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''Six Feet Under'' is an American Television Drama created by Alan Ball that was originally broadcast from 2001 to 2005. It was produced by Alan Ball, Alan Poul , Robert Greenblatt and David Janollari. The series centers on a family-run mortuary, Fisher & Sons Funeral Home, and explores the lives of the Fisher family following the death of the family patriarch (the title being a Colloquialism / Euphemism for death, six feet being the traditional depth at which a body would be laid). The series is set in modern-day Los Angeles . ''Six Feet Under'' was produced by Actual Size Films and The Greenblatt/Janollari Studio. It first aired on HBO in 2001, and has been broadcast in syndication by basic cable channel Bravo as well as in dozens of other countries. The series ended its five year run on August 21 , 2005 . The show has received critical acclaim from ''s and nine Emmy Award s. The series won the Golden Globe award for Outstanding Drama Series and Best Supporting Actress for Rachel Griffiths in 2002. Frances Conroy went on to receive the award for Best Actress in a Drama for the Golden Globes in 2004. The show also won the Screen Actors Guild award for Best Ensemble for a Drama series, two years in a row (2003–2004)." Awards for ''Six Feet Under'' " IMDB.com. Accessed 25 December 2006. PLOT OVERVIEW See Also: List of Six Feet Under episodes The show stars Peter Krause as Nathaniel Samuel ("Nate") Fisher Jr. , the son of a Funeral Director who, upon the death of his father, 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 on again off again girlfriend and eventual wife Brenda Chenowith ( Rachel Griffiths ), and David's boyfriend and eventual husband Keith Charles ( Mathew St. Patrick ). 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 distinguished by its unblinking focus on the topic of Death , which it explores on multiple levels (personal, religious, and philosophical), rather than, say, 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. The show also has a strong dosage of black humor running throughout. A recurring plot device consists of 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. 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 where 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. CONCEPT Although overall plots and characters were created from Alan Ball, there are conflicting reports on how the series' concept was conceived. In one instance, creator entertainment president Carolyn Strauss proposed the idea to him. The latter argument is supported by the statement of facts in an opinion by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in a copyright-infringement case Funky Films vs. Time Warner Legal Case involving the series, which HBO won: Funky Films, Inc. v. Time Warner Entertainment Co., 462 F.3d 1072 (2006). SETTING The setting for many of the scenes is in the family owned and operated Fisher & Sons Funeral Home in Los Angeles. 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 a separate apartment with a garage adjacent to the funeral home. CAST AND CHARACTERS See Also: List of Six Feet Under characters Recurring cast
Significant guest stars
FAMILY TREE TIMEFRAME OF EPISODE SETTINGS The following is a timeframe which features the year the particular episode is set in, which is distinct from the year the episode actually first aired.
PROMOTIONALS Season promotionals According to creator Alan Ball, Music plays an integral role in ''Six Feet Under'', as it depicts the moods of the Fishers. The following songs were played during the Teaser Trailer s for the seasons following the first:
Episode recaps The song played during each episode recap is a 1995 single called "Nothing Lies Still Long" by Pell Mell . Episode previews Previews for upcoming episodes feature the ''Six Feet Under'' theme. The first and fifth seasons feature the original version of the song while the second, third and fourth seasons feature the Rae & Christian Remix . RELEASES DVD See Also: List of Six Feet Under DVD releases Soundtracks Two soundtrack albums, featuring music that had appeared in the series, were released:
Books 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 a huge adjustment for regular viewers as the series had traditionally been scheduled for Sundays. The Monday night experiment ultimately failed due to decreased Ratings and complaints. HBO chairman, Chris Albrecht admitted the move was a mistake Chris Albrecht statement on programming change 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. FutonCritic HBO Press Release Regarding Schedule Change In Australia, the Nine Network infuriated fans by consistently delaying and rescheduling episodes past midnight during the broadcast of seasons 1 to 5. TRIVIA The creative talent of the show — actors, writers, and directors — have interconnections within and apart from the show. Freddy Rodriguez had a recurring role on Alan Ball's earlier ABC series, ''Oh, Grow Up!''; the program aired in 1999, two years prior to ''Six Feet Under''. Actors Lauren Ambrose, Freddy Rodriguez, Eric Balfour (''Gabriel Dimas'') and Peter Facinelli (''Jimmy'') were all in the 1998 movie '' Can't Hardly Wait ''. Peter Krause had a recurring role in the 90's Sit-Com Cybill , which was co-written by Ball. Additionally, actor 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. ''Six Feet Under'' had various real-life Los Angeles connections. Many of the sculptures and paintings seen on the show are the works of local sculptor and artist Bruce Gray. There are many stills from several episodes on his website that feature his work. Bruce Gray official site The Fisher & Sons Funeral Home was located at 2302 West 25th St. in the West Adams section of Los Angeles, which was actually the location of The Filipino Federation of America. Casket s for the show were made by a local company, ABC Caskets. Life after ''Six Feet Under'' After the series ended in 2005 , several actors from the series have moved on to lead and supporting roles on several present-day network television programs and several notable films
Additional facts
HBO BROADCAST HISTORY
BROADCASTING ''Six Feet Under'' is broadcast on the following channels around the world:
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