Vote for why you think it jumped
Never Jumped
"That's My Dog" (David and the carjacker)
Nate's "death" to start the third season
Death (Lisa)
Day One
Shark Bytes
I don't say this about most shows, especially ones that have reached their end, but Six Feet Under never jumped the shark.
Just because it was popular does not make it overrated, and watching one episode mid-series (David's kidnapping) does not give you expertise on the show's fan base.
I watched all five seasons straight through one summer, and never once spotted a "jump the shark" moment. The vehicle of the show was death, which worked from pilot to perfectly appropriate finale (What I call the best 5 minutes in television). The engine was writing...some of the best parts written for some the best film actors of our time. The show actually dealt squarely with a single issue, extrapolated it in every meaningful way without getting preachy, and let go when the time was right. One of the few shows where the writers seemed to know where they were going from start to finish...as evidenced by one of the least convoluted plots on television. This show makes you deal with one inconvenient and unstoppable fact: Everything everywhere dies, including you.
Yes, the subject matter is heavy. That can easily be interpretted as melodrama but these people lived in a funeral home. Death and somberness was all around them, all the time. If you have any frequent relationship with death, you would understand the introspection. And no one wants to watch a show about 4 average people leading average lives sitting around and deciding what to eat for dinner. There has to be something intrinsically evocative for it to be entertaining.
But I think the show went beyond entertainment if I'm honest. It's a one of a kind show, and my favorite show produced to date, so I advise everyone to give it a fair shot. Watch from Season 1, Episode 1. If you aren't hooked by mid-season, well...I guess that's just a matter of taste.
For those who love contemplating death and those that avoid it like the plague, this show will be good for you. And not just to entertain.
Just because it was popular does not make it overrated, and watching one episode mid-series (David's kidnapping) does not give you expertise on the show's fan base.
I watched all five seasons straight through one summer, and never once spotted a "jump the shark" moment. The vehicle of the show was death, which worked from pilot to perfectly appropriate finale (What I call the best 5 minutes in television). The engine was writing...some of the best parts written for some the best film actors of our time. The show actually dealt squarely with a single issue, extrapolated it in every meaningful way without getting preachy, and let go when the time was right. One of the few shows where the writers seemed to know where they were going from start to finish...as evidenced by one of the least convoluted plots on television. This show makes you deal with one inconvenient and unstoppable fact: Everything everywhere dies, including you.
Yes, the subject matter is heavy. That can easily be interpretted as melodrama but these people lived in a funeral home. Death and somberness was all around them, all the time. If you have any frequent relationship with death, you would understand the introspection. And no one wants to watch a show about 4 average people leading average lives sitting around and deciding what to eat for dinner. There has to be something intrinsically evocative for it to be entertaining.
But I think the show went beyond entertainment if I'm honest. It's a one of a kind show, and my favorite show produced to date, so I advise everyone to give it a fair shot. Watch from Season 1, Episode 1. If you aren't hooked by mid-season, well...I guess that's just a matter of taste.
For those who love contemplating death and those that avoid it like the plague, this show will be good for you. And not just to entertain.
I highly doubt this show is better than the first four seasons of The West Wing.
But i saw one episode that involved a guy being kidnapped, and it was hardly entertainment.
I know its a grim show, with moody music and "serious" situations and weird dream sequences, but c'mon...why do people want to watch stuff like that.
Isn't this just a show that is watched by girls with low self-esteem in high school who wear way too much mascara? That's pretty much the general consensus for this show.
But i saw one episode that involved a guy being kidnapped, and it was hardly entertainment.
I know its a grim show, with moody music and "serious" situations and weird dream sequences, but c'mon...why do people want to watch stuff like that.
Isn't this just a show that is watched by girls with low self-esteem in high school who wear way too much mascara? That's pretty much the general consensus for this show.
Nate turned me on, and yes, so did Keith. Brenda could get obnoxious at times, but then again, who wouldn't have issues having Billy for a brother and slutty for a Mom? Not that she wasn't appreciated, she,(Joanna Cassidy) actually won me over towards the end. Amazing, the casting as a whole, nothing short of brilliant. I got hooked by the third or fourth episode. It was about the kid shot by rival gangmembers. Davids light finally shined through by mentally interacting with him during the autopsy. The last scene/speech at the wake got to me. Calling all Angels episode was pretty intense also. No doubt Six Feet Under remains to be one of the best shows ever created for television. Never forgotten and forever rerun worthy.
Calling Six Feet Under the "worst show ever" is pure stupidity and dillusional thought.
