American Gothic

Concrete in a tunnel collapses in Boston. It's a blow to Alison Hawthorne-Price (Juliet Rylance) who is running against Mayor Conley. Her father ran the family concrete business which supplied the material. Evidence of the "Silver Bells Killer" is found in the rubble. The killer has been silent for almost 15 years. The cold case is reopened led by detective Linda Cutter and suspicions land on the Hawthorne family. The father suffers a heart attack. Madeline Hawthorne (Virginia Madsen) is the matriarch. Her son Cam (Justin Chatwin) is a recovering addict with his own family. Her daughter Tessa (Megan Ketch) is married to police detective Brady Ross (Elliot Knight). Her son Garrett (Antony Starr) has returned from parts unknown.

It's a crime twisty mystery family drama. It's good enough for a network TV show but nothing more. It's not exciting or terribly compelling. There are some twists but nothing terribly compelling. The characters are fine and so are the actors. It needs one central character with real charisma to drive the show but this is more of an ensemble cast. This is not going to rewrite the TV playbook. There is just enough interest to keep watching all 13 one-hour episodes.

If you are looking for Hitchcock, then don't watch this show. But if you are looking for a little shiver up your back and an "oh my goodness" moment, then is is great summer fun TV. I am really enjoying this program. The cast is great, they are deceptive and loving at the same time. You can see the manipulation playing through as the story wraps around the mystery of the silver bells murder. I love the mother character, a tad crass, and a lady to the last. I love the dynamics of the siblings. It's believable, a love-hate relationship. The son-in-law break up the Anglo cast, but even that doesn't bother me. I like him. I just love the antics, the what just happened there moment? The formula is like though you take a Nora Roberts Novel, and mix it with an good episode of Coloumbo, and add a little Nancy drew to the mix. It's good American TV, there is no Sherlock conjuncture, or Agatha here.. I wish we had more of these during the fall season.

Although it took a few episodes to fully draw me in and the seemingly endless unanswered questions that kept piling up, this was an enjoyable watch. The questions were eventually answered and nearly everything is wrapped up nicely by the end. I was able to figure out most twists before they were revealed though so it may seem a bit too easy for some people.

This series has a clean, honest story line. It does have a traditional look about it, as someone mentioned, but that works for me. I'm a bit tired of the quick-cutting, montage-a-minute kind of film that passes for story these days.

The Hawthorne siblings are all different so you can find one to like and one to despise if that's your thing. Tessa is refreshingly naïve, a bit fruity, but I like Alison best, the cold, sophisticated one.

The other thing about this one is that it's not too freaky. I know it's fashionable to be pushing the envelope these days but I already think that sort of thing is done to the limit -- it seems like producers are going out of their way to find shock value. Sure, shock value gets people talking about your show but that's about it --- yada,yada,yada -- it's become boring, snore-producing.

Since I don't find much video/film/TV that impresses me anyway (compared to books where you can always find a good book), I like a good story with characters well-played even if fireworks and CGI aren't going on all the time.

Luckily I disregarded other viewer comments and gave this show a chance. Very glad I did. The actors and cinematography make for first rate storytelling. I was captivated from the pilot episode. The writing has the perfect combination of a film noir and Hitchcockian tones that satisfy anyone looking for chills and suspense. I have been looking for a something that encompasses all the elements which this show has delivered so far. The talented cast has enough diversity to appeal to any audience while simultaneously being cohesive and maintaining the central theme of the shows dark and secretive ambiance. I hope it survives the buffeting that it receives in its first season because it looks very promising. Can't wait for episode 4.