend and eventual husband Keith Charles (Mathew St. Patrick).

The show revolves around the world of Fisher & Sons Funeral Home, a fictitious mortuary set in present day Los Angeles, California (2000–2005).

On one level, the show is a conventional family drama, dealing with such issues as relationships, infidelity, and religion. At the same time, it is a show that is distinguished by its unblinking focus on the topic of death, which it explores on multiple levels (personal, religious, and philosophical), rather than treating it as a convenient impetus for the solution of a murder. Each episode begins with a death — anything from drowning or heart attack to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome — and that death usually sets the tone for each episode, allowing the characters to reflect on their current fortunes and misfortunes in a way that is illuminated by the death and its aftermath. In Season 5, the episode All Alone was the first ever to open without a death, focusing instead on a death revealed at the end of the previous episode. The only other episode that did not feature an opening death scene was the series finale, Everyone's Waiting, which instead began with a birth, and ended with the future death scenes of all of the main characters.

A recurring plot device consists in a character having an imaginary conversation with the person who died at the beginning of the episode. Sometimes, the conversation is with other recurring dead characters, notably Nathaniel Fisher Sr., and, in later episodes, Nate's late wife Lisa. They represent the living character's internal dialogue by exposing it as an external conversation. Casual conversations with the dead also reflect the genre of magical realism. A similar device is occasionally used in which a real conversation between two living characters slips into the imaginary and becomes unrealistic. The shift cannot be clearly distinguished from the normal flow of the scene until an abrupt cut brings the audience back to a mundane conversation, which reveals through contrast the imaginary nature of the preceding moment.

File:Thenewperson.JPG
The Fisher family in an earlier season.

In November 2004, series creator and executive producer Alan Ball announced that the fifth season would be the show's last. The producers and writers felt that after 63 episodes they had told their "story". The series concluded after five seasons, with the finale airing on August 21, 2005.

On March 9, 2006 the basic cable network Bravo acquired the rights to the series which will begin airing edited episodes in fall 2006. [1]

Setting

File:Fisherhome1.JPG
The Fisher & Sons Funeral Home in 2001, both business and residence for the Fisher family.

The setting for many of the scenes is in the family owned and operated Fisher & Sons Funeral Home. The family resides on the upper floors of the funeral home; with the main floor used for the business as viewing and chapel rooms and the basement for the embalming and body preparation areas. There is also an adjacent apartment above the garage.

Six Feet Under, being a show about death, is also a show about time; each episode is set in a particular month in a "contemporary universe" that spans the period from 2000–2005. Nathaniel Fisher, Sr. (played by Richard Jenkins) dies in the pilot, which begins on December 24, 2000. The next episode is set on January 8, 2001 [2]. Some of the deaths in the series have occurred in other periods, such as the 1970s and the 1950s; in these cases, the story is brought up to date so that the plot revolves around the ramifications of the death, rather than the death itself.

The show devotes considerable attention to continuity. Sometimes six months passes between each episode; on other occasions, a day. In all cases, the story carries on from where it left off in the previous episode.

