Six Feet Under follows the lives of the Fishers, a highly dysfunctional family that own an independent funeral home located in Los Angeles, California. In the first episode, the patriarch of the family passes away and we find the family brought together by this tragic loss, for better or worse. Nate Fisher (Peter Krause), and his younger brother, David (Michael C. Hall), attempt to keep their dismayed mother and sister from ailing, while dealing with their own numerous personal problems. All four family members try in their own way to move on while keeping the memory of their father alive.

The drama was created and executive produced by Alan Ball, also known for being the creative power behind the titillating fantasy-drama, True Blood. Both television series’ premiered on the Home Box Office (HBO), which allowed them to have artistic freedom in telling the character’s stories truthfully and authentically.

Six Feet Under would air for five consecutive seasons, from 2001 to 2005. This past August, marked the tenth anniversary since the show was on air for the last time.

From the incredible acting displayed by the strong cast, to the impactful storylines, to the memorable cameo roles, this show was deservedly popular, as demonstrated by the awards it received while it was still on air. Thankfully, due to online video streaming, people are still able to watch the whole show from beginning to end on various platforms, such as HBO GO.

Here, I will share what made this television show such a success.

For one, the theme song and opening credits were visually pleasing. It also tied to the overall theme of the show, which is of life and death, incorporating various recognizable visuals that we might associate with these two events. And despite each shot changing suddenly, it was edited in a way to distract the viewer from the overall editing processes itself. In some ways, it is similar to the beginning credits from the show, True Blood. For instance, in many of the shots seen in both, there is a certain beauty placed on images we might not associate with beauty, which truly demonstrates the skill of the cinematography.

The strong cast of actors and actresses were able to tap into many different emotions. The topics discussed in the show required them to have an ability to display a wide range of feelings and emotions. The interesting part is that many of the cast members who appear in the show and also have important roles were just getting their start in Hollywood. In the case of Michael C. Hall, he had transitioned from the stage to being in front of the camera, his role as David would be his first starring role in a television show.

The themes and plots that would play out in the show were very true to life. Many, if not all, were grounded in as much reality as possible. Especially the behavior of the Fisher family; when we are first introduced to them, we find them reeling from the death of their father in a very honest and believable way. Many shows today, and even during the early 2000’s, play on the shock factor, forcing a reaction from the audience, but this show was very sincere and the storylines spoke for themselves.

Compared to other television shows that came out during this period, this show employed many different genres but was mainly rooted in comedy and drama.

And the memorable cameos throughout the series should also be noted. Because this show came out in the '00’s, many of the actors we see in recent television and film today made their first appearances here. It’s interesting to see this play out on the screen when we see so many of them looking somewhat different, or younger, in this show than they do today.

All of these reasons and more demonstrate how well people responded to "Six Feet Under" while it was still on television. I would personally recommend it to anyone to watch for the reasons I mention above. Despite this show not being on the air anymore it remains to be one of television's greatest treasures.