American Gothic

One of a number of horror/sci-fi shows that came as a result of X-Files suprise success, American Gothic stood out from the back because of its exploration of themes of family, nature vs. nurture, and the nature of good and evil. The show follows Caleb Temple who recently orphaned and a potential ward of corrupt sheriff Lucas Buck(also his biological father) after his adoptive father Gage and his catatonic sister Merly are killed(both by Buck). However other characters such as Caleb's cousin Gail and ER doctor Matt also try to place Caleb under their care for various reasons. This struggle over Caleb serves as the crux of the show's narrative as Lucas Buck is shown to have powers that are dark and unnatural which he uses not only to keep control over his town of Trinity but also to tempt Caleb away from those who seek to protect him. Also involved is Merly Caleb's newly deceased sister who despite being dead appears as a ghost with her purpose being to guide Caleb toward the path of light and away from the shadowy influences of Lucas Buck. There's a really good show that could've really resonated with audiences and become as big of a cultural staple as The X-Files if not bigger.....and then CBS happened. After airing its first 3 episodes in the correct order, CBS began "tinkering" with the show by airing episodes out of order, arbitrarily switching days and time-slots, and generally making it as inconvenient as possible to find the show in your local listings. The end result was the show was cancelled and its slot was given to mid-season replacement Nash Bridges which lasted 6 seasons and now NO ONE talks about. Since American Gothics here and gone run back in 95 CBS has stuck to its two staples of conveyor belt police procedurals and sitcoms and only occasionally experimenting outside their comfort zone. Sometimes successfully(Braindead) but more often unsuccessfully(Under the Dome, Extant that OTHER American Gothic). As it stands American Gothic had a brief but very well done run of 22 episodes. If one watches American Gothic it's clear its influence can be felt in other shows, it's just a shame the show never got a chance to take off.

I first came across this series on the Sci-Fi channel last spring. I was in awe of the superb story line and excellent acting. Little did I know that this wonderful series was on network television and was canceled after one season. I thought Gary Cole's acting was incredible.

What a tragedy.

It is so nice to know that there are other people out there in the world who remain as passionate as I do about American Gothic ten years on.

I loved this series even though the TV network showed the episodes in the wrong order or often missed them out completely. It was wonderfully written showing a facility with language that is very rarely seen in American programmes (sorry USA but it's true!). The acting was fabulous - but then I have long been a fan of Gary Cole!

So, I have signed all the petitions to bring this series out on DVD but still nothing seems to have happened. I accidentally taped over the few episodes I had managed to copy and have bitterly regretted it ever since.

With so much interest in American Gothic continuing worldwide - surely someone must get the hint?!

The best TV show in its genre.

With amazing performance from the young Lucas Black (Caleb Temple), and Gary Cole's best performance to date, as the sinister yet charismatic Sheriff Lucas Buck. You can not afford to miss out on this series.

One that should definitely see the light of day again, not only on DVD for everyone to enjoy but rejuvenated into the Movie that has been rumoured for the past two years.

From the stand alone episodes of "Damned If You Don't", "Meet The Beetles" and "The Strong Arm Of The Law" to the main story arc, anyone who has not seen this show has missed out on a real treat.

My late husband worked on this wonderfully perverse series as production controller (I believe that's what the studio called it) - anyway, the guy who managed all the money on location in Wilmington, NC. Over the years, he worked on many productions we could barely stand to watch when they were completed. Not so "American Gothic". We were both thrilled with "AG" and bitterly disappointed at how CBS ran this unique series into the ground. I do hope Universal gets a clue and releases all the episodes on DVD, I'll be at the top of the list to get a copy. It's great to read all your comments, It's so heartening to me that so many people saw "AG" for the breakthrough series it was and still regret its demise.