Why Isn’t Six Feet Under Considered a Classic?
It’s the 15th anniversary of Six Feet Under, but why isn’t it considered a bona-fide classic?
HBO has been ringing in Six Feet Under’s anniversary with a marathon of the entire series. That’s all well and good, but the series never really got that status that it deserved. The show did fairly well while it was on, and it was once considered a must-watch TV. At least, must-watch TV for the morbidly minded.
In the years that followed Six Feet Under hasn’t gotten above a cult following, which is a real shame. What is about the story of the Fischers that has never really caught on? Well, it probably has something to do with the fact that they run a funeral home. Six Feet Under, while not violent, is emotionally weighty and at times disturbing in ways that The Sopranos isn’t.
It also had some truly excellent promos:
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Now, fifteen years after it aired, Six Feet Under is hardly mentioned at all. The fact that HBO is choosing to celebrate the anniversary at all is impressive, and of course, appreciated. Six Feet Under and The Leftovers are cut from similar clothes, and The Leftovers isn’t exactly a hit. It did, however, win a Peabody. So there’s that.
Both shows feature supernatural elements — Six feet Under has ghosts and The Leftovers has a rapture event. It’s true that Six Feet Under’s ghosts are in the characters’ heads and are therefore not truly spirits, but the end result is practically the same. Both shows also have a depressed mood that could turn people away.
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Six Feet Under is just too strange of a show to be considered one of HBO’s greats, at least by popular opinion. If HBO ever gets around to releasing it on Blu-Ray, perhaps that will prompt viewers to revisit it or even watch it for the first time. If you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out big time.