A follow-up to “Six Feet Under” is in development very early on HBO, Variety has learned exclusively from the sources.
At this time, there are no writers attached to the project. Similarly, no plot has been decided, meaning it could be a reboot or more of a sequel series that follows the show’s existing characters today, but no decision has been made. Original series creator Alan Ball and executive producers Bob Greenblatt and David Janollari are associated as executive producers on the new project.
Representatives for HBO declined to comment. Ball’s replays did not immediately respond to Variety request for comment.
“Six Feet Under” aired between 2001 and 2005 for five seasons and 63 episodes. The show followed the lives of the Fisher family and their associates running a funeral home in Los Angeles.
The cast included Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy, Lauren Ambrose, Freddy Rodriguez, Mathew St. Patrick, and Rachel Griffiths. Richard Jenkins appeared on the show as family patriarch Nate Fisher Sr., who dies in the opening episode but appears in flashbacks and in the minds of his family members. The show also served as a launching pad for the likes of Justina Machado and Rainn Wilson.
“Six Feet Under” received widespread praise throughout its premium cable career and is considered by many to be one of the best television shows of all time. It received 53 Emmy nominations in total in its airtime, winning nine. The show also garnered multiple Golden Globe Awards, including Best Drama Series in 2002. It celebrated its 20th anniversary earlier this year, with the cast and creative team gathered for a PaleyFest panel.
After “Six Feet Under” ended, Ball went on to create the HBO series “True Blood” and “Here and Now.” He was also an executive producer on the HBO film adaptation of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” He won an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for his work on the pilot for “Six Feet Under” and also won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for “American Beauty.”
It is represented by UTA and Goodman Genow.
Greenblatt was previously president of NBC Entertainment, as well as president of WarnerMedia Entertainment. He recently launched production company The Green Room, which has a first-look deal at Lionsgate. Janollari has produced “Midnight, Texas,” “Bluff City Law,” and “One on One,” among other shows, in addition to his work on “Six Feet Under.”