Classic HBO drama Six Feet under had one of the best finales in TV history.
What can other shows learn from it?
This article contains spoilers for theSix Feet Underseries finale.
Every episode ofSix Feet Underbegins with an ending.
(Previous HBO titles moving to Netflix includeBand of BrothersandBallers).
Thats a major aspect of what what the show special in the first place.
And thats exactly what it did.
The ending ofSix Feet Underactually begins a few episodes before the finale.
Nate both literally and figuratively haunts his living family members through the final three episodes of the series.
His mother Ruth (Frances Conroy) continuously weeps and hallucinates.
His little sister Claire (Lauren Ambrose) cant bear to see his body.
The Fishers werent prepared and there was never a circumstance in which they would have been.
The message is that we die,Ball toldNew York Magabout the timing of Nates death in 2005.
And sometimes we die in the middle of messy things in our lives.
Death doesnt wait until you take care of all your issues.
The characters progress throughout roughly 90% of Everyones Waiting makes for a very satisfying narrative ending.
But, asSix Feet Underdeeply understands, theres really only one ending when it comes to human lives.
So it goes ahead and shows us that too.
Yes, the real ending ofSix Feet Underis a montage featuring the eventual death of every single character.
Keith Dwayne Charles is shot to death in 2029 during an armored van robbery.
Hector Frederico Diaz experiences a fatal heart attack on a cruise ship in 2049.
Its also just so damn logical.
We should flash forward in time and see each character as they die.
I just sort of went…duh, thats EXACTLY how this show should end.'
So, what exactly, can other TV dramas learn fromSix Feet Unders ending?
Its not like every other episodic endeavor is death-centric and therefore must end in every characters death.
Ill admit that the original conception for this piece was to encourage other TV shows to do literally that.
The headline Every Show Should End Like Six Feet Under was an actual (tongue-in-cheek) command.
The real lesson for any television show to take away fromSix Feet Unders perfect conclusion is to know thyself.
TheSix Feet Underending works conceptually, emotionally, and creatively.
Any drama hoping to craft something similar with have to verify their ending does as well.
In that sense, the series finale closest toSix Feet Underin terms of success might ironically beThe Sopranos non-ending.
WhileSix Feet Unders final moments are exhaustively conclusive,The Sopranos are deliberately vague.
And yet, they both work because they honor what came before it.
Death was a constant companion forSix Feet Underjust as sin and confusion were for its HBO drama companion.
As always …The Simpsonsalready did it.
All five seasons ofSix Feet Underare now available to stream on Netflix.
