The series begins in Scotland about a thousand years ago. The main characters are Goliath, the new leader of the gargoyles, his old mentor, and three young gargoyles who, in human terms, would be considered teenagers. There is also Goliath’s mate. There is an attack on the castle by a group of raiders who do not believe that humans and gargoyles should work together. They attack during the day when the gargoyles have turned to stone and are defenseless. They destroy many gargoyles, but they cannot find Goliath or his mentor, so they leave thinking the job is done. Goliath and his Mentor return in the evening, where they find many of their clan mates dead and portions of the Castle burning.
Goliath believes his mate to be dead, so he goes after the attackers, and he finds there is a traitor in the castle. Overcome with grief, Goliath does not know what to do with himself. The castle magician is furious that the gargoyles were not there during the castle’s hour of need. So, he uses a powerful spell to turn Goliath and the remaining gargoyles to stone for a thousand years until the court is raised above the clouds.
A millionaire, David Xanatos, is intrigued by the legend. He decides to move the castle stone by stone and have it rebuilt on top of a skyscraper a thousand feet above the clouds. He realizes the legend is true. He introduces himself to the clan and explains what has been going on. The remaining group of Gargoyles consists of Goliath, his mentor, and three young gargoyles. The three younger gargoyles are eager to explore the city. However, Goliath is cautious because he is unaware of what dangers the town might hold for the billionaire who brought the gargoyles out of hibernation. He is the main protagonist who manipulates lesser protagonists throughout the series. Goliath also finds out that his mate survived for a thousand years. All the gargoyles give themselves names. The smallest gargoyles, called Lexington, are fascinated with technology. He became proficient with computers and other mechanical devices. The following young gargoyle is called Broadway. He becomes fascinated by the different types of food available in the city. The following young gargoyle takes the name Brooklyn, who, it seems, is being groomed to be the next leader. The older mentor takes the name Hudson. Goliath's mate was given the name Dimona. There is also a dog-type gargoyle, which they call the Bronx.
The series has heavy Shakespearean influences. There are many fairies, and most of the powerful characters in the series are shown to be children of Oberon, the fairy king. His wife, Titania, is the fairy Queen. There is also a human character who plays a significant part in the story, a human detective, Elisa Maza, who is suspicious of Xanatos throughout the series and becomes one of the gargoyle's closest allies. The human detective seems to have some attraction to Goliath. Goliath has a significant amount of respect for her, and he does seem to have some interest in Elisa Maza during the show. They both understand that a relationship will not work between the two for obvious reasons, the most obvious reason being that they are a different species.
Dimona becomes Goliath's enemy over time. She has grown to hate human beings. She also harbors a fit of jealousy towards Elisa for her close friendship with Goliath. The rest of the clan begin to see beyond the walls of their castle and begin to see New York as their home, so they decide to defend the city as if it was their castle.
The show has three seasons. Many people do not consider the third season the same series because it drastically shifts from seasons 1 and 2. I believe all seasons to be alike enough to make sense. I think the show did a marvelous job, and it has a powerful message about how people should be prepared to adapt to new situations, even if it is difficult.