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| American Gothic - Complete Series | 
 enlarge | Directors: Bruce Seth Green, Doug Lefler, Elodie Keene, James A. Contner, Mel Damski
Actors: Gary Cole, Lucas Black, Paige Turco, Brenda Bakke, Sarah Paulson
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $49.98
Buy New: $31.83
You Save: $18.15 (36%)
New (33) Used (12) from $29.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  129 reviews
Sales Rank: 10637
Format: Box Set, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 3
Running Time: 1002
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.4 x 0.8
MPN: MCAD28602D
ISBN: 141706773X
UPC: 025192860225
EAN: 9781417067732
ASIN: B000ATQYXI
Theatrical Release Date: September 22, 1995
Release Date: October 25, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW, Factory Sealed items direct from the Studios. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Quick International Airmail!
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Product Description
Visit trinity south carolina a small town with more chills than charm. Sheriff lucas black wont let anyone - including local doctor matt crower or the determined gail emory - stand in the way of his evil plans. All 22 episodes plus 4 episodes never aired on network tv. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 10/25/2005 Starring: Gary Cole Paige Turco Run time: 1002 minutes
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| Customer Reviews: Read 124 more reviews...
 American Gothic-Complete Series January 7, 2009
I was reluctant to purchase this product after reading many negative reviews concerning quality, but ordered it anyway because I loved this series. I am happy to say that I have found no problems, and have enjoyed my return to Trinity!!
Great TV show but the dvd set has some flaws December 31, 2008
As another reviewer mentioned, this show should have been as hot as the X-files- the writing was better right from the start and the acting cannot be beat.
Gary Cole gives the performance of a lifetime as a devil incarnate- so seductive and yet so evil- he manages to manipulate the audience so adroitly you don't even realize how much you've been manipulated til the credits role. Lucas Black is unmatched in talent especially for one so young.
A dvd of this show should serve up some incredible commentary and loads of extras. After all, the fans that this show still has, 10+ years later, is a tell-tale sign that a dvd release would be met with success.
Well, we fans finally have what we've been waiting for, but its served up with some flaws. Namely, as other reviewers have mentioned, the episodes are out of order. Why???? How hard would it have been to put them in order? And how confused will newbies be because of this? Not cool.
Also, there are a few welcomed extras but not enough. They could have done so much more! I mean, the calibre of people involved with this show just screams for multiple commentaries and perhaps a little featurette at least! At least there's some commentary from the mastermind behind the show, the multi-talented Shaun Cassidy.
That said, it is a real treat to see this show on DVD FINALLY after all these years, so its worth buying. I just wish Universal had gotten their act together and done the show justice.
A Classic TV Series... December 9, 2008
We love it! Gary Cole does a superb job as Lucas Buck, with a fine ensemble cast backing him up. We laugh when Lucas throws his demonic 'fits' of slamming doors and popping up unexpectedly in the craziest places!
"That's Buck with a B" October 18, 2008
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
Every single genre fan knows what it is like to suffer that terrible sense of loss you can only undergo when one of your favorite television series has been cancelled, because it happens to us all the time! Its infinitely worse than a death in the family because shows of this calibre are a rarity and relatives are a dime a dozen--mine are at any rate. I'll bet that every one of you could sit down right now (well, you're probably sitting already, so scratch that) and make a list of ten shows that you loved with all your heart that never made it out of their first season. Am I right? Sure I am. My own list would include some real obscure shows like QUARK (about intergalactic garbage collectors), WIZARDS AND WARRIORS (it lasted 8 whole episodes!), STRANGE DAYS, EERIE INDIANA, WONDERFALLS, THE ADVENTURES OF BRISCO COUNTY JR., which is the only one that comes close to qualifying as a big success story on my list, and last but not least AMERICAN GOTHIC. Now THERE was a real winner!
AMERICAN GOTHIC which aired in 1995 was the brain-child of Shaun Cassidy,(yes, that Shaun Cassidy) and was produced by Sam Raimi's Renaissance Pictures company. It was set in the fictional town of Trinity, South Carolina, and for 22 episodes it exposed the unsuspecting American public to more evil and nasty goings on than they had any right to hope for. The town was aptly named for no matter what smaller stories seemed to be going on from week to week, there was always a greater story being played out in Trinity: Stories that involved Sheriff Lucas Buck played by Gary Cole with just the right amount of restrained leer and sneer. It was the Sheriff was at the heart of everything the happened in Trinity. Did he just have the devil in him, or was he really The Devil? And where you found the Sheriff most often was hanging around young Caleb Temple (Lucas Black, from SLING BLADE), because it turned out that the Sheriff might actually be the orphaned boy's real father--and Buck just wanted to bring the boy into the family business. And where Caleb went you frequently found his sister Merlyn--even though she was murdered in the series' first episode, she was an angelic presence who still liked to hang around and try and guide Caleb down the right path. So Trinity literally has its very own version of the father, the son, and the holy ghost. Only in this case they were usually at each other's throats--in a genteel satanic kind of way. But make no mistake about it, if you have an appetite for the weird, the eerie, or a more plausible version of TWIN PEAKS, then this is the show for you.
