Release Date:
Tuesday, July 6, 2004
America's first family of formaldehyde, the Fishers, continue their arty journey into the great beyond with a semi-slumping sophomore season. Halfway through the 13 episodes, the writers ditched much of what made the show so coolconsulting the ghosts of the stiffs being prepping for the big adiosand instead laid the groundwork for soap opera plots that still haunt the show to this day. (We're staring at you, Lili Taylor!) This season sees older brother Nate's brain condition get worse, Claire date more guys who treat her like shit, Brenda become an unabashed slut, and the rest of the cast just mope around like casket cases. Perhaps our standards for HBO programming are a bit high, but it seems like the show was running out of ways to keep the characters miserable. In terms of extras, the DVD set runs a little light, with only a handful of commentaries, a short special effects feature, and a recap of the first season. But don't start grieving yet, we're happy to report that Season 3 breathes new death into the series.