2005: The End of HBO's 'Six Feet Under'
On this day in 2003, HBO presented the finale of Six Feet Under. The drama, which ran for five seasons, revolved around a family of funeral directors in Los Angeles.
The series starred Frances Conroy as the family matriarch, Ruth Fisher, Peter Krause and Michael C. Hall as brothers Nate and David Fisher (who inherited the funeral home after their father's death) and Lauren Ambrose as their teenage sister, Claire. Actor Richard Jenkins played the family's deceased patriarch. The cast also included regulars Freddy Rodriguez, Rachel Griffiths and Matthew St. Patrick. Supporting cast members included Jeremy Sisto, Joanna Cassidy, Ed Begley, Jr., Patricia Clarkson, Lili Taylor, Justin Theroux, Peter Facinelli and Kathy Bates.
In addition to its acclaimed cast, Six Feet Underwas known for its strong writing, which intertwined the family's personal stories with those of the people whose lives they touched in life and death. The show's season finale — which depicted the eventual deaths of the show's major characters and creatively gave viewers a glimpse of how their lives progressed over time — is considered by many to be one of the best series wrap-ups in TV history.