From Alan Ball, the Oscar(r) winning writer of "American Beauty", comes a series that digs where others fear to tread. When a bus kills Nathaniel Fisher, owner of the Fisher & Sons Funeral Home in Los Angeles, the trag... more »edy casts a pall on the homecoming of his prodigal son Nate. Together with with mother Ruth, brother David and sister Claire, they must address the family business, and the many more personal matters that arise when your life is Six Feet Under.DVD Features:
Great and addictive opening theme song. Many actors were defined by this show such as Richard Jenkins and Peter Krause. You can watch other series and movies that they are in but they never come close to their skill here and you will be left disappointed. Each episode brings you a new side story, which is cool but common themes chip away from the quality of this series and deteriorate the quality of the show as you get deeper into the series.
Michael D. from ROCHESTER, NY Reviewed on 7/27/2014...
Never saw this series when it was on.Did not know what I was missing.So glad shows like this are available on DVD.Enjoyed all the charactors especially Michael C Hall's (being a Dexter fan I was shocked and impressed at his perfect performance)
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Angela B. (dragonflyab) from HARTVILLE, MO Reviewed on 4/14/2011...
This series isn't for everyone based on the funeral home and gay aspect of the show. That being said it is my absolute FAVORITE series! Awesome acting.
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Brie W. (bdwlsu) from BATON ROUGE, LA Reviewed on 12/7/2010...
Great cast, well-written, just incredibly well-made. The subject matter's probably not for everyone, though. If you're open-minded and in to quality, thought-provoking shows, this is definitely worth a watch.
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Carrie W. (Roxiesox25) Reviewed on 9/6/2009...
Best series that has ever been on television! It is amazing! Dark humor, sometimes very funny, and at times very sad. But such a great show!
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Robey S. (Robey) Reviewed on 1/31/2009...
This series is the most boring, un-exciting TV show I have ever watched. I bought the whole series and kept waiting for something exciting to happen, by the middle of the 2nd season I gave up. Don't waste your time or money, (and/or credits)unless you like shows that go nowhere and make you want to kill yourself.
ETA: I did end up watching the whole series, because, well, I already paid for it. And although I wasn't really into the whole funeral home thing, it may be because I prefer shows or series I watch to have a little more action/adventure with some drama sprinkled in. This show is ALL drama.
However, I do have to say, despite my dislike for this show, it had one of the best series finalies I have ever seen.
HBO series: contains, sex, nudity, language. (Note: I'm not opposed to any of these things, just thought I would mention it so those who are could be aware.)
8 of 25 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
Pricey...no extras, but an INCREDIBLE series!
12/24/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a watershed series in American television. HBO, which has created some of the best written and realisticly in-your-face programming in the history of television (the Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Oz) has re-written what is possible on the small screen with Six Feet Under.The first season of the series deals with issues such as death, drug use, homosexuality, family alienation, mental illness, divorce, bankrupcy, co-dependency and incest. The amazing part is that it NEVER comes across like a soap opera or ABC Afterschool Special. It is very real, and moving.Alan Ball, the extraordinary writer of the film "American Beauty" writes and directs this tour de force in television excellence. While this show is not for everyone, if you enjoyed Ball's previous work, you no doubt will love this show as much as the critics and millions of fans have. I think the Sopranos and Six Feet Under are reason enough to get HBO.Ball creates multi-layered, complex characters for this ensemble cast, and allows them to develop throughout the season. What you see up front is not always what you get in the end. For the price, I would have liked some extra features, like behind the scenes or a "making of" featurette, or interviews with the stars. Many of those are already available on HBO's website, I don't think it would have killed them to include a little extra for the {price}. However, that being said, you are paying {much} for 13 HOURS of entertainment. That is fairly in line with the 2 hour movie average price on DVD. And this is INFINITELY better than 99.999% of the movies that have come out in the last 10 years.Buy it, enjoy it, and wait patiently for the next season...coming soon."
