Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This DVD set is long overdue. Loooong overdue. In our recent move from DC to Colorado, I threw out all of our recorded VHS tapes--except for the ones with "American Gothic". Now I can get rid of those as well, but for the right reason. Like "Firefly", "American Gothic" is a unique, outstanding series never given a chance by its network (CBS, in this case). It was also probably the most chilling and disturbing series ever to air, a stark morality tale with Gary Cole as the Devil incarnate (or a close kin), disguised as Sheriff Lucas Buck of the small town of Trinity, SC. Buck rules over his little kingdom with morbid humor and playfulness, setting up moral pitfalls and dilemmas for the town's inhabitants, and dispensing his own brand of justice or vengance or just plain meanness--which often involves ruin, insanity, dismemberment, or death. Opposing Buck is young Caleb Temple (played by Lucas Black), an orphan who talks regularly to his dead sister Merlyn and who has powers of his own--and who may or may not be Buck's son. Buck wants Caleb to follow him; Merlyn wants Caleb to resist; and the rest of Trinity gets caught in the crossfire, so to speak. The writing, acting, and directing are all outstanding. You'll never look at Gary Cole the same way again. Or, for that matter, Shaun Cassidy--yes, the "Hardy Boys" teen heart-throb [thanks for the corrections, everyone!]--who conceived and produced the show, along with Sam Raimi ("Evil Dead", "Army of Darkness", "Spider-Man").