1995’s American Gothic disappeared from the airwaves after one season, but it had some notable talent behind it and delivered a creepy series that made an impression on those who tuned in.
What Is It?
This supernatural horror series takes place in the town of Trinity, South Carolina where Sherriff Lucas Buck has a sinister hold over the people that live there. But the young Caleb Temple appears to have powers of his own and the ability to resist the Sheriff’s influence, setting up a standoff between good and evil in this mysterious small town.
Aired: 1995-96, CBS, One Season Totaling 22 Episodes
Cast: Gary Cole, Lucas Black, Paige Turco, Sarah Paulson, Jake Weber
Crew: Shaun Cassidy (Creator/Executive Producer), Sam Raimi (Executive Producer), Robert Tapert (Executive Producer), David Eick (Executive Producer)
Legacy:
This overlooked mid-90s entry had some strong talent behind it and delivered some creepy, atmospheric tales and stood out as a notable genre entry for its time.
A Closer Look:
This show was an odd entry on the CBS schedule for the 1995-96 season, delivering supernatural-driven tales of mystery and horror which followed a loose story arc long before that was an accepted format for a broadcast network Prime Time drama. It was created by former Hardy Boy and teen heart-throb Shaun Cassidy, with Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert onboard as executive producers (David Eick, who would go on to the Battlestar: Galactica revival, was producing as well). They managed to deliver a unique, moody show that misfired at times but that more often than not delivered a first-rate drama with a creepy edge and intriguing characters.
Key to the show’s success were its two leads: Gary Cole as Sheriff Buck and Lucas Black as Caleb Temple. The versatile Cole (whose rolls have ranged from Brady dad in the Brady Bunch revival movies to starship captain in Babylon 5 spin-off series Crusade to middle-management, trolling boss in Office Space), was obviously having great fun chewing the scenery as the sinister town boss. And the young Black (The X-Files) steered far from the annoying cute-kid stereotype as he managed to hold his own next to the older, veteran actor. And not to be forgotten, a young Paige Turco (Person of Interest, The 100) delivered a strong female lead next to these two dominating actors. Jake Weber (Dawn of the Dead, Medium) started out as one of the leads as well, playing the doctor who took who takes an interest in helping Caleb after he became an orphan. But interestingly, he was mostly pushed out of the picture by the end of the season.
The show did manage to provide some resolution to its storylines at the end of the first year, but it was obvious that the creative team had more ideas that could have carried it for multiple seasons. CBS was unwilling to stick by the series though (more on that below), cutting short what could have been a great supernatural drama. It is definitely worth checking, but it will certainly leave the viewer wanting more from the series.
Cancelled Too Soon?
Yes. The show was a bit ahead of its time for the typical 90’s audiences, and it never managed to build much of a following during its initial run, in part because it was scheduled in the viewership-challenged Friday 11 PM EST hour. It paired up well with its lead-in Picket Fences, but that show was in its final season, and its ratings were at a low point. In addition, American Gothic had to contend with Top 20 series 20/20 over on ABC. CBS cancelled the supernatural drama after one season, though apparently gave the producers enough notice that they were able to wrap up at least some of the show’s storylines.
Should It Be Rebooted?
There were plans to reboot the property on the big screen around 2004, and Gary Cole would have returned as Sheriff Lucas Buck. Several other series regulars were set to reprise their roles as well with Sam Raimi returning as producer, though a new actor would have played Caleb as Lucas Black had grown too old to play the character. However, the movie plans stalled over various concerns and were eventually shelved altogether in 2005. It would definitely be worth taking another run at the show with new actors, or picking up the story 30-ish years later with a new lead cast (though it would certainly be fun to see Gary Cole back in the role of Lucas Buck). But since this one never developed much of an audience, it seems unlikely to be a candidate for a reboot unless Shaun Cassidy and/or Sam Raimi were to generate some attention around revisiting the show.
Interesting Facts:
This was the first of three genre shows created or co-created by Shaun Cassidy that would last for one season or less. The other two were Roar (FOX, 1997, starring a young Heath Ledger) and Invasion (ABC, 2005).
American Gothic is yet another show that was hurt by its network due to the way it was aired. Not only was it put into a tough timeslot, episodes were aired out of order which made it difficult to follow the story arc, and two eps–“Echo of Your Last Goodbye” and “Strangler”–were not aired at all in the original run.
Where Can You Watch It?
The entire series has been released on DVD (be sure not to confuse it with the 2016 of the same name), but it has not received the Blu-ray treatment yet. It is not available for streaming on any of the major services that I am aware of, but it can be purchased VOD at a reasonable price from Amazon and similar sources.
