American Gothic

Hello, I first saw this series in my teens, when a Norwegian television channel had by some accident bought a television series worth watching. I must admit that I did not see all the episodes at that time, but I have since. As has already been stated by many reviewers before me, American Gothic is not available to the public in any legal way. Why is beyond me, so I have acquired a pirate-copy, but will of course buy it at once if it is ever released.

The series itself is (the way I see it) ultimately about Lucas Buck and the way he deals with problems and manipulates people into behaving or doing what he wants. And also, of course, the way he punishes those who dare cross him. The first few episodes are about an incident that shapes the rest of the series, and which involves elements from Buck's and other central characters' past. Some of the episodes are pretty much stand alone, but you can not fully appreciate the series without having seen at least the first couple of episodes, preferably all. I do not know if it was a popular series in the US, but if not, this may be the reason. Another thing about it is that it has an element of tragedy in it, a most admirable trait in these times of good vs evil. Some of that can of course be seen in this series as well, but it also goes much deeper, it asks of the viewer: what is right? can there be happiness without sorrow? is not the strength of Lucas beautiful? does most people perhaps need looking after by a superior, a leader? Is there comfort in his presence? is morale just a burden brought upon us by history and the fear of change and those able to take advantage of it? Important questions, brought up again and again...

I am a philosopher by nature, and that may be the reason why I like American Gothic. It certainly does not contain much action, it is all about the story, the message behind the moving and talking picture, its meaning, truer and darker than in most series I have seen. If you can not keep your eyes and your thoughts focused upon something for periods of 60 minutes at a time, then forget it. It might be mildly entertaining, but in the end a waste of time, go watch one of the many trendy new series; simple, superficial and action-packed, simply intended to be a waste of time.

That is all, enjoy!

American Gothic was one of the best shows ever on TV. Stephen King took several stabs at TV with little success; American Gothic was the show he should have created but didn't.

CBS really seems to have deliberately killed this show. When I watched it I was confused by jumps from one episode to another, characters appeared and disappeared, motivations weren't explained. When the sci-fi channel showed the episodes I discovered the horrible truth: CBS had show the episodes out of order. They had left out episodes. They had taken a show with a series arc and chopped it into little pieces. They also, as I recall, moved the show around and showed it inconsistently. The sad thing is that the incompetent suit who did this is probably still working in TV, making tons of money and destroying other shows. This person should be working as a janitor somewhere.

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 was 8 years old when this was made ... could have been shown later as I live in the UK but never the less I was about 8 or 9. I remember watching the first ever episode ... a family birthday party I think it was and then the chant, "Someone's at the door" ... As soon as (I think her name was) Merlyn said those lines I knew this was going to be one hell of a show. I thought this was the best TV show I had ever seen (I was only 8 at the time) and still do to this day. This was brilliant. the acting was superb and the story line was, at times, disturbing, beautiful, engrossing etc etc. American gothic is fantastic. I remembered about it a couple of days ago and thought I should come on here and pay my respects to it. I dont ever remember watching the last episodes... Maybe it was cancelled here too. I've been looking for it on DVD but can't find it. Has it been released on DVD yet? If it hasn't then it should be 'cause it would make a lot of money!

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?!