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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: $37.99
You Save: $11.99 (24%)
New (34) Used (13) from $23.97
Rating:  126 reviews
Sales Rank: 12475
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
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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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 121 more reviews...
 "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
 There's someone at The Door... August 10, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I am only giving this DVD release three stars due to the whole thing being played out of order of the story line. I thought the acting was good. You can't go wrong with Gary Cole. However, would it have killed them to put the episodes in the correct order on the DVD release. Joss Whedon made sure the same was done for Serenity...would it have killed em to do it? By the time I made it to Requiem I had gone online and read that the DVD was being shown in TV airing order and not in the order that told the story...I think that had a lot to with the show getting cancelled the way it did. I did not even want to watch the last three episodes that were on the disc...I was like, "eh...well I know how it all works out, so whats the point."
I bought this set as I was heading out the door to Iraq. My uncle reccomended it to me and I bought it sight unseen. I enjoyed the series but if you are buying this read the review that shows the correct order to watch them. You will enjoy this much, much more.
Neat series June 19, 2008
This is a neat series. We watched a few episodes when it was on tv the first time around, but we really got into it when it was put on the chiller channel. We couldn't wait for the episodes to be recorded on our tivo so we broke down and bought it! It's good! The characters are right and the plot is addicting! It has a story not just horror.
Good show while it lasted, not for everybody. June 9, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This show is like putting Twin Peaks, the Stand, Picket Fences and Omen in a blender. Each episode is almost a story in it's own. The evil Sheriff Lucas Buck (Gary Cole) is evil incarnate, while his bastard son Caleb Temple (Lucas Black of Sling Blade) has to choose between him and his murdered sister Merilyn (Sarah Paulson), a ghost of good or a angel. It is the story of the struggle of good and evil within all of us, and it also shows that not everything is completely black or white, yet there is individuals more evil than good and vice versa, but even the bad have a little good in them. The show deals in folklore, myth, the supernatural, and it is very dark. Most people will not like this show as evidenced by it's cancellation. To many the last episode will be a major let down, no resolution but that wasn't the creator of the shows fault, it was the network CBS that canceled it not only that, when it was shown on TV it was constantly shuffled around and shown out of order with episodes that weren't even aired that even confused me as a viewer. They had plans to do another season that is why it seems there is no closure, one can only imagine what could've happened as endless fan fiction web sites have shown. There is commentary from the show's creator which is a bit lack luster and the episodes are out of order like on TV. The show seemed to come on at a time that Twin Peaks was going out on a low ebb but still influential and X Files the bastard child of the just mentioned show was on the rise, it seemed they tried to capitalize on the "weird show" craze. In my opinion they did a pretty good job of it, but they let the show die too early of a death and were very unfair in the way the treated it, it was as if they wanted the show too die. Too many networks back then and now let shows die instead of trying to find it a audience and let it grow, one season is not enough. If you like the otherworldly and weird this show is right up your alley but if your like the majority of Americans, this show will not appeal to you, you have to have imagination which most people lack. Aside from a ill advised character change out I think was out of their control, this show is a keeper and like Carnivale it makes you wish they had done more and if the show had been allowed to grow what potential it would've reached. Highly recommended for the imaginative, not recommended for the squeamish or happy ending Disney set.
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