HBO has a Six Feet Under reboot in the works, but it faces a near-impossible problem that it must overcome following its original series finale. In its bid for the streaming wars, HBO and HBO Max have been working up their new content by recycling old shows, with several popular series from the 2000s returning in reboots. So far, Gossip Girl and Sex and the City have been rebooted nearly a decade after the end of their respective series finales and movie sequels, with HBO’s hit series Six Feet Under possibly following suit.
Six Feet Under, which originally aired on HBO from 2001 to 2005, depicted the lives of the Fisher family, who run a funeral home in Los Angeles following the death of their father. The series was widely praised for its family drama premise that included themes of death, religion, familial dysfunction, and personal growth while integrating dark humor and surrealism in a compelling style. Aside from being celebrated as one of the greatest TV shows of all time, Six Feet Under holds another rare feat - having one of the greatest television series finales of all time.
Most TV shows receive reboots because the original series left off open-ended, with a hated ending, or could reasonably pick up in a later era of the characters’ lives - such as Netflix's upcoming That '70s Show sequel series. Six Feet Under, however, ended on a fairly resolute premise, with the series finale flashing forward to depict the deaths of every Fisher family member. It’s the type of series finale that doesn’t warrant an extension, especially when its original treatment is regarded as having a perfect ending. A perfect TV series finale isn’t easy to come by, so HBO has to truly justify why Six Feet Under needs to return and how it can improve upon the original. For a series that ended on such an exceptional note, Six Feet Under’s reboot has the near-impossible task of needing to outdo - or at least equal - the greatness of its original finale.
While it’s not definite that Six Feet Under’s reboot will be greenlit, it will be a mistake to revive the series unless it can already prove its new finale warrants untying the knots of the original. Another Michael C. Hall reboot project has the opposite problem as Six Feet Under, with Dexter: New Blood’s revival simply needing to improve upon its original hated series finale. Great shows that leave off with a dissatisfying ending are the types of projects that warrant a sequel series, whereas shows with perfect finales are the ones best left alone. There’s a reason why fans of Dexter were so ecstatic at the chance at a redo of its hated finale, whereas Six Feet Under fans worry what a reboot would do to its celebrated legacy.
Reboots and revivals have quickly become the norm for the streaming service climate, but not all series returns have proven themselves worthy. In HBO Max’s case, Gossip Girl’s reboot has received overwhelmingly negative reviews, even though the original series finale was fairly controversial. While repeating the magic of a widely-praised TV show with a fairly concrete ending is difficult, it’s not impossible. Showtime revived David Lynch’s 1990-1991 cult classic series Twin Peaks in 2017, which miraculously managed to receive comparably rave reviews from beginning to end. Six Feet Under’s reboot will have to find a way to make a return to the already-perfect ending worthwhile, without tarnishing the reputation it has held for nearly two decades.