Six Feet Under Season 4 (2004)

Begins in a particularly conventional manner (Ball nowhere to be found), with no talking corpses or black humour. The opening casualty isn't even in the first episode. Then slightly soapy plot lines - Federico having an affair, James Cromwell's shit sending son, Nate grieving, Keith not being out at work as a celeb security guard.

Still flashes of perverse creativity - religious woman who interprets floating sex dolls as something divine, and is run over... And then that black After Hours-ish episode where David is forced to spend the night with a violent criminal who threatens to kill him... With its ensuing fallout. Also some excellent dream sequences and fantasy moments.

I think I remember on watching it originally that it's the whole Nate-Maya-Lisa-Brenda is a bit wearying, though the twins Brenna and Bronwyn Tosh who play Maya are really good!

Of the acting I think I'm most enjoying the performances of Peter Krause and Lauren Ambrose, though there's always welcome fresh air from Kathy Bates, Patricia Clarkson and Richard Jenkins.