American Dreams (2002–2005)

Set to the soundtrack of the '60s, a Philadelphia family moves toward the cultural upheaval in the years ahead. The Pryors' teen daughter Meg tries to shed her "good girl" image by hanging ... See full summary »

Creator:

Jonathan Prince

Stars:

Gail O'Grady, Tom Verica, Brittany Snow

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 8 wins & 27 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Gail O'Grady	...	Helen Pryor (61 episodes, 2002-2005)
Tom Verica	...	Jack Pryor (61 episodes, 2002-2005)
Brittany Snow	...	Meg Pryor (61 episodes, 2002-2005)
Will Estes	...	JJ Pryor (61 episodes, 2002-2005)
Sarah Ramos	...	Patty Pryor (61 episodes, 2002-2005)
Ethan Dampf	...	Will Pryor (61 episodes, 2002-2005)
Vanessa Lengies	...	Roxanne Bojarski (61 episodes, 2002-2005)
Jonathan Adams	...	Henry Walker (61 episodes, 2002-2005)
Arlen Escarpeta	...	Sam Walker (61 episodes, 2002-2005)
Rachel Boston	...	Beth Mason (50 episodes, 2002-2005)
Paul D. Roberts	...	Dick Clark (44 episodes, 2002-2005)
Keith Robinson	...	Nathan Walker (30 episodes, 2003-2005)
Matthew John Armstrong	...	Pete Pryor (27 episodes, 2002-2005)
Jamie Elman	...	Luke Foley (26 episodes, 2002-2005)

Storyline

Set to the soundtrack of the '60s, a Philadelphia family moves toward the cultural upheaval in the years ahead. The Pryors' teen daughter Meg tries to shed her "good girl" image by hanging with her worldly friend Roxanne and pursuing a dream of being an "American Bandstand" dancer. Meg's emerging personality, and the changes her mother's going through, don't sit well with Meg's father

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Plot Keywords:

1960s | generation gap | father son relationship | mother daughter relationship | nostalgic | 

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Taglines:

A time when the American Dream was alive. And one family was living that Dream.

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bandstand

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dick Clark Productions, NBC Studios, NBC Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Current music artists appear in almost every episode as popular singers from the 1960s.

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Goofs

Often during scenes in the American Bandstand studio, what you see being filmed on the cameras does not always match what is happening on the stage (obviously because the cameras are showing clips of the original American Bandstand whereas the stage has actors attempting the recreate it).

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Quotes

Patty Pryor: Remember, chickens lay eggs; people lie down.

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Soundtracks

"Beyond The Sea"
Written by Albert Lasry (as Albert Abraham Lasry), Jack Lawrence and Charles Trenet (as Charles Louis Trenet)
Performed by Duncan Sheik
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corporation

User Reviews

The Best Show Ever!

"American Dreams" is my absolute most favourite show of all time. I look forward to Sundays at 8 and if the phone rings, whoever is calling goes into voice mail. I was a child in the 60s having been born in 1959 but it's not just the music or clothes that have made this show my favourite.

I love the way the Pryor kids bicker. It's so realistic! My fave scenes are at the dinner table. Dad rules and everyone has to obey.

I'm worried about JJ but the previews for this Sunday say he comes home. I hope it's to stay.

Meg is heading toward being a hippie and I can't wait to see how her character develops down the road, especially when she starts college.

I hope NBC has no plans to cancel this for a very long time!