Six Feet Under is the Best Drama Around
06/04/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Golden Globe winning drama, Six Feet Under, is finally going to get a DVD release! Anyone who has been following this series on HBO knows that Six Feet Under is one of the best dramas to come out of Hollywood in a long time. With season 2 just ending June 2 this is a perfect time to get the first season and hopefully second season released. For those who aren't familiar with Six Feet Under, the show revolves around the Fisher and Sons Funeral Home but mostly deals with the family and their friends daily struggles with life. Each episode begins with a death in which the body ends up at Fisher and Sons Funeral Home, and usually sets the pace for each episode. As for the family, the father is deceased but his spirit has appeared in past episodes to guide or comfort some of the cast members. The mother, Ruth, works at a local flower shop and tries to hold a relationship together with its owner, Nikolai. Ruth has two sons, David and Nate. David is in a homosexual relationship with Keith who works with the police force, and Nate has problems health wise and is in a relationship with Brenda who has major problems of her own. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll let you find out all their problems when you watch the show. There is also Ruth's daughter who is an artist, but is only beginning to realize her potential to succeed. She is caught up in thinking that her life is the worst in the world, which seems to stem from growing up in a funeral home (or at least that is what she thinks). There is also Federico, who works under David and Nate in the funeral home. His job is to basically prepare the bodies and that's mostly where you see him throughout the episodes. There is also the occasional visit by Mitsy who is determined to either buy out Fisher and Sons or crush David and Nate. She would probably prefer to do both, though.That doesn't even begin to explain the best drama series around. For those who think that this is just some show about death, you're wrong. Six Feet Under is so much more and I can't wait for season 3 to begin. There is much going on throughout this series with lawsuits, love triangles, drug abuse, money scandals, and the occasional death:) that it's almost impossible not to watch once you have started. Also, a lot of people are probably able to relate to many of the topics covered in this show. This DVD will make a great addition to your collection whether you are following the series now, or buying this to see it for the first time. You won't be disappointed!!!"
Truly unique television series
12/20/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Words cannot express how odd, enthralling, and life-affirming "Six Feet Under" is. One would think that a series about a family that owns a mortuary would be morbid, but there are unexpected laughs and a true appreciation for the gift of life that one takes away from watching this first season.One caveat: I agree with other reviewers listed here that the price for the box set is prohibitively high. A 13-episode season shouldn't warrant [this price]even with the pre-order discount offered by Amazon, the box set is too expensive."
Arguably the best show on television
Douglas King | Cincinnati, OH United States | 09/22/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Six Feet Under is, in my opinion, the best show on television. It is probably my favorite television show of all time. Unfortunately, it has ruined me for most network television. The writing is superb. The show is always unpredictable and captivating, and yet nothing that happens ever just feels like a stunt. It is beautifully acted by the entire cast. Instead of stock characters, the people who inhabit this world appear as three dimensional, flawed, tragic, comic, and beautiful human beings. Instead of being a "show about nothing", the trend started by Seinfeld that pretty much every show since seems to be imitating, Six Feet Under is the opposite: it's a show about everything. Life, death, love, God, religion, family, sexuality, tragedy, comedy ... it's all covered. I know I'm gushing, but when you've been fed a steady diet of [garbage] for so long and something gourmet comes along ... it's hard not to. When this show ends I will be deeply saddened."
Amazing, heartfelt, and real
T. Lawrence | los angeles, ca | 09/08/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I actually saw season one of SFU on HBO when it came out, althought I didn't recall seeing ALL of it until I sat down and watched the DVDs this past week.
I sat down with my boyfriend, who has been putting off watching these episodes since I got them, and within twenty minutes of the pilot he was hooked. We just moved and have no basic cable, so we depend on DVDs during dinner...we spent four nights watching Season 1 and he is now counting down the days until we order the Season 2 set.
SFU is unlike any other show I've seen. Television gets harder and harder to watch these days, saturated with reality tv and repetitive sitcoms. It's hard to find something as refreshing as Six Feet Under to really get under your skin. Alan Ball has a way of making you feel like you know and care about the characters, and you leave each episode feeling like if you don't watch the next, something will happen without you.
The cinematography is what really grabbed me. Each episode is beautiful to watch and is filled with amazing colors and camera angles and sybolism.
But above all else, the cast is what truly holds this masterpiece together. Everyone is so convincing. Whoever decided on the final cast should be rewarded heavily, because I don't think the show would be the same without them. If you watch the pilot episode and then the last episode of the season, you can see an amazing change in every single one of the characters...but it doesn't just happen. They all gradually move toward these new personalitites, strengths, and realizations...and as a viewer you don't even notice it happening unless you look for it. It takes a lot of talent to develop a character that can GROW so seamlessly in one season...much less to find a full cast that can pull it off.