From the beginning AMERICAN GOTHIC was plagued by problems and found itself the center of controversy. In the first episode for instance Merlyn's murder was deemed too graphic and a long battle with network censor's ended in having the SOUND of her neck being broken removed from the soundtrack. Censors are strange animals, aren't they? You can see it, but you can't hear it. When they weren't battling the censor's they were having problems with scheduling, the series was constantly being bumped for this reason or that--furthermore episodes were being shown out of order. It was a mess. Four episodes were never shown at all. The fact that the series managed to build up any fan base at all is nothing short of miraculous. But miracles do happen, and nearly everyone who watched this series became hooked on it and lived for the day when the dvds would be released and they could finally see it the way it should be seen--in order and in its entirity!
Of course, nothing is perfect. THE EPISODES ON THE DVD ARE NOT PRESENTED IN THE PROPER ORDER! They should be viewed as follows: 1.PILOT 2.A TREE GROWS IN TRINITY 3.EYE OF THE BEHOLDER 4.DAMNED IF YOU DO 5.POTATO BOY
6.DEAD TO THE WORLD 7.MEET THE BEETLES 8.STRONG ARM OF THE LAW 9.TO HELL AND BACK 10.THE BEAST WITHIN 11.REBIRTH 12.RING OF FIRE 13.RESURRECTION
14.INHUMANITAS 15.THE PLAGUE SOWER 16.DOCTOR DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY 17.LEARNING TO CRAWL 18.ECHO OF YOUR LAST GOODBYE 19.STRANGLER 20.TRIANGLE 21.THE BUCK STOPS HERE 22.REQUIEM
Episodes of interest from a fannish perspective are #2 "A Tree Grows in Trinity" which features Arnold Vosloo who starred in Raimi's direct to video DARKMAN 2&3, as well as in HARD TARGET which Raimi produced for John Woo as his first American flick. #7 "Meet the Beetles" which stars Bruce Campbell as a cop who could never get to come back for a sequel. And #19 "Learning to Crawl" in which Sam's brother Ted Raimi has a rather large part as a semi-vicious criminal who serves as an object lesson for young Caleb.
AMERICAN GOTHIC'S current dvd release has discs with episodes on both sides. There is precious little in the was of special features--a few deleted scenes and some commentary from Cassidy on the pilot episode. Nonetheless its worth having because for the first time all 22 episodes are here, commercial free just waiting for you to discover them. Perhaps they are a bit heavy handed in some places, perhaps they are hindered by the limitations of tv special effects in the mid '90s, but none of that changes the fact that this series was an earth shaker was a sly, wicked sense of humor. Perfect for Halloween.
Before He Was Mike Brady, He Was ... October 16, 2008
"Lucas Buck. That's Buck, with a B." And indeed, Gary Cole is terrific as the sheriff of a seemingly quiet, southern town, but where strange and unexplained occurrences make it "just another day in Trinity," as one of the characters says.
American Gothic is a great show, and I was happy to find it on DVD ... however, the person or persons who put the episodes together was NOT paying attention! As several of the other reviewers have said, this DVD set is not in order, so if you buy it please watch it in the order that was intended:
1. Pilot
2. A Tree Grows in Trinity
3. Eye of the Beholder
4. Damned if You Don't
5. Potato Boy
6. Dead to the World
7. Meet the Beetles
8. Strong Arm of the Law
9. To Hell and Back
10. The Beast Within
11. Rebirth
12. Ring of Fire
13. Resurrector
14. Inhumanitas
15. The Plague Sower
16. Doctor Death Takes a Holiday
17. Learning to Crawl
18. Echo of Your Last Goodbye
19. Strangler
20. Triangle
21. The Buck Stops Here
22. Requiem
My favorite episode is "Meet The Beetles," guest starring Sam Raimi favorite, Bruce Campbell. What strikes me most about this whole collection is how good the actors were (Lucas Black as the young Caleb Temple is a standout), and it's not surprising that several of the cast members have graduated to other great television and movie roles.
It would have been nice to have more episode commentaries, especially on the 4 episodes that were never shown on television. But given that the commentary on the pilot episode was uneven and sporadic (although I can understand Shaun Cassidy wanting to watch his creation after 10 years, rather than comment on it), perhaps the one commentary is enough.
I haven't had any problems with sound or picture (yet), and watching the entire series was a pleasure ... besides arriving in time for Halloween, I got to find out how the series ended. And yes, the creators did have enough time to bring the show to a conclusion, although they do leave it somewhat open-eneded. The phrase "the illusion of free will ..." hangs over the final episode, although the way it ends isn't the cliff-hanger it could have been. In the end, it's all about the choices that we make, as Sheriff Buck hints at throughout the series.
Bottom Line: 4 stars for the show (definitely worth checking out)
2 stars for the idiots who "prepared" the episodes
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