Cast and Characters

Main article at List of Six Feet Under characters.
Actor Character Relationship
Peter Krause Nate Fisher Eldest son of Ruth and Nathaniel; co-operator of Fisher & Diaz; husband to Brenda; widower to Lisa; father of Maya and Willa. Succumbs to AVM in 2005 at age 40.
Michael C. Hall David Fisher Middle child of Ruth and Nathaniel; co-operator of Fisher & Diaz; husband (later widower) of Keith; father to Durrell and Anthony. Dies in 2044 at age 75 at a picnic in Echo Park.
Frances Conroy Ruth Fisher Matriarch of Fisher family; wife to George and widow to Nathaniel; mother to Nate, David and Claire. Passes away in 2025 at age 79 in a hospital surrounded by Claire, David and George.
Lauren Ambrose Claire Fisher Youngest child of Ruth and Nathaniel; artist of the family who worked temporarily as a secretary. The final montage of the show, and her obituary on HBO's website, suggest that she became a successful photographer and teacher. Wife, then widow, of Ted Fairwell. Passes away at age 101 in 2085.
Freddy Rodriguez Federico Diaz Business partner and embalmer at Fisher & Diaz with Nate and David; husband of Vanessa; father to Julio and Augusto. Founder of Diaz Family Mortuary in 2005. Dies at age 75 in 2049 on a cruise ship with Vanessa.
Mathew St. Patrick Keith Charles Former Los Angeles police officer now in private security; husband of David; father to Anthony and Durrell. Gunned down in 2029 at age 61 by a gang of robbers as he unloads an armored truck.
James Cromwell George Sibley Geologist/professor; second husband to Ruth; father to Brian, Maggie and Kyle.
Rachel Griffiths Brenda Chenowith Daughter of Margaret and Bernard Chenowith; sister of Billy. Former shiatsu practitioner; now a cognitive therapist. Girlfriend, then wife, then widow of Nate Fisher. Mother to Willa Fisher Chenowith, and step-mother to Maya. Dies in 2051 at age 82.
Justina Machado Vanessa Diaz Registered nurse; former employee at Bay Breeze Nursing Home in Sherman Oaks. Wife and high school sweetheart of Federico; mother to Julio and Augusto.
Richard Jenkins Nathaniel Samuel Fisher Sr. Patriarch of Fisher family and owner of Fisher & Sons Funeral Home before his death in 2000. husband of Ruth; father of Nate, David and Claire.
Tina Holmes Maggie Sibley Daughter of George Sibley; traveling pharmaceutical representative from Arizona.
Patricia Clarkson Sarah O’Connor Younger sister of Ruth Fisher, an artist who lives in Topanga Canyon.
Kathy Bates Bettina Sarah’s friend and caretaker who becomes Ruth’s friend when Sarah goes to drug rehabilitation.
Lili Taylor Lisa Kimmel Fisher Nate’s former girlfriend and roommate while living in Seattle; she subsequently falls pregnant to Nate, who then marries her in 2002. She is murdered in 2003.
Jeremy Sisto Billy Chenowith Brenda’s younger brother who has bipolar disorder; son of Margaret and Bernard Chenowith; one-time boyfriend of Claire Fisher.
Joanna Cassidy Margaret Chenowith Psychiatrist mother of Brenda and Billy; widow of Bernard; current lover to Olivier Castro-Staal.
Robert Foxworth Dr. Bernard Chenowith Brenda and Billy’s psychiatrist father; husband to Margaret before his death in 2003.
Peter Macdissi Olivier Castro-Staal Professor of Form in Space at LAC-Arts; lover to Margaret Chenowith.
Rainn Wilson Arthur Martin A young intern from Cyprus College mortuary school who works for the funeral home briefly.
Ben Foster Russell Corwin Former boyfriend and classmate of Claire.
Mena Suvari Edie Free spirited lesbian artist and one-time lover of Claire.
Sprague Grayden Anita Miller Former best friend and roommate of Claire Fisher; ex-girlfriend of Russell Corwin.
Marina Black Parker McKenna Best friend of Claire Fisher during her high school years.
Eric Balfour Gabriel Dimas Claire’s high school boyfriend who was a drug addict and robbed a convenience store.
Ed O'Ross Nikolai Owner of Blossom d’Amour Flower Shop; boyfriend of Ruth Fisher when she worked at the florist.
Chris Messina Ted Fairwell Corporate attorney at Braeden Chemical Legal Department who becomes Claire's boyfriend when she applies for a secretarial job. Marries Claire shortly after her mother's death.
Kendre Berry Durrell Charles-Fisher Adopted older son of David and Keith; older brother of Anthony. He plans on working as a firefighter but later becomes a funeral director like his father.
C.J. Sanders Anthony Charles-Fisher Adopted younger son of David and Keith; brother of Durrell.
Catherine O'Hara Carol Ward A Hollywood producer who hired Lisa as her private vegan chef. Soon after though, she quit.
Brenna and Bronwyn Tosh Maya Fisher Nate and Lisa’s toddler daughter.

Family tree

Nathaniel Fisher Sr.Ruth FisherSarah O'Connor
George Sibley
Claire FisherDavid FisherNate FisherLisa Kimmel Fisher
Brenda ChenowithMaya Fisher
Willa Fisher Chenowith

List of episodes

Guest Starring roles

Six Feet Under has had several guest star appearances by Hollywood actors either portraying themselves or playing a character on the series.

Celebrity cameos

Recurring cast

Promotionals

File:Claire Hearse 2005.jpg
Promotional for the 2005 season, which features Claire driving her trademark lime green hearse into the sunset.

As Six Feet Under gradually became a topic in pop culture after Season 1, HBO came up with very stylish promotional ads to promote the anticipation of upcoming seasons. The promos often depicted the mood that may have occurred in previous episodes or foretold future scenarios. Music, according to creator Alan Ball, plays an integral role in the life of Six Feet Under, as it depicts the mood of the Fishers.

The following songs were played during the teaser trailers for the seasons following Season 1:

Episode Recaps

  • Trailers for upcoming episodes feature the Six Feet Under theme. Seasons 1 & 5 feature the original version of the song while Seasons 2, 3, 4 feature the Rae & Christian remix.
  • The song played during each episode recap is a 1995 single titled: Nothing Lies Still Long by Pell Mell.

Soundtracks

Two soundtrack albums, featuring music that had appeared in the series, were released:

Book

  • Ball, Alan (2003). Alan Poul (ed.). Six Feet Under: Better Living Through Death. ISBN 0743480651.

