You Should Know About... Six Feet Under

You Should Know About… Six Feet Under

You thought that modern TV was weird? Well it used to be a lot stranger. The series is set in a funeral home, which – after the death of the owner, Nathaniel Fisher Snr. – is passed to sons Nate and David to run with his wife Ruth, and was notable for featuring a death …

You thought that modern TV was weird? Well it used to be a lot stranger.

The series is set in a funeral home, which – after the death of the owner, Nathaniel Fisher Snr. – is passed to sons Nate and David to run with his wife Ruth, and was notable for featuring a death at the beginning each episode. The show spanned five seasons and created a star out of Michael C. Hall, who moved on to become America’s favourite psychopath, Dexter Morgan.

Now available on DVD, younger gays may not know that this show was the first to show a normal mixed-race gay relationship, or that the crazy cat-lady from the Halle Berry incarnation of Catwoman had a main role beforehand, or that you can sing about how annoying wearing tights can be to the tune of Light Up My Life (it’s possible the funniest version ever, and we’ve included the YouTube clip below).

This deeply philosophical show mixes very difficult discussions about death, drugs, suicide, the meaning of life, mental health and all sort of other hairy subjects, with stupid and hilarious humour – and some very hot sex scenes. There are even discussions on the role of homosexuality in the church, before it became such a hot topic for cardinals to bitch about.

The main message that resounded throughout the series, however, is that life is precious and that we should appreciate it more, and with the way each show starts and finishes that message couldn’t be any more clear.

The cast are wholly convincing in each of their roles, and the Fisher family expands and dilates as the cast grew and shrunk accordingly. If you manage to make it to the last episode without shedding the occasional tear – even if it’s a result of laughing like a hyena – then we would be very much surprised.