American Gothic

American Gothic ranks in my top 5 favourite TV shows (along with Millennium, Twin Peaks, Firefly and West Wing), sadly like some great shows it only had a single series. For me one of the marks of a truly great show is that whenever I watch it I enjoy it a little bit more.

American Gothic is set in a traditional southern small town in the US, the town is run by the Sheriff, Lucas Buck, but he is more than he seems. The show starts with him murdering a young woman as part of his bid to gain custody of his illegitimate so Caleb. At first it appears that the sheriff is just a corrupt cop with his fingers in all the pies, but you soon learn that he is so much more than that, he's the devil himself (or something pretty close).

Despite being an evil character (or maybe because of it) Lucas is an excellent character to watch in action. He oozes good old southern boy charm and he knows how to manipulate a situation. His son is also an excellent character, impressively so considering his age.

The series follow's Lucas' efforts to get Caleb to accept him as his father, while the ghost of Caleb's sister (the girl Lucas killed at the beginning) tries to stop it. There's a host of other fun characters in there, Caleb's cousin, the reporter, Doctor Matt, a good variety of support that provide interest as well as their own stories.

This is horror TV at its best, it doesn't rely on shock or gore, but good old fashioned charm and creepiness.

In some ways reminiscent of David Lynch's Twin Peaks, this eerie drama series concentrated on the dark and often disturbing truths hidden beneath the surface of a small American town. Set in Trinity, South Carolina, American Gothic succeeded in its one-season run to intrigue viewers with its mysterious storylines and macabre undertones. Gary Cole heads up the cast as Sheriff Lucas Buck, Trinity's knight in shining armor. Much of the plot revolves around Buck's attempts to get closer to his illegitimate young son, Caleb Temple (Lucas Black), who has always been told that his father was a man named Gage. Inspiring the curiosity of the local doctor and other neighbours, Caleb and the sheriff become the talk of the town. The sleepy community get even more stirred up when Caleb's cousin Gail comes to town with the goal of protecting the boy. And, to complicate things, someone else also has Caleb's best interests in mind: his dead sister Merlyn, now an angel.

Buy American Gothic now from Amazon