What a stellar first season. This is a premier drama that only shows on HBO. A drama that resides in a home mortuary - how original and compelling is that! Even though death is a major theme, it never comes across as ghoulish.

The begining of each show starts with the death of someone which is chilling and startling. You know it is coming but they are imaginative in how they portray it. Some people are killed by accident, some die natural deaths, some are murdered, some commit suicide. The show then progresses to where the Fischer family takes over with the delivery or pick up of the body, the embalming and funeral services.

The Fisher family is a California family whose business is an independant funeral home. The father is recently deceased but makes regular apperances as the dead dad who gives cryptic advice. The long suffering mother who is rediscovering herself as a woman after years of neglect and long suffering, the oldest workaholic gay son and his relationship with his family and his lover, the younger hip son with a lot of emotional problems, the youngest artist daughter going to art school and just growing up in a freaky family. All are normal people but growing up and living in a funeral home has warped them all in some ways.

This series hits home on several areas that are common to us all, love, relationships, work, family, death. All to common but how many of us really think about death? If your family business was the local funeral parlor - probably a lot.

As the family deals with their own issues, they also interact with those whose family member they are responsible for. That adds another dimension altogether. They react to biker funerals, new age funerals, families with group marriages, porn industry executives, the total spectrum of American life. How interesting.

This is a wonderful series and has a great cast. The best is Rachel Griffiths who broke out in the Australian movie "Muriel's Wedding". What a delight it is to see her in a regular gig. She plays the love interest to the oldest most emotionally unstable of the Fisher children.

This show is so well done, that there are many cameo's which makes it a lot of fun to watch. Kathy Bates flits in and out, Lili Taylor is just great as the younger son's new age hippie wife.

Superb acting, style, drama and real life language and situations. Not suitable for children under 13 due to strong language and adult situations.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older