American Dreams

American Dreams is an American television drama program broadcast on the NBC television network. It debuted on 29 September 2002, and airs on Sundays at 8/9c. Season 3 began on 26 September 2004.

Contents

Background

The show tells the story of the Pryor family of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the 1960s. Head of the Catholic household is "Jack" Pryor (played by Tom Verica), a tough-but-loving husband, father, and owner of a TV/radio store. Jack and his wife Helen (Gail O'Grady) are busy raising four children:

  • "JJ" (Will Estes), Oldest pryor child, and soldier in Vietnam.
  • Meg (Brittany Snow), a sophomore at East Catholic, and current anti-war protester. Her best friend Roxanne Bojarski (Vanessa Lengies) often eats dinner with the Pryors.
  • Patty (Sarah Ramos), an unusually bright junior high school student.
  • Will (Ethan Dampf), an elementary school student whose leg is crippled with polio, but has undergone an opperation to fix it.

Henry Walker (Jonathan Adams), a black employee in Jack's store, also heads a family:

  • Gwen (Adina Porter), Henry's wife and a housekeeper (died).
  • Sam (Arlen Escarpeta), a bright high school junior and track star.
  • Angela (Aysia Polk), a daughter roughly Patty's age.

Minor characters include Jack's younger brother Pete (Matthew John Armstrong), a policeman; Tommy DeFelice (Paul Wasilewski), JJ's macho friend and football teammate, and Mr. and Mrs. Mason, Beth's WASP parents.

Synopsis

Season 1 (2002-2003)

In the pilot episode (set in November 1963), Meg and Roxanne win the opportunity to join the dancers on the TV show American Bandstand, filmed in Philadelphia. Bandstand immediately becomes the principal creative pillar of American Dreams, with each episode featuring recreated versions of the musical acts that (almost always) appeared on the real Bandstand, often rendered by modern singers.

Sam wins a track scholarship to East Catholic. Some in the majority-white student body resent Sam's presence, especially Tommy, who is later expelled. JJ is disappointed in his hopes of winning a full athletic scholarship to play at Notre Dame, and instead enrolls at Lehigh University, while Beth chooses to attend the University of Pennsylvania in order to be near him. However, an old injury costs JJ the Lehigh scholarship, and thus he enlists in the Marines to pay for school. In the final episode (18 May 2003), JJ departs for boot camp at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, while Meg and Sam are caught in the riots that shook Philadelphia in the summer of 1964.

Season 2 (2003-2004)

Meg and Sam survive the riots unharmed, but the branch of Jack's store under Henry's management is destroyed. Gwen dies from cancer. JJ excels at boot camp and arrives in Vietnam. While on leave, he and Beth are reunited in Hawaii; they there break up, but Beth soon learns she is pregnant with JJ's child, and moves in with the Pryors. Sam wins a scholarship to Penn. Jack decides to run for the City Council. In the final episode (4 April 2004), JJ is caught in a fierce firefight while Meg and Sam are arrested at a campus rally protesting the Vietnam war.

Season 3 (2004-2005)

The arrests widen the communications gap between parents and children, and inspire Meg to lead additional protests. A strict new headmaster also fires Meg up. An injured JJ wakes up in an American military hospital, and learns of his forthcoming child; Beth refuses to accept JJ's offer of marriage. Roxanne, estranged from her mother, moves in with the Pryors. JJ gets recruited for special, somewhat mysterious duty for the US government. Jack wins an upset victory for the City Council.

Special guests

External links

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