Six Feet Under (TV series)
Updated: 5/24/2026, 7:00:05 PM Wikipedia source
Six Feet Under is an American drama television series created and produced by Alan Ball for the television network HBO. It premiered on June 3, 2001, and ended on August 21, 2005, after five seasons consisting of 63 episodes. The show follows the Fisher family, who run a funeral home in Los Angeles, along with their friends and lovers. It stars Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy, Lauren Ambrose, Freddy Rodriguez, Mathew St. Patrick, and Rachel Griffiths. It was produced by Actual Size Films and the Greenblatt/Janollari Studio, and was shot on location in Los Angeles and in Hollywood studios. Six Feet Under received acclaim, particularly for its writing and acting, and drew high ratings. It is regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time. The series finale, "Everyone's Waiting", has also been described as one of the greatest in television. Its awards include nine Emmy Awards, three Actor Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Peabody Award.
Infobox
Genre
Black comedy Comedy-drama Psychological drama Tragicomedy
Created by
Alan Ball
Showrunner
Alan Ball
Starring
Peter Krause Michael C. Hall Frances Conroy Lauren Ambrose Freddy Rodriguez Mathew St. Patrick Jeremy Sisto Rachel Griffiths James Cromwell Justina Machado
Theme music composer
Thomas Newman
Composer
Richard Marvin
Country of origin
United States
Original language
English
No. of seasons
5
No. of episodes
63 (list of episodes)
Executive producers
Alan Ball Robert Greenblatt David Janollari Alan Poul Bruce Eric Kaplan Rick Cleveland
Camera setup
Single-camera
Running time
46–72 minutes
Production companies
Actual Size Films The Greenblatt/Janollari Studio HBO Entertainment
Network
HBO
Release
June 3, 2001 (2001-06-03) – August 21, 2005 (2005-08-21)
Tables
First released
First released
Season
First released
Episodes
Last released
1
1
Season
1
Episodes
13
Episodes
June 3, 2001 (2001-06-03)
Originally released
August 19, 2001 (2001-08-19)
Originally released
5
2
2
Season
2
Episodes
13
Episodes
March 3, 2002 (2002-03-03)
Originally released
June 2, 2002 (2002-06-02)
Originally released
5
3
3
Season
3
Episodes
13
Episodes
March 2, 2003 (2003-03-02)
Originally released
June 1, 2003 (2003-06-01)
Originally released
4
4
4
Season
4
Episodes
12
Episodes
June 13, 2004 (2004-06-13)
Originally released
September 12, 2004 (2004-09-12)
Originally released
3
5
5
Season
5
Episodes
12
Episodes
June 6, 2005 (2005-06-06)
Originally released
August 21, 2005 (2005-08-21)
Originally released
2
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | Average viewers (in millions) | ||
| First released | Last released | ||||
| 1 | 13 | June 3, 2001 (2001-06-03) | August 19, 2001 (2001-08-19) | 5 | |
| 2 | 13 | March 3, 2002 (2002-03-03) | June 2, 2002 (2002-06-02) | 5 | |
| 3 | 13 | March 2, 2003 (2003-03-02) | June 1, 2003 (2003-06-01) | 4 | |
| 4 | 12 | June 13, 2004 (2004-06-13) | September 12, 2004 (2004-09-12) | 3 | |
| 5 | 12 | June 6, 2005 (2005-06-06) | August 21, 2005 (2005-08-21) | 2 | |
· Reception › Ratings
Date
Date
Season
Date
Episodes
Viewers
(in millions)
Premiered
Date
Premiered
Viewers
(in millions)
1
1
Season
1
Episodes
13
Premiered
June 3, 2001
Premiered
4
Ended
August 19, 2001
Ended
7
Average Viewers
(in millions)
5
2
2
Season
2
Episodes
13
Premiered
March 3, 2002
Premiered
6
Ended
June 2, 2002
Ended
5
Average Viewers
(in millions)
5
3
3
Season
3
Episodes
13
Premiered
March 2, 2003
Premiered
5
Ended
June 1, 2003
Ended
5
Average Viewers
(in millions)
4
4
4
Season
4
Episodes
12
Premiered
June 13, 2004
Premiered
4
Ended
September 12, 2004
Ended
3
Average Viewers
(in millions)
3
5
5
Season
5
Episodes
12
Premiered
June 6, 2005
Premiered
2
Ended
August 21, 2005
Ended
3
