The South Carolina town of Trinity is dominated my Lucas Buck, the town's sheriff. In the opening episode he goes out to the Temple household where the father appears to have snapped and attacked his children Merlyn and Caleb. Caleb gets away but Merlyn isn't so lucky. She isn't dead though
at least not until Sheriff Buck breaks her neck! As the series progresses he tries to take Caleb under his wing; something others who care for him, notably his cousin Gail who comes to town soon afterwards and Dr Matt Crower try to stop. It soon becomes apparent that things in Trinity aren't quite normal; Merlyn regularly appears to her brother, and sometimes others, like a guardian angel and it appears that Lucas has powers that aren't quite natural. These powers are subtle; those he helps think he is a good man and those who cross him are likely to suffer 'accidents'. Later it emerges that Lucas has a reason for taking an interest in Caleb; something that becomes more disturbing as we learn more.
This was a really fine series; I enjoyed it when I first watched it on television and even more when I watched it on DVD. Talking of the DVD if you are preparing to watch the series one should be aware that the episodes are in the order they were broadcast which is not the correct order I'd strongly advise watching them either in the order listed here or that on Wikipedia they are almost identical just one episode switched; I think the latter is correct but wouldn't swear to it. Either way you'll finish on the final episode rather than ending up confused.
The series contains elements of horror but it is fairly subtle; chilling rather than terrifying. That isn't to say there aren't any disturbing moments though. The story is well told with the main story being spread over the whole series. Individual episodes also contain standalone stories which usually illustrate just how dangerous Lucas is. The cast are great; Gary Cole dominates the series as Lucas Buck; he makes it believable that many of those who deal with him won't see just how evil he is. Young Lucas Black also impresses as Caleb Temple; a character who develops impressively over the course of the series. There are plenty of other interesting characters; Sarah Paulson brings an otherworldliness to the role of Merlyn's ghost; Brenda Bakke is delightfully seductive as Selena, school teacher and lover of Lucas Buck; Paige Turco as the relatively normal Gail and Nick Searcy as Deputy Ben Healy, a man who wants to do the right thing but can't stand up to his boss. It is a shame that the series ended after just one season but the ending is ambiguous in a good way so perhaps it is good that it ended while it was still good. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to anybody after a rather different TV series.
This was a really fine series; I enjoyed it when I first watched it on television and even more when I watched it on DVD. Talking of the DVD if you are preparing to watch the series one should be aware that the episodes are in the order they were broadcast which is not the correct order I'd strongly advise watching them either in the order listed here or that on Wikipedia they are almost identical just one episode switched; I think the latter is correct but wouldn't swear to it. Either way you'll finish on the final episode rather than ending up confused.
The series contains elements of horror but it is fairly subtle; chilling rather than terrifying. That isn't to say there aren't any disturbing moments though. The story is well told with the main story being spread over the whole series. Individual episodes also contain standalone stories which usually illustrate just how dangerous Lucas is. The cast are great; Gary Cole dominates the series as Lucas Buck; he makes it believable that many of those who deal with him won't see just how evil he is. Young Lucas Black also impresses as Caleb Temple; a character who develops impressively over the course of the series. There are plenty of other interesting characters; Sarah Paulson brings an otherworldliness to the role of Merlyn's ghost; Brenda Bakke is delightfully seductive as Selena, school teacher and lover of Lucas Buck; Paige Turco as the relatively normal Gail and Nick Searcy as Deputy Ben Healy, a man who wants to do the right thing but can't stand up to his boss. It is a shame that the series ended after just one season but the ending is ambiguous in a good way so perhaps it is good that it ended while it was still good. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to anybody after a rather different TV series.