Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 10/03/2006 Run time: 780 minutes Rating: Nr

In some ways, HBO's Six Feet Under plays kid brother to stellar BMOC The Sopranos: it's spunkier, less refined, chancier, and a bit of a punk. Nevertheless, the show set in the Southern California mortuary Fisher and Sons deserves its place in the pantheon of great television series. The initial season was a showcase for the most original characters, including tight-lipped brother David (Michael C. Hall) coming out of the closet, emotionally trippy mom Ruth (Frances Conroy), and the most complex girlfriend on the face of the planet, Brenda (Rachel Griffiths). Slowly, the major force in season 2 is the unassuming lead, Peter Krause. Part of the long line of good-looking actors who never get respect because they make it look too easy, Krause (Sports Night) finds the perfect blend of optimism with a wonderful, bittersweet anguish as Nate, the prodigal son.

The initial season's happy ending is forgotten as relationships change, the business is still under fire from the evil conglomerate Kroehner, and a lively dream sequence is just around the corner. As with the premier season, creator Alan Ball lets many others direct and write the show, but his stamp is all over it. The eccentricities of the characters are shaped, and not always suddenly. Take daughter Claire (Lauren Ambrose), who sheds her bad boyfriend only to find more complex relationships on her road to discovering her own groove. One person in the mix is Ruth's beatnik sister (Patricia Clarkson, in an Emmy-winning role), a joyous embodiment of thriving--if aging--counter culture. Another new character is Nate's old girlfriend, the granola-loving Lisa (Lili Taylor). With Brenda heading down another destructive course, Nate is at more than one crossroads by season's end. For fans who groove with the wild, serio-comedic world of the Fishers (and let's face it, many didn't), the second season goes down like a fine meal of fusion cuisine. The show shares an unfortunate family trait with its HBO big brother: although both were lavished with multiple Emmy nominations the first two seasons, both took home only token awards. But then there's always next year. --Doug Thomas

Kind of movie that is very interesting to watch. Exciting scenes, some to make you cry. All the actors are superb and are totally right for their role in the movie. Perhaps Krause and Hall would make a good gay movie-? I rate this a ten along with Queer For Folk. Thanks for a fab. series.

If you're looking for something original and unique, you've found out. Six Feet Under is unlike any other TV show I've ever seen. It's fascenating and I'm hooked!!

Season 1 was a little slow for me, but I am so glad that I stuck it out. In this season we come to know the characters better, the stories get a bit more interesting and it becomes apparent that death happens in many ways and there's always an interesting story behind it and behind the person.

Run, don't walk to the video store or where ever you have to go to get this series. It's amazing!

Six Feet Under is not for teens or young children. It's full of adult content. It might not be for anyone who wouldn't want to watch show with gay couple in it or hear all the cussing. But I find this series to be very well done and story lines so true to life. I have enjoyed the whole series from start to finish. I'll watch it again too.

HBO seems to make the only shows worth watching. Six Feet Under is my favorite by far. This was highly recommended by friends, but it took me a long time to finally get around to watching it.

I'm watching it for the second time currently, and it's as good as I remember. The characters are well-developed and all the story lines are enjoyable. Some of the music is pretty good too.

I liked it better than the Sopranos, and you won't find anything in the same league on NBC, ABC, etc. Try it. You won't be disappointed.

In its second season, Six Feet Under continues to brilliantly build on what was established in the first season. There were many stand-out episodes, particularly in the earlier portion of the season, and the directions each of the characters were taken is very interesting. Federico, a character I found myself disliking during Season One, was developed quite a bit more. Keith, on the other hand, showed an uglier side of himself that added some great drama into his relationship with David, which is one of the main plot lines of this season.

Come to think of it, each of the character arcs were risky in this season, and most of them paid off. I'm not left with that "I need to know what happens next" as I was with the last season, but what I am is excited to see how these stories will continue. The use of music and the direction continues to be phenomenal and I'm willing to bet that at least nine of these episodes will make you cry, and that all of them will make you laugh. The plots jump around from Nathan/Brenda's relationship, to David/Keith's drama, to Ruth's situation with herself and Nikolai, to Claire's budding interest in the arts, and many more, but you'll never find yourself swamped by 'too many things going on at once.' Each episode is planned well, leaving you feeling sad when the show ends with a white-out and the credits begin to roll.

I usually don't talk much about Special Features when reviewing a DVD unless the extras are really horrible or are outstanding, but I have to comment on Alan Ball's commentary track for "The Last Time." While Ball is, in my opinion, one of the best writer/directors out there, this commentary track is a joke. It consists of him saying "this is a good scene because ___ did a good job" and then just letting the scene play without further comment. The only thing other than the occasional talk of camera work (all of that is in the first five minutes) is him laughing at one of the jokes every now and then. Why even bother putting a commentary track if you aren't going to comment on the work?

But--special features aside--the second season of this brilliant show is absolutely a must-have. I'm not quite sure whether or not it's better or as good than the first season, but fans of the first won't be disappointed.

9/10