CBS has debuted a new family drama and suspense-thrilled that might just be your new guilty pleasure for Summer TV. "American Gothic" centers on a rich and influential Boston family, the Hawthornes, whose patriarch has just died.
But upon his death, his adult children learn that he could be the Silver Bells Killer (SBK), the serial criminal that has been responsible for the deaths many affluent victims in "American Gothic." Their suspicions grew when it appeared that their mother orchestrated a cover up.
Did the SBK die when their father died? Why did their mother had to destroy the box of evidence the children found? There is more to this dirty secret on "American Gothic" and it's only been on its first few episodes.
"American Gothic" premiered on CBS on Wednesday, June 22 and the third episode is set to air July 6 at 10:00 p.m. The series opened with the discovery of an evidence linked to the Silver Bells Killer (SBK), whom the police have been tracking for over a decade. The premiere also introduced the prominent Hawthorne family.
The SBK's trademark is that the criminal leaves silver bells next to his victims on "American Gothic." The Hawthorne children discovered that their father had boxes of silver bells and news clippings of the murders. However, their mother disregarded this as their father's obsession to the crime story.
She also admitted that before her husband died, he had been suffering from Alzheimer's, which clouded his perception that he was the SBK. "It's not clear who the killer is, but as the suspicion and paranoia grows, we see how it trickles down to the other family members," said Corine Brinkerhoff, the show's creator and executive producer per Times Colonist.
Are you starting to put the clues together? Here's what we know so far on #AmericanGothic.https://t.co/6hMbzNRVNB
— American Gothic (@AMERICAN_GOTHIC) June 30, 2016
"American Gothic" stars Virginia Madsen (Madeline), Justin Chatwin (Cam), Megan Ketch (Tessa), Juliet Rylance (Allison) and Anthony Starr (Garreth). Of the family members, Garreth, the eldest son, was estranged for 14 years. This was the same time period that the SBK suddenly stopped claiming victims.
The second episode to "American Gothic" hinted that Garreth knows his parents’ secret and it was evident that he harbored hatred for this father even until his dead. But whatever this secret remains unknown and the mystery grows deeper as Madeline asked Garreth leave Boston immediately after his father's funeral.
"American Gothic" is being compared to a "compelling summer novel" that is "filled with suspense, intrigue and an explosive ending." The show will run for 13 episodes, per Deadline. Learn more about it in the video below.
