American Gothic

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.

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!

Who would have thought that Shaun Cassidy, the teenie bopper of two decades ago would have a dark side to him. A dark side nothing short of pure brilliance. "American Gothic" is a show that stands alone in the world of television entertainment. Never before and never since has a show been aired on a major network with such a deep devotion to production and attention to detail on a subject never touched before. Great character development, superior acting and directing, fabulous story arcs and wonderfully filmed.

I know of several people who made it a point to stay home on the evenings this show was aired. One quit a bowling league and another sold their tickets to the Pittburgh Penguins games on the night the show aired. When was the last time you heard of a devoted following like this, especially in this day and age of VCR's and Tivo?!

CBS Cancelled this show because they said it didn't follow the format of their line up for the rest of the week. If that's the case, why was it aired in the first place? They had one of the best shows ever to grace the TV screen, and they just cast it aside as if it was another one of their flops. Shame on them for showing no respect for imagination and ingenuity.

Unfortunately, this show will never be renewed again with the original cast. Most of the actors have said they enjoyed working on the show, but are involved with too many other projects to return.

The show also suffered from the TV Guide jinx. Three weeks before the show was cancelled, Gary Cole appeared on the cover as Sheriff Lucas Buck, with a feature article about him and the show. Sports Illustrated isn't the only magazine to disrupt a season.

Instead of being bitter about not being able to see this show anymore, I'm very thankful that it was aired at all. AG was so different and so forward thinking, that the fact it was aired at all is a tribute to the producers, actors, writers and all involved. Just try and put this show on the air today. If it's not an intellectually insulting reality show, it wouldn't have a chance at all.

I don't think Universal realizes the following this show has. One of my other favorite shows, "Babylon 5", had a rather difficult time having a box set of the first season produced because of doubt in sales. The first season was so well received, the remaining four seasons and movies were all produced within a two year period! Universal should heed the call for a box set of AG. The show deserves it. Especially after the way CBS pulled the plug on it and how the Sci-Fi Channel butchered the showings of this tremendous show.

Fortunately, many fans have banded together on web pages to continue the storyline and uphold the faith in American Gothic. Just do a search on Google, and you'll find them.

Yes, this was a fabulous series, which was unfortunately cancelled by those who are more concerned about the viewers with attention spans of a newt. I'm just glad that I was there when it came around. Appreciation of great television work is so few and far between, that seeing it is like seeing a shooting star. It's so beautiful to behold for such a short time before it's gone.

Thank you shaun Cassidy, for allowing us to enter into a world of yours we never knew existed.

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.

Man did CBS blow it. This series was incredible and ahead of its time. I remember making a point to watch it weekly. And how disappointed I was when CBS kept tossing it around like a bastard son. The many nights when I expected it to be on, it wasn't! Sometimes it be 2-3 weeks before they'd air the next episode! Are they sadists? I'm not one of those tools who makes a point to watch shows like Friends and "Must See TV" weekly (I have a life). But American Gothic was different, it called me, and I obeyed it's call. But CBS let us all down and destroyed this wonderfully dark program.

I hope it is released on DVD very soon. Side note: The kid who played Caleb was amazing. Hardy Boy Saun Cassidy- way to go!