HOLLYWOOD -- Shaun Cassidy, enterprising son of Shirley Jones and the late actor Jack Cassidy, brother of singer David and actor Patrick, is a Cassidy whose time has come. Shaun, often in the shadow of other family members, enjoyed modest success as a recording artist in Europe. He became an actor of note in 'The Hardy Boys Mysteries' TV series for three years in the '70s, later touring the world in concerts. He worked in the theater for almost a decade. Eventually Shaun collected 20 gold and platinum records and starred in the 'Breaking Away' TV series. Still, mother Shirley and brother David were bigger stars. Shaun's career was not quite so bright. That changed in 1994 when he starred on Broadway with David in the hit musical 'Blood Brothers,' after many years on stage in Los Angeles and London. 'We both sang in 'Blood Brothers' and it was a tremendous hit,' Cassidy said. 'It was amazing. We got standing ovations every night for a year. A surprise because it hadn't done well in England.' Unlike others of the Cassidy clan, Shaun hankered for the creative side of show business behind the cameras. To that end he wrote three TV movies and is creator, writer and producer of the new CBS drama series 'American Gothic.' In his offices at Universal Studios, the handsome, congenial Cassidy said he has hit his stride. His first TV film was 'Strays,' the highest-rated movie on cable's USA network in 1991, and the TV sequel to 'Midnight Run' in syndication for Universal.
Currently he is putting finishing touches on a drama for HBO based on a true story. 'I am also writing a lot of the episodes for 'American Gothic,'' Cassidy said. 'Writing and producing are the hardest work I've ever done. Acting is a heck of a lot easier. But it isn't as exciting as writing in the long run. 'I enjoy having a vision and seeing it realized. It's also gratifying to go out on the set on the first day of shooting and see hundreds of people -- stagehands, craftsmen, actors and directors working because you came up with an idea. 'You really can affect people's lives and not just in terms of the story but in real economic ways. 'For me writing is more satisfying because when you're singing or acting you are interpreting somebody else's work. 'There's a different feeling when your work originates with yourself. It's far more creative.' Cassidy had high praise for Sam Raimi, his executive producer, and his cast, led by Gary Cole, Paige Turco, Jake Weber and Brenda Bakke. 'I've written six of the scripts so far, and I've had a hand in almost all of them,' he said. 'TV is much more a writer-driven medium than feature films. If you're writing movies the screenplay can be worked on by 10 other writers rewriting your script before it gets to the screen. 'In TV the writer really drives the show. They say this is TV's second golden era because so many interesting things are happening with hour shows. 'It's an exciting time to be working in a 60-minute series. CBS has been very supportive, encouraging us to try new things. 'Our show is different because the lead character is not a nice guy. He's manipulative, powerful sheriff Lucas Buck.' So far Cassidy is staying with suspense stories and moral dilemmas for his two-hour TV films, which is the basis for 'American Gothic' episodes. 'Our show is a series of morality tales between good and evil,' he said. 'Sheriff Buck is essentially evil incarnate. He's like the godfather. He has enough good qualities to find sympathetic supporters. 'If you don't question his methods, you can lead a pretty good life in the rural community of Trinity, South Carolina. 'Turco plays a newspaper reporter who suspects Buck killed her parents many years ago and is trying to bring him down. 'It's surprising how many viewers like Buck and identify with him even though he's an absolutely unsympathetic character. 'Viewers seem to be fascinated by him, as they were by J.R. Ewing in 'Dallas.' 'Ironically, CBS did a lot of testing on the show and discovered Buck is the most popular individual in the cast of characters. I don't know what that says about our society. 'Maybe it's because all of us have a dark side and we recognize that in sheriff Buck. 'I came up with the concept because I have a dark side myself, and as far as I know there hasn't been another protagonist like him in series TV.' Shaun enjoys writing Buck's scheming and conniving. He also takes pleasure in inventing new characters. Asked whether he might write a character once in a while that would be right for brothers David and Patrick, Cassidy laughed and said, 'They keep bugging me about that.'