Plain and simple, it's the single greatest total package to ever hit a television screen.
Granted, if I had only caught a few episodes in the middle without seeing the entire series, I wouldn't have the admiration I have today.
But when seen as a complete package, from beginning to end, it's a perfect show.
It was funny, sad, scary, horrific, pleasant, infuriating, celebratory..... Basically every mood a person could have, occurred while watching this show.
It was life, it was death, and it was everything in between.
And no series in history tied up every possible loose end like this series did.
"The Sopranos" could take a thousand lessons from SFU, as well as every human being on the planet.
SFU is a life-changing series that should be required viewing for every single human growing up in this world today.
Plain and simple, it's the single greatest total package to ever hit a television screen.
Granted, if I had only caught a few episodes in the middle without seeing the entire series, I wouldn't have the admiration I have today.
But when seen as a complete package, from beginning to end, it's a perfect show.
It was funny, sad, scary, horrific, pleasant, infuriating, celebratory..... Basically every mood a person could have, occurred while watching this show.
It was life, it was death, and it was everything in between.
And no series in history tied up every possible loose end like this series did.
"The Sopranos" could take a thousand lessons from SFU, as well as every human being on the planet.
SFU is a life-changing series that should be required viewing for every single human growing up in this world today.
I just have to reply to what someone said about this being a perfect example of a show that jumped the shark. In my opinion this show is a perfect example of a show that NEVER jumped the shark. Yeah some of the episodes could get heavy into the drama but guess what, it's a dramatic show (and the drama was always believable and not overly done unlike say Grey's Anatomy). That's the point of the show. Did you expect for it to morph into a heartwarming comedic sitcom with bits of universal truth when the drama overstayed it's welcome? And knowing that you can only sustain so much drama for so long that's why the show ended when and how it did, pure genious. The show is so well written and cohesive. It's like the show happened in a real way unlike it was being written week by week such as Grey's Anatomy. Also, to reply to something I saw someone else write about the show going overkill with the barage of negative occurences in their lives, guess what this type of crap REALLY does happen to more people than you think. Not everyone in this world lives in a perfect Utopia like you might. This show is as close to perfection as I have seen so few shows reach. Beautiful, touching, real, and I definitely felt a connection to these people as some many others did. Also, the best ending to any show I have ever seen. It met my expectations and then caught me off guard and went beyond them. This show NEVER jumped.
Jumped with "That's My Dog," but not necessarily because it was so disturbing, but because it was sloppily written. The guy tells David to stop, then jumps out of the van. Does David simply drive away? No, the moron turns off the truck and follows him.
I would say "Thats my Dog" was one of the most disturbing episodes of SFU but it was no were to the Jump the Shark. That episode along with the episode of Queer as Folk were Ted gets gang-raped while high on meth are two of the most disturbing scenes I have ever saw on TV.
To Michelle below...
You had to force yourself to sit through it? Why? I mean, why wouldn't you just...not...watch it? My guess is that you're one of those kids who wants to look 'cool' by saying something sucked really bad, while the whole time you're obviously addicted to it. I mean honestly, what would make you watch every single episode of a show you refer to as 'WORST SHOW EVER'? Sheesh.
You had to force yourself to sit through it? Why? I mean, why wouldn't you just...not...watch it? My guess is that you're one of those kids who wants to look 'cool' by saying something sucked really bad, while the whole time you're obviously addicted to it. I mean honestly, what would make you watch every single episode of a show you refer to as 'WORST SHOW EVER'? Sheesh.
Holy crap. To Michelle's rant below:
DITTO!!!!!!
Finally, somebody else who was just as annoyed at this show and how hyped it got.
DITTO!!!!!!
Finally, somebody else who was just as annoyed at this show and how hyped it got.
Season 1 and 2 were terrific 3 drops off quite a bit, but they get back to great during season 4. Season 5 was incredibly sad. No show ever makes me cry, but watching Nate die, and the last 10 minutes of the finale had me in absolute tears. I really felt like that I was watching my family on tv. I will miss this show it was 2nd to none.
Someone was asking why they killed Nate off before the final episode. I have always thought that it was because the show began not with the Father's passing, but of Nate returning home for Christmas and deciding to stay. At the end of the show, Nate's death was the catalyst for the other characters to move on to a better part of their life. Claire going to New York, Ruth enjoying the twilight of her life, David finally being vulnerable enough to feel he was deserving of love, and Brenda being able to embrace being a mother.
I LOVED that Claire ended up with Ted. That was possibly the best coupling of the entire show-it had a Mr. Darcy/Elizabeth element to it. And I loved that Brenda died of boredom whilst listening to Billy prattle on and on.
