Six Feet Under

It was very uneven. It had a great first season and a great last half-season, with one of the best series finales of any show ever.

But, it was widely agreed the stuff in between was of widely varying quality. There's a very special episode where the gay adult son thinks he's picking up someone who turns out to be a sadistic psychopath who psychologically tortures him (for no clear reason) to the point where he trheatens to set the character on fire, and fans absolutely hated that episode.

Why must everything be a competition and ranked, OP?

My favorite series ever.

I loved it then. I do not find it as compelling now, and the finale was -slightly- overrated (and I LOVED the final season) I would put in my Top 10-12? Probably Top 10 (Sopranos/Mad Men/The Comeback/Succession/Fleabag/Euphoria/and now Industry/then Killing Eve/ SFU followed by Breaking Bad. So 9th for me. Industry will probably reach my Top 5 if it keeps up this quality.. For me SFU has not aged well, very similar to another Alan Ball creation- American Beauty

They both have timeless themes but both seem almost quaint- and trite upon viewing now-

Whereas The Sopranos and Mad Men seem fresh

The finale was insane. Unforgettable. Even if some of the storylines were meh the brilliant cast made the most of it.

Yeah, the cast of Six Feet Under was just so amazingly talented. Almost perfect ensemble. I loved Ruth, the mother. Big crush on Peter Krause in this series.

Loved it.

For me it was a groundbreaking show when it aired. The frank approach to death, the aftermath and the family and their personal lives. The performances were outstanding, the writing was unparalleled for TV at the time IMO. It's one of the best shows I've ever watched. And probably has the best series finale of all time.

Ruth is going to die in 2025. That seemed so far away at the time, and here we are.

All the videos at YouTube have it condensed. Found the complete finale at Dailymotion

TBH I didn't like like it. Watched the whole thing too.

I finally sat and watched it a few years ago, long after it was over. And I couldn't tear myself away. Fabulous.

Loved it and never missed a week. It certainly was one of the best tv shows of all time IMHO.

The ending was surprisingly hard to find in one piece.

Saw the first episode and hated it, but I tend to hate television.

The only TV series I ever watched were Twin Peaks and Bojack Horseman. I think they were both weird enough to not seem like TV.

I loved it.

The actress who played Brenda was such an odd choice for that character.

Rachel Griffiths was fucking brilliant as Brenda.

Recently rewatched, it was an absolutely fantastic series, very ahead of its time, especially on gay issues, and adult sexual relationships in general.

Nate was hot.

r4, which Industry show are you referencing? The one that started a few years ago about the financial industry, or the one from this years about the writer?

My favorite HBO show. I've rewatched it a few times since I first watched it as teenager. I have an easier time relating to the characters as I grow older.

The exception is Rico. I thought he was a resentful asshole when I first watched the show and that opinion has remained the same. I think he's the only main character who doesn't experience personal growth. He seems to get nastier as the show goes on. Did anyone else notice this?

Nate was hot but always seemed like a boring lay.

It’s the only box set I have.

Agree with your assessment of Rico, R22. I'm watching it now; HBO is having a marathon. S4 starts in a few minutes. I think the problem is that Rico was treated better under Nate, Sr. He had a special connection iwth him since he was able to reconstruct his Dad's face after he fell off a roof and landed face-first into a pile of bricks.

I didn't like Claire's character and still don't. She was such a whiny bitch! I didn't care for Lisa (Lili Taylor) either. I could tell there was something weird about her character the minute she came on screen.

It is, however, one of my favorite series of all time.

[quote]Nate was hot but always seemed like a boring lay.

That's where Brenda came in. She was a power bottom lol.

I never cared for Lisa either, r25. I think she was supposed to be transparently manipulative. Nate just didn't see it because he's kind of dumb. The way she chased after such an emotionally unavailable man made her hard to respect as a character.

She doesn't play a huge role in the series but I LOVE Brenda's mother. Nearly everything she says is hilarious and she has manic energy. The whole Chenoweth family is very entertaining.

I hated Lisa. I've known several people just like her IRL and they're all insufferable.

Joanna Cassidy as the fabulously batshit Margaret Chenowith was incredible.

David calling those gay hotlines in the first season always made me smile.

The Rapture opening scene remains one of my Top 10 favorite television bits.

Thanks to this thread, I just started watching it ,starting with the pilot.

I always meant to watch it but never seemed to get around to it.

Mary me all you want...I'll proudly accept it. This is the best ending ever, and I just cried my eyes out again.

Anyway I too old for Mary. It's Louise if you please.

I'm^

This show made me a fan of Richard Jenkins. I'll watch him in pretty much anything.

Started watching season 1 on Max earlier this week - season 1 & 2 were in standard format 4:3 on DVD whereas seasons 3-5 were 16:9 format. Max has season 1 & 2 in 16:9 so I recorded it and just finished those seasons. I have the DVD series when they first came out - I didn't watch much TV then but now I need a replacement for all the MSM I used to watch. This series is just the ticket.

6FU is truly a wonderful series and I am enjoying it greatly. Love all the characters especially Ruth (Frances Conroy). Of course Nate Fisher (Peter Krause) is a dreamboat in every sense of the word (IMMHO). He has a kinda 'little boy' quality to his face and doesn't take any shit and dishes some great comebacks throughout the series. Originally I didn't like Claire but this time around she shines in a different light. The only character I didn't/don't care for is Billy (Jeremy Sisto). This series holds up well even after 20 years since it's original broadcast. The only real change is the type of cell/mobile phones that were available back then - now everyone on most every show has a screen jammed in their face checking messages, playing games, or ordering from Amazon.

Lisa reminded me of one or my aunts who I am very fond of. I know she was supposed to be annoying, but I think one of the strengths of the series is how imperfect and yet relatable the characters are.

R21- The one on HBO that started a few years ago- I am only 3/4 way through the 2nd season and I am utterly hooked (I also love anything that takes place in London)

I hated Lisa too, but the episodes where she and Nate are trying to make a go of it created an incisive portrait of an unhappy marriage of mismatched people who got together for all the wrong reasons. While hating Lisa, I still had to admit she was earnest and sincere. Until we learned she really wasn’t. But everyone on this series was flawed, one of the things that put this series 15-20 years head of its time.

Exactly what R12 said.

Ruth Fisher died in March of this year.

[quote]I hated Lisa. I've known several people just like her IRL and they're all insufferable.

Lili Taylor absolutely NAILED a certain kind of woman from Seattle. There's a lot of them like that.

It's maybe fourth or fifth in my list after The Bureau of Legends, Gomorrah, and The Wire, but I could only watch it once. It was too draining. I watched the others many times over.

At the time I was impressed but since it came out there have been far better shows

It's a classic, one of the best shows of all time.

[quote]Ruth Fisher died in March of this year.

Did she scream "BALENCIAGA!!!" with her dying breath?

What r46?

For R47

R42, live here, will confirm.

My old roommates and I refer to her as life-sucking lisa, as she (the character, not the actress, Lili Taylor, who is always solid) almost sucked the life out of the series and thus HAD to be killed. She made me start to hate Nate, who season five finishes off first - not really a spoiler, it's a 20 year old show, and if you knew you knew - but one of the best finales ever.