American Gothic (2016)
CBS | Release Date: June 22, 2016
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
51
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
13
Negative:
3

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Boston GlobeMatthew GilbertJun 20, 2016
Season 1 Review: The TV equivalent of a murder-mystery novel, the kind you can read in between swims and nods on the beach. You know it’s going to be predictable, illogical, and a little trashy, and you don’t mind if the book jacket gets wet or torn, and if the book got stolen you’d forget about it almost instantly, but still, you kind of want to find out who done it. Read full review
50
We Got This CoveredMitchel BroussardJun 22, 2016
Season 1 Review: Intrigue doesn’t exactly catch fire. The characters don’t elicit much drama because their circumstances feel so staid and overdone. Read full review
50
St. Louis Post-DispatchGail PenningtonJun 22, 2016
Season 1 Review: It's summer, and this is a scripted, first-run network TV series. That's something. And maybe everyone hasn't seen a dozen dramas with similar troubled-family plots, many (Netflix's "Bloodline," for instance) much craftier. Read full review
50
Boston HeraldMark A. PerigardJun 22, 2016
Season 1 Review: Madsen works hard to deliver an intimidating matriarch, but the dialogue is flat and merely functional. Read full review
50
The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerJun 21, 2016
Season 1 Review: After a convincing opening episode, American Gothic turns soapier and more florid in Episode 2. Read full review
50
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenJun 21, 2016
Season 1 Review: There are some intentionally light-hearted, even funny moments squeezed in here and there. The show's concept offers nothing really new for TV but it executes the wealthy, murderous family drama well enough for low-stakes summer programming. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoJun 21, 2016
Season 1 Review: Clearly, American Gothic has enough plot for a summer murder mystery, but it doesn’t quite have the style or cast to pull it off with the flair that this kind of guilty pleasure needs. Read full review
50
VarietyMelanie McFarlandJun 20, 2016
Season 1 Review: American Gothic eventually reveals itself to be a pedestrian murder mystery that slowly dies on the vine for want of interesting characters. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyJeff JensenJun 20, 2016
Season 1 Review: Gothic is either afraid of being too gothic or just doesn't know what gothic is. [24 Jun 2016, p.53]
40
TV Guide MagazineMatt RoushJun 23, 2016
Season 1 Review: [A] glacially paced yawn of a yarn. [27 Jun - 10 Jul 2016, p.15]
40
Wall Street JournalBrian P. KellyJun 22, 2016
Season 1 Review: A lack of originality isn’t its only weakness. Overacting--and at least one abysmal attempt at a Boston accent--results in a soapy atmosphere. This isn’t necessarily a problem, but it becomes one as the series fails to grasp its tone. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesMary McNamaraJun 22, 2016
Season 1 Review: This American Gothic remains strictly paint-by-numbers. Read full review
40
Philadelphia InquirerEllen GrayJun 21, 2016
Season 1 Review: It's not clear whether American Gothic is meant to be campy or whether it just plays that way, but as cold cases go, this one's lukewarm. And as the coincidences pile up, the murder mystery gets more and more muddled. Read full review
Current TV Shows
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 92 The Pitt: Season 2
2 90 The Celebrity Traitors UK: Season 1
3 89 Rivals
4 87 Hacks: Season 5
5 87 Industry: Season 4
6 87 Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal:...
7 85 The Beatles Anthology
8 85 The Traitors [UK]: Season 4
9 85 Bait: Season 1
10 84 Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
11 83 Lord of the Flies
12 83 Riot Women: Season 1
13 83 For All Mankind: Season 5
14 81 The Muppet Show (2026)
15 80 Outlander (2014): Season 8
16 80 The Other Bennet Sister: Season 1
17 80 The Mighty Nein: Season 1
18 80 The Comeback: Season 3
19 80 The American Revolution
20 80 One Piece (2023): Season 2
SEE ALL