I LOVED that Claire ended up with Ted. That was possibly the best coupling of the entire show-it had a Mr. Darcy/Elizabeth element to it. And I loved that Brenda died of boredom whilst listening to Billy prattle on and on.
SFU was a great show the first two seasons, but the "overdrama" got to be too much.
I especially hated that they EVER brought Brenda back. In real life, a woman like that would be considered a stalker.
Why do shows now think that you have to have a gay character or at least a gay "arc" to a character? I have gay friends but it isn't THAT common.
BUT! The show did have some of the best episodes ever. Nate's death, Lisa's burial, etc.
I especially hated that they EVER brought Brenda back. In real life, a woman like that would be considered a stalker.
Why do shows now think that you have to have a gay character or at least a gay "arc" to a character? I have gay friends but it isn't THAT common.
BUT! The show did have some of the best episodes ever. Nate's death, Lisa's burial, etc.
It jumped the shark when the Latino partner had the affair with the stripper because he couldn't deal with his wife's depression. He seemed way too smart to hand over $3,000 to help some woman who gave him a BJ get her leaky breast implants removed. Noones heart is that big, and even if it was motivated by guilt, the whole relationship seemed totally out of character. A one night stand maybe, but hanging out with her and her kid? Drama, just added drama.
Probably the most overrated show in the history of HBO. It lost me after about halfway into season 1, and kept getting worse and worse from there. Characters would scream and hurl abuse at one another EVERY. DAMN . WEEK. due to their oh-so-traumatic Issues. The writing was atrociously bad; characters would have the same fights over and over, not to mention the moronic use of "the dead person of the week has just enough similarities to a main character that oh so coincidentally was going through a similar experience, so that "deep" and hopefully thought-provoking comparisons could be made". Vomit. I've seen more subtlety in an episode of Greys Anatomy, a rampaging elephant of transparent writing if there ever was one. And oh my god, the melodrama! Dead husbands (x2), missing (then found dead) wives, quickie marriages (x3), miscarriages, unexpected pregnancies (x2), drugs drugs drugs, drug addiction, sex (x1000000000 these people slept around a LOT), sex addiction, homophobia, gay adoption, cheating (also x1000000000 since they also seemed to love adulterous sex more than anything), more cheating, cheating with the person who cheated on you in the first season, car accidents, carjacking, PTSD, incest, brain tumours (the life-threatening kind), the russian mob, lesbianism, holy crap the list goes ON AND ON AND ON. These people had a constant barrage of crap thrown at them every week- it's no wonder they became such 2-dimensional caricatures.
Of course, the fake melodrama crap was just a poor excuse for characters to go off the deep end (ie. scream, burst into tears, become hysterical, become a drug/alcohol abuser) every other week, so much so that by the 15th or so time the mother, Ruth, screams tearfully about the most recent piece-of-crap-plot-device, you just want to reach through the screen and kill them all. I had to physically force myself to sit through the last couple of seasons just so I could put the dvds away for ever, or, I don't know.. burn them. Not nearly as inventive/quirky/edgy/endearingly dysfunctional-yet-heartfelt as its fans claim. In short, this show was crap. Jumped the shark when they started to go overboard with wacky, overly dramatic shenanigans and utilized insultingly farcical plot devices and inconsistent characterization to generate drama for drama's sake. Beneath the "edgy", faux-hipster, anti-mainstream BS lies a poorly written, glorified soap opera with more tantrums and less attractive people. My reaction to the series finale: "huh". So glad it's over. WORST SHOW EVER.
Of course, the fake melodrama crap was just a poor excuse for characters to go off the deep end (ie. scream, burst into tears, become hysterical, become a drug/alcohol abuser) every other week, so much so that by the 15th or so time the mother, Ruth, screams tearfully about the most recent piece-of-crap-plot-device, you just want to reach through the screen and kill them all. I had to physically force myself to sit through the last couple of seasons just so I could put the dvds away for ever, or, I don't know.. burn them. Not nearly as inventive/quirky/edgy/endearingly dysfunctional-yet-heartfelt as its fans claim. In short, this show was crap. Jumped the shark when they started to go overboard with wacky, overly dramatic shenanigans and utilized insultingly farcical plot devices and inconsistent characterization to generate drama for drama's sake. Beneath the "edgy", faux-hipster, anti-mainstream BS lies a poorly written, glorified soap opera with more tantrums and less attractive people. My reaction to the series finale: "huh". So glad it's over. WORST SHOW EVER.
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