CBS’ new 13-episode murder mystery “American Gothic” is so secret that even its stars don’t know the killer’s identity.
The drama (premiering Wednesday at 10 p.m.) centers on a prominent Boston family that discovers someone in their midst is linked to an infamous string of murders — making everyone in their wealthy clan a potential suspect.
“They don’t tell you anything. None of us knows who the killer, or killers, is. We wait every week and it’s very exciting when we all get the script and try to put together the clues,” says star Virginia Madsen. “Our experience of making the show is going to be very much like the audience watching the show. We all have our own theories. I understand there are some betting pools [on the set] of who it is.”
Madsen plays matriarch Madeleine Hawthorne who, after her husband’s death, assumes complete control of the family: ambitious daughter Alison (Juliet Rylance, “The Knick”), who’s running for mayor of Boston; Tessa (Megan Ketch, “Jane the Virgin”), who is married to a detective working the case; Cam (Justin Chatwin, “Shameless”), whose young son starts to exhibit disturbing behavior; and eldest son Garrett (Antony Starr, “Banshee”), who returns home after a long absence.
“He’s really central to the mystery of the show. He carries the secrets. He’s the gatekeeper to what has happened and will happen,” Starr says of his prodigal-son character. “He disappeared 14 years ago after the string of murders. We don’t know how he’s involved or if he’s involved. He inserts himself back into the family and is a cat among pigeons.”
He carries the secrets. He’s the gatekeeper to what has happened and will happen.
- 'American Gothic' co-star Antony Starr on his character, Garrett Hawthorne
Garrett’s sudden reappearance causes a great deal of tension between him and his mother, who is constantly trying to manipulate the people around her to get her way (and usually succeeds). For Madsen, best known for her Oscar-nominated role in “Sideways,” the devious Madeleine was a welcome departure from her usual “understanding moms and supportive wives” characters — especially when she learned the twist at the end of the pilot.
“When I read the last scene of Episode 1 and what I do in that scene, it just came out of nowhere, it was fantastic,” she says. “I got up and ran around the room. Because if they had me do that in Episode 1, I was sure that I wouldn’t just turn into the pancake-maker.”
According to Madsen, each episode of “American Gothic” will include clues to the mystery in the physical set of Hawthorne Mansion, as well as moments of humor to lighten up the dark premise.
Says Starr: “The murder mystery is really a plot driver, but from my point of view [it’s about a] family that receives a devastating piece of news and really has to pull together and figure out where they fit. You don’t [usually] have a serial killer note, but there’s a lot of stuff going on in most families.”