Scheduling Changes

In March 2005, HBO announced that the final season of Six Feet Under would be moved to Monday evenings starting June 6. The reason being to add an additional night of programming to the HBO lineup for their upcoming summer season which included Entourage and The Comeback. This was much to the chagrin of loyal viewers since every episode prior had aired on a Sunday. The Monday night experiment ultimately failed due to decreased ratings and complaints. HBO chairman, Chris Albrecht admitted the move was a mistake [7] since the network has always been committed to airing programs on the weekends. Six Feet Under returned to its old timeslot on July 10, 2005 after having been in the new timeslot for only five episodes [8].

DVD

Timeframe

The following is a timeframe which features the year the particular episode is set in. Not to be confused with the actual year the episode originally aired.

  • Season 1: 2000 (pilot), 2001 (12 episodes)
  • Season 2: 2001 (8 episodes), 2002 (5 episodes)
  • Season 3: 2002 (1 episode), 2003 (12 episodes)
  • Season 4: 2003,(4 episodes), 2004 (8 episodes)
  • Season 5: 2004 (2 episodes), 2005 (10 episodes)

Trivia

File:Sfu.PNG
The Six Feet Under ensemble. From left to right: Brenda Chenowith, Nate Fisher, David Fisher, Keith Charles, Federico Diaz, Claire Fisher and Ruth Fisher.
  • There are conflicting reports on how the series was born. In one instance creator Alan Ball says he conceived the premise to create the show after the deaths of his sister and father. However in this interview [9], he intimates HBO entertainment president, Carolyn Strauss proposed the idea to Ball.
  • The Fisher & Sons Funeral Home is located at 2302 West 25th St. in the West Adams section of Los Angeles, the actual location of The Filipino Federation of America.
  • Alan Ball considers Los Angeles the world capital of the denial of death.
  • Rachel Griffiths (Brenda Chenowith) is Australian and put on an American accent for the show.
  • The pilot episode features several spoof commercials for funeral homes and products. This was intended to be a recurring feature throughout the series but was dropped after the first episode.
  • Peter Krause (Nate Fisher), Michael C. Hall (David Fisher), Frances Conroy (Ruth Fisher) and Lauren Ambrose (Claire Fisher) appeared in all 63 of the series' episodes.
    • Rachel Griffiths (Brenda Chenowith) did not appear in four episodes of Season 3 due to her 2002 pregnancy.
    • Mathew St. Patrick (Keith Charles) did not appear in three episodes of the series due to his Season 1 story arc.
    • Freddy Rodriguez (Federico Diaz) appeared in 62 episodes, missing one episode 1.09 "Life's Too Short" due to Federico's storyline.
  • Alan Ball had 13 days to shoot the pilot.
  • HBO renewed the series for a second season a week after the pilot aired.
  • Kathy Bates who was a director during the first three seasons went on to pursue a recurring role on the series as Ruth's friend, Bettina.
  • Freddy Rodriguez (Federico Diaz) had a recurring role on Alan Ball's ABC series, Oh, Grow Up! which aired in 1999, two years prior to Six Feet Under. The show was cancelled after 11 episodes.
  • Rachel Griffiths' (Brenda Chenowith) second pregnancy in 2004 was written into the show.
  • Caskets for the show are made by ABC Caskets in Los Angeles.
  • Each Fisher sibling has lived in the Fisher coach house during the duration of the series. David in the first two seasons, Nate and Lisa during the third season, and Claire in the fourth and fifth seasons.
  • Frances Conroy (Ruth Fisher) is only 12 years older than Peter Krause (Nate Fisher), despite playing his mother.
  • Only two episodes of the series have been co-written: Episode 30, Nobody Sleeps and Episode 49, The Black Forest, which is very odd for a series since many writers on other shows are paired up into writing teams.
  • The series converted to HDTV (16:9 widescreen) during the third season (2003).
  • Justina Machado (Vanessa Diaz) became a series regular in 2005 after being in a guest starring role since Episode 2 of the series.
  • Tina Holmes (Maggie Sibley) originally auditioned for the minor role of "Marci", Bettina's daughter in The Black Forest. Holmes did not get the job but was called back to read for George's daughter, Maggie.
  • Every episode written by writer and cartoonist, Bruce Eric Kaplan begins with the word "The" in the episode's title, e.g. The Foot, The Dare.
  • Freddy Rodriguez (Federico Diaz), Lauren Ambrose (Claire Fisher), Peter Facinelli (Jimmy) and Eric Balfour (Gabriel Dimas) were all in the 1998 movie, Can't Hardly Wait.
  • Amy Spanger who played Holly Duncan, (the death of the week's sister) in Static is the wife of Michael C. Hall (David Fisher) in real life.
  • The series finale, Everyone's Waiting is the longest episode of the series clocking in at 75 minutes.

Broadcasting

Six Feet Under is broadcast on the following channels around the world:

HBO Broadcast History

External links

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