Guess whose back... Yep, I've had my two months off and (homework forbidding), will be back in the ...
Guess whose back... Yep, I've had my two months off and (homework forbidding), will be back in the writing mood. I have plenty of new things to talk about...
Member since:03.11.2001
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TV, to be fair, is hardly at it's pinnacle. Whether its soaps full of tragedy, teenage pregnancy and bad haircuts, or distressing and cringe-enducing comedies, our 5 channels are crying out for a bit of class, a bit of innovation and a bit of fun.
Which, is why I find Channel 4's new sitcom, Six Feet Under is a refreshing change from the pap that plagues our screen and takes up our TV licence money.
Written by Alan Ball, the man who master minded the 'interesting' American Beauty, Six Feet Under is certainly unique in that it centres its comedy in a funeral parlour of all places. It may not seem the ideal place to have a comedy, but that's the point - there has been nothing like it before.
Revolving round the Fishers and their funeral home, the programme started with a bang, where the owner Nathanial Fisher is hit by a bus, while driving his herse home for Christmas, setting off a chain of bizarre events for an even odder family.
One of his two sons, Nate is coming home for Christmas, having moved to Seattle. On the way he meets Brenda (the excellent Rachel Griffiths from Muriels Wedding), who also lives in California.
On hearing of his fathers death (while having sex ironically), he goes home to a rather subdued and bitter welcome home.
His brother, Dave (a closeted gay, with a cop), isn't happy about his sudden return, as he has been left to work there, while Nate jetted off to Seattle. Dave is very traditional too, being rather posh and very up tight.
The fourth member of the Fisher family is teenage 'tear-away' Claire. She isn't traditional, so its easy to imagine the clashes between the families. As far as her troubles go, she has taken drugs, sucked someones toe (and then have it spread around) and stolen a foot (yep, stolen a foot).
It's from here, with the rather odd characters that they develop to be very funny in their own right.
In the will, Nathanial has left 50% of the business to Nate and 50% to David. This annoys David as he doesn't see why his brother should swan in and take half the business. However, they agree to give it a go.
Each programme revolves around one funeral. At the start someone is killed in any circumstance, and from their the story prgresses. There isn't much emphasis on the actual funerals, but around the families lives.
THE CHARACTERS
NATE FISHER (Peter Krause) DAVID FISHER (Michael C Hall) RUTH FISHER (Frances Conway) CLAIRE FISHER (Laura Ambrose) BRENDA CHENOWITH (Rachel Griffiths) KEITH CHARLES (Matthew St Patrick) (the Cop)
All of the characters are different and each get 10 out of 10 for playing their part, although I think Brenda has to be my favourite. She is quite eccentric, while her family is even more weird. Laid back, clever and probably the funniest, she is a credit to the show. However, Claire and Ruth run her a close second.
It is very surreal. Suddenly it may go into a flashback, or an advert relevant to the storyline, as well as the dead father coming back to give advice or just observe.
Perhaps comedy isnt the right word to describe the Six Feet Under as there is none of the canned laughter or the quickfire comments. Instead it takes its time to get going, and if you are patient you can appreciate what ends up to be very funny.
It's easy to see why America has taken to Six Feet Under. It's dark and funny, and its now one of America's most popular sitcoms. Along with 24 and Scrubs (starting tonight), Six Feet Under and its American writers, are putting us Brits to shame, when all we can come up with is Barbara and Taggart.
The biggest downside is that it is buried (excuse the pun) in the schedules. Channel 4 have decided to put it on at 11.05pm on a Monday night, which is a big shame. However, with Big Brother 3 ending in a couple of weeks, it could be moved forward.
I hope so because, Six Feet Under is a mini-masterpiece. If you get the chance to watch it, sit down, get some coffee and chuckle away,
Thanks for reading
SOLEX/OLLIE
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