Average Viewers
(in millions)
2
| Season | Episodes | Premiered | Ended | Average Viewers (in millions) | ||
| Date | Viewers (in millions) | Date | Viewers (in millions) | |||
| 1 | 13 | June 3, 2001 | 4 | August 19, 2001 | 7 | 5 |
| 2 | 13 | March 3, 2002 | 6 | June 2, 2002 | 5 | 5 |
| 3 | 13 | March 2, 2003 | 5 | June 1, 2003 | 5 | 4 |
| 4 | 12 | June 13, 2004 | 4 | September 12, 2004 | 3 | 3 |
| 5 | 12 | June 6, 2005 | 2 | August 21, 2005 | 3 | 2 |
· Home media › DVDs
Region 1
Region 1
Season
Region 1
Release date
Region 2
Release date
Region 4
1
1
Season
1
Release date
February 4, 2003
Release date
July 7, 2003
Release date
February 11, 2004
Additional information
13 episodes
4-disc set
Two audio commentaries; "Under the Main Title" featurette; "Behind-the-Scenes" featurette with cast and filmmaker; deleted scenes; cast and filmmaker bios; two music tracks
2
2
Season
2
Release date
July 6, 2004
Release date
June 21, 2004
Release date
July 14, 2004
Additional information
13 episodes
5-disc set
Five audio commentaries; "Anatomy of a Working Stiff: Life as a Dead Body" featurette
3
3
Season
3
Release date
May 17, 2005
Release date
April 4, 2005
Release date
May 11, 2005
Additional information
Five audio commentaries; "A Birdseye View of the Third Season" – An in-depth interview with show creator Alan Ball including the original HBO trailer
4
4
Season
4
Release date
August 23, 2005
Release date
September 5, 2005
Release date
November 16, 2005
Additional information
12 episodes
5-disc set
Seven audio commentaries; "Cut by Cut: Editing Six Feet Under" featurette; deleted scenes; Exclusive Bob Costas interview with the cast
5
5
Season
5
Release date
March 28, 2006
Release date
April 10, 2006
Release date
October 4, 2006
Additional information
12 episodes
5-disc set
Six audio commentaries; "Six Feet Under: 2001–2005": two 30-minute retrospectives; "Life and Loss: The Impact of Six Feet Under" featurette
1–5
1–5
Season
1–5
Release date
November 14, 2006
Release date
April 10, 2006
Release date
October 31, 2007
Additional information
63 episodes
24-disc set
Same special features as individual releases
Bonus disc 25 included on Region 1 (not available on regions 2 and 4)
Re-released on Region 1 on October 6, 2009 in slimmer packaging
Re-released on Region 4 on August 13, 2014
| Season | Release date | Additional information | ||
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||
| 1 | February 4, 2003 | July 7, 2003 | February 11, 2004 | 13 episodes 4-disc set Two audio commentaries; "Under the Main Title" featurette; "Behind-the-Scenes" featurette with cast and filmmaker; deleted scenes; cast and filmmaker bios; two music tracks |
| 2 | July 6, 2004 | June 21, 2004 | July 14, 2004 | 13 episodes 5-disc set Five audio commentaries; "Anatomy of a Working Stiff: Life as a Dead Body" featurette |
| 3 | May 17, 2005 | April 4, 2005 | May 11, 2005 | Five audio commentaries; "A Birdseye View of the Third Season" – An in-depth interview with show creator Alan Ball including the original HBO trailer |
| 4 | August 23, 2005 | September 5, 2005 | November 16, 2005 | 12 episodes 5-disc set Seven audio commentaries; "Cut by Cut: Editing Six Feet Under" featurette; deleted scenes; Exclusive Bob Costas interview with the cast |
| 5 | March 28, 2006 | April 10, 2006 | October 4, 2006 | 12 episodes 5-disc set Six audio commentaries; "Six Feet Under: 2001–2005": two 30-minute retrospectives; "Life and Loss: The Impact of Six Feet Under" featurette |
| 1–5 | November 14, 2006 | April 10, 2006 | October 31, 2007 | 63 episodes 24-disc set Same special features as individual releases Bonus disc 25 included on Region 1 (not available on regions 2 and 4) Re-released on Region 1 on October 6, 2009 in slimmer packaging Re-released on Region 4 on August 13, 2014 |