HBO’s ‘Six Feet Under’ Revival Reportedly in the Works

Six Feet Under may be rising from the grave, although the rumor has not been confirmed or denied by official sources on the record — yet. Last month, insiders at HBO reportedly told Deadline that a Six Feet Under revival is in development. However, even they said that the network is not committed to this reboot just yet.

The sources said that HBO is “cautiously” exploring the possibilities of a Six Feet Under revival. They said that original creator Alan Ball will not be working on this revival, and there’s no talent attached just yet. Six Feet Under ran for five seasons on HBO from 2001 to 2005, and it is considered foundational to the genre of “prestige TV.” In the years since the show has only risen in critical esteem.

Six Feet Under was about the Fisher family, who operated a funeral home in Los Angeles, California. The show explored their personal lives including family drama, romance and friends coming and going – all against the backdrop of a morbid day-to-day job.

Notably, the show starred Michael C. Hall as David Fisher, one of the two brothers to inherit the funeral home from Nate Fisher (Richard Jenkins) when he passed away at the beginning of the series. Hall is currently starring in another successful revival – Dexter: New Blood. The original Dexter aired around the same time as Six Feet Under, so the sight of a successful revival may have helped push this idea into reality.

Six Feet Under was a true ensemble production, however, and it’s not clear if all or any of the main cast members are eager to return. In addition to Hall, the show starred Peter Krause, Jeremy Sisto, Frances Conroy, Lauren Ambrose, Freddy Rodriguez, Mathew St. Patrick, and Rachel Griffiths.

One of the most recent public comments on a possible Six Feet Under revival came from then-Chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment Bob Greenblatt. He told Deadline: “I’d love it. I just put up two of the key art posters in my office in the Santa Monica HBO office building, and I’m so proud of that show. I don’t think that’s a show that will probably come back as many people have gone off to other things, but I love working at this company having had that wonderful experience. It cemented in me as a younger executive, how a company should be run and how a talent relationship should happen. It was the most satisfying experience I’ve probably ever had in this business, certainly as a producer. I tried to emulate it at Showtime, I continue to try to emulate it in all the places that I’ve been.”

So far, HBO has not commented publicly on the reports of a revival. The original Six Feet Under is streaming now on HBO Max.