Sci Fi TV Genre Gems: American Gothic (1995)

Sci Fi TV Genre Gems: Forgotten magic and hidden treasures from the worlds of sci fi TV

What Is It? This supernatural horror series from the mid-90’s 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 Sherriff’s influence, setting up a standoff between good and evil in this mysterious small town.

Aired: 1995-96, CBS, One Season Totaling 22 Episodes

Created By: Shaun Cassidy

Starring: Gary Cole, Lucas Black, Paige Turco, Sarah Paulson

Why It Stands Out: With some strong talent behind it, this show delivers some creepy, atmospheric tales unlike almost anything else on television at the time.

Is It Must-Watch Sci Fi TV? Not necessarily, but it is definitely a unique series and a gem of a show that stands out among other supernatural dramas.

The Skinny: This show was an odd entry on the CBS schedule for the 1995-96 season that delivered 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 supernatural drama.

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), is obviously having great fun chewing the scenery as the sinister town boss. And the young Black steers far from the annoying cute-kid stereotype as he manages 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. It is definitely worth checking and does provide somewhat of a resolution at the end of the season, though it definitely had more story to tell.

>Buy American Gothic on DVD from Amazon.com

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. CBS cancelled it 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 is possible they could take another run at the series with new actors, but since this one never developed much of an audience, it’s unlikely that it will be brought back.

Interesting Fact: 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).

Where Can You Watch It? The entire series has been released on DVD, 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.

Read More About the Series: Wikipedia | IMDb.com