June 3, 2001

As prodigal elder son Nate Fisher returns home for the holidays to news of his father's death, the family must learn to deal with the death of one of their own—while figuring out how to go ahead with the business of living.

March 3, 2002

With owner/patriarch Nathaniel Fisher no longer alive (except in the hearts and sometime visions of his family), his survivors — wife Ruth, sons Nate and David, and daughter Claire — continue to cope with the tricky business of looking to the future while being constantly reminded of the past.

March 2, 2003

Thanks to the financial contributions of their mortician, Federico, Fisher & Sons has become Fisher & Diaz, and the Fisher family members face major adjustments as they open a new chapter in their professional lives and personal relationships.

June 13, 2004

There’s a new family order at the Fisher & Diaz funeral home. Although one spouse is gone, another has moved in, ushering in changes for better and worse. For Nate, Ruth, David and Claire, every day above ground is a good one. With Ruth remarried and Nate spiraling out of control, the Fishers struggle with the latest losses and additions to the family, whose dismembered pieces never seem to add up to a healthy whole.

June 6, 2005

Everything. Everyone. Everywhere...Ends. Story elements established in the first four seasons reach a series of emotional climaxes, with Ruth overwhelmed by her mentally fragile husband George, Nate struggling to reaffirm his relationship with Brenda while raising his daughter Maya, David and Keith longing for children of their own, Claire trying to broaden her horizons, and Federico attempting to fill the void left by Vanessa. By season's end, all will come to embrace the cycle of life—birth, death and rebirth—in ways that are both unique and interconnected.