"Actually, we're pretty normal"

'Six Feet Under' - originally broadcast on the American cable channel HBO from 2001 to 2005 - is a widely acclaimed, award winning family saga. Taking as its starting point the sudden death of funeral home owner Nathaniel Fisher, the show explores the wider family's reaction to the bereavement - and how they continue to cope with running the business and their daily lives. This study focuses on the first three seasons of the drama and concentrates on three main thematic areas: different ways of dealing with grief and how Nate's 'open' attitude to grieving triumphs; David's struggle with his sexuality and Brenda's descent into sexual addiction; and Nate's deluded marriage to Lisa, as well as other relationships in the show. What do these issues have to say about this particular family? What do they say about wider American society? And what do they tell us about contemporary television drama and popular culture?