Three TV Series That Can Help Mourners Grieve Their Loved Ones

Showing them that recovery and healing are possible

In Western society, death and loss are taboo topics. The unwillingness to talk about mortality often leaves people to mourn a loved one alone. Additionally, widespread misconceptions about grief may cause mourners to feel pressured to “move on,” hide their pain, and put on a brave face.

Shows that tell stories of grief can help the bereaved come to terms with their loss. Entertainment Weekly’s journalist Ariana Bacle writes that she “desperately wanted a fictional character to connect with” after her brother’s death. Not only can shows give the bereaved characters they can relate to, but they also help them realize that mourning is a long, messy, and complicated process. “The thing about grief,” remarks Six Feet Under’s creator Alan Ball, “is you can’t avoid it, because it is a fundamental part of being alive.”

Here are three TV series that can help mourners grieve their loved ones.

1. Six Feet Under

“We go out of our way to sweep death under the carpet,” declared Alan Ball, who lost many loved ones at an early age. By creating an award-winning show that revolves around death and grief, Ball aimed to demonstrate how they can’t be avoided. Six Feet Under follows the Fishers, a family who run a funeral home in Los Angeles, as they struggle to come to terms with their own losses while helping other bereaved say goodbye to their loved ones. As every episode begins with a different death, the show provides an extensive atlas of grief.

Critics have praised Six Feet Under for its honest, sometimes brutal, portrayal of grief. In her article in Entertainment Weekly, Ariana Bacle declares that the show’s deep analysis of loss helped her grieve her brother. Above all, Six Feet Under describes how the loss of a loved one isn’t something people can “get over” to achieve closure. Even the Fishers, who deal with death daily, struggle to navigate their personal grief. “I forget how anyone ever gets over anything,” says Ruth Fisher after the premature death of her eldest son. The series helps mourners see past harmful misconceptions about loss and urges them not to rush through the grieving process.

Six Feet Under also explains how the connection with a loved one doesn’t end with their death. When the relationship with the deceased is unresolved or conflicted, the bereaved may feel guilty. In the show, Nate and David regularly interact with the ghost of their father. Sometimes they relive happy moments. Other times, they argue and say hurtful things. Even if they occasionally feel angry toward their father, Nate and David do not love him any less.

Though Six Feet Under reflects how death and grief are inevitable, the show also encourages people to live their lives to the fullest. “I’m just saying, you only get one life,” says Nate, “and once it’s over, it’s over. Dreamless sleep forever and ever. So why not be happy while you’re here?” In this sense, Six Feet Under is ultimately a celebration of life despite the inevitability of death. During the famous final sequence, as Claire Fisher drives away from home, the viewers see the main characters in the moment of their death. However, they also witness their many joyful moments.

2. After Life

Shortly after its release on Netflix in 2019, After Life became the most-watched British comedy on the streaming platform. Since then, it’s reached more than a hundred million views. Ricky Gervais, the show’s creator, said that several fans thanked him for helping them grieve their loved ones. After Life tells the story of Tony, a small-town journalist, who struggles to survive after the death from cancer of his beloved wife, Lisa.

After his loss, Tony finds the world meaningless. He even loses the will to live and contemplates committing suicide. In his pain, he regularly lashes out at friends and strangers whose only fault is that they “didn’t die of cancer like Lisa.” In an interview, Ricky Gervais remarked that many viewers identified with Tony’s anguish and anger: “All the feedback I’ve had was people going, ‘When I lost my partner, or my mum, I was angry like that,’” recalled the British comedian.

Eventually, as he comes into contact with other mourners, Tony manages to start grieving his wife. In particular, Anne, a kind widow who lost her husband of 40 years, helps him come out of his self-destructive spiral by encouraging him to transform his pain into a sense of solidarity towards other people who struggle through hard times. “We’re not just here for us,” Anne tells Tony, “we’re here for others.” Though Tony slowly starts to heal, his grieving process is far from linear and progressive. Like Six Feet Under, Gervais’ black comedy shows that some losses endure, even if the raw pain eventually fades.

Though After Life is a chronicle of Tony’s grief, the series is ultimately an encouragement to find hope again after a painful loss. Death and grief can’t be avoided. However, the show also suggests that life always goes on. In this sense, After Life can help mourners find the strength to remember that they can still have a purpose after a traumatic loss. After all, “life is precious because you can’t watch it again,” remarks Tony in the series.

3. Dalgliesh

Based on the books by English writer P.D. James, Dalgliesh follows Adam Dalgliesh, a detective and poet, as he solves murders while struggling to come to terms with the loss of his wife, who died in childbirth. Reserved and sensitive, Dalgliesh grieves in private. The detective avoids talking about his loss. He’s uncomfortable whenever his colleagues offer their condolences.

Though Dalgliesh is a mystery series, it’s also a moving story “about the first year of grief,” as actor Bertie Carvel, who plays the main character, remarks. Similarly to Tony in After Life, Dalgliesh initially feels lost in a world devoid of meaning. His grief is so all-encompassing and overwhelming that he can’t articulate it. Death “defies words because all our words need life itself to give them meaning,” reflects Dalgliesh in the final episode. He also admits that, after his loss, he has no longer written his poems. Grief has rendered him speechless.

In the beginning, investigating brutal and senseless murders doesn’t give the detective a purpose. On the contrary, it confirms his bleak and hopeless view of life. Only at the end, as he tries to convince a suspect to spare the life of a young boy, is Dalgliesh able to acknowledge his loss and start his grieving process. “You are young,” says the detective, “you’ll heal. There is only life.” After solving the case, Dalgliesh finally finds the strength to enter the nursery and pack the clothes he and his wife bought for their baby.

Though inevitable, a loss is a traumatic experience that leads to hopelessness, disorientation, and deep sadness. It also forces the bereaved to confront mortality. Contrary to popular myths, grief doesn’t disappear completely.

While the initial acute pain may ebb away, the sense of loss often remains. There’s no denying that grieving is one of the biggest challenges of humankind. However, it’s a natural and healthy response to loss.

Watching fictional characters experience grief can help mourners feel less alone while showing them that recovery and healing are possible. After all, “in a few words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life,” wrote American poet Robert Frost, “ it goes on.” There is life after death and loss.