User reviews

I am a fan of character development, great acting and history. This lovely show has all three. My favorite character is Jack because he represents the people who think they have life figured out. But, life keeps changing; he is classy enough to change with it. And Meg is so much like him and he does not realize it.

The American Bandstand angle is a pleasant way to remind us of a simplier time in the music world. The show faces hard issues like racism, police brutality, Viet Nam, polio, politics, homosexuality, the riot, life changes and pregnancy outside of marriage realistically. These issues are a part of life and I appreciate the "non over-the-top" way they have been handled.

You can even watch this with your family and not cringe because of cursing and explicit sexual encounters. This is a fine way to spend one hour on Sunday evenings.

American Dreams is one of the best television shows that is on, it has some great writing and an awesome cast. The show follows one family through the times that changed our nation. Set in Philadelphia, the Pryor family is living the dream that many Americans wanted a perfect family or at least an image of one. The actors have all grown into their characters. This show does not use sex and violence to attract it's audience, it is a great show, a must see! It also has a great soundtrack and some cool guest appearances by some of today's up and comers. It also using some older footage from the real American Bandstand, the way they do that is amazing.I give this show 3.8 stars and an A!

The show takes me back to my own senior year, 1963. It is very accurate even to the clothing styles and amazingly, the name of a long since closed amusement park called "Willow Grove Park" was mentioned once. I won't dwell on this, but I was one of the kids back in 1962 on American Bandstand myself. I have a highly treasured snapshot I took one day on the set of Dick Clark interviewing Sandra Dee. The show isn't all carefree of course, but then life has never been without problems. Despite this, it depicts an era of a certain innocence we no longer enjoy.

This is a fabulous series. I was extremely disappointed when they took it off the air.

It is the story of a Catholic family living in Philadelphia during the early to mid sixties. The Dad has an appliance store in Philadelphia and has a black employee. One of the continuing story lines is the black/white interaction at that time.

It also deals with the idea of a housewife who goes back to school while her kids are still in school, and eventually goes back to work.

It is the time of the Kennedy assassination, and the Viet Nam war. The eldest son becomes a marine, and an MIA.

It is the most worthwhile TV endeavor I have ever seen. The only thing that comes close is the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

The casting is flawless.

I would buy the second and third seasons if they were to become available.

You could, if you wished, spend 8 p.m. Sundays (formerly known as the "family hour") watching the whiny cops of "10-8" solve a grisly murder. Or you could watch the emotionally sterile cops of "Cold Case" solve an old murder. Bah! Why? If I want to see murder, I'll wait till another night when I can spin the network roulette wheel of crime programs and see all the blood I want. No, Sunday nights at 8 are reserved, for me, by the magnificent show known as "American Dreams." American Dreams is not a television show. It is an imposter. It is, in actuality, a verrrrrry long theatrical film that was cut into about 44 parts. I know, because it doesn't behave like a tv show. The characters don't talk like they're on tv. They talk like real people, dealing with real problems and using realistic solutions. They are not cute, they are not cloying. Their issues are not resolved in 42 minutes; they must deal with them over time, painfully and with much thought. And when it happens, it is sometimes done in an undramatic, almost subtle way, that many weaker viewers will not understand. In that, American Dreams is almost the television antithesis of such dreck as "Touched by an Angel." I come away from each episode with my intelligence uninsulted--embarrassment-free, as if I'd done a good thing by spending my precious hour in front of the box. May the show last seven years--long enough for the writers to put the Pryors through the rest of the 60s. I want to see how they deal with it.

I never thought I would be addicted to a 8PM Sunday Night drama, but American Dreams has it all. The cast is great (with the possible exceptions of the popular Brittany Snow--who I think is just OK, and her too-old boyfriends.) But everyone else is perfect--Gail O'Grady shines as the mom (and if you want to see her in her real glory, check out her photos on IMDB). The show does a nice job with race relations (the Walker family is great) and with Vietnam--the All-American Boy joins the Marines. Last but hardly least, the music is irresistable--with today's young stars playing all the Motown and British Invasion stars of the day, interspersed with archival footage. Even the theme song is infectious.

It's TV's rarest avis--a family show with a bite and memorable characters.

Good 60's show dealing with social and political issues of the times.

This show was my favorite I can not believe that NBC canceled it! American Dreams has been canceled for two years now and I am still incredibly upset about it. This show was so amazing :( the music, the storyline, the characters...ugh it was SO good. Best show I ever watched. I know there will never be anything like it again. If you haven't seen it, buy the season one DVD any way. It is a little pricey but it is worth it! Me and my sister watch the DVD a few times each year... it never gets old. It is a show for all ages, you can be 3 or 93, it does not matter. support the show! BUY THE SEASON ONE DVD it is worth it!

Once I bought season one of "American Dreams" on DVD in 2012, I fell in love with it, the music, the dancing, etc. And then, I saw the last two seasons online and I still thought that it was a wonderful show. I had a whole lot of fun watching such a show!

But now, I want the show back on TV and set in the 1970's! I've been working on this petition for a while to bring back "American Dreams", so for those of you who liked or even loved "American Dreams" just like I ended up doing, here's what I want you to do:

1.) Sign up for change.org

2.) Go to my petition for this link chn.ge/1jXfjD1

3.) Send both links to all of your friends in order for them to sign the petition.

4.) Have all of them send both of the links to all of their friends in order for them to sign the petition and so on.

That's the way the petition will work if it ends up that way. Please, don't do this for me, but for the late Mr. Dick Clark, too. Thank you!

I grew up in Philadelphia, graduated from a Catholic High School in 1964. There were a number of details the producers of the show got wrong.

In the Catholic League title game, the announcers say, it was the closest Catholic League championship in years. Prior to the 1963 season, the Philadelphia Catholic League did not have a regular scheduled Championship game. In 19633, the league split into Northern and Southern divisions, after adding 4 teams. Prior to 1963, the Catholic League consisted of 10 teams. Each team played every other team. The team which finished with the best record was League Champion. To be honest, there were playoff games in 1959, 1961 and 1962. This happened because two teams finished with identical records. The games were not scheduled games.

The show had the Philadelphia City Title game played at night at one of the school's home fields. At the time, the Philadelphia City Title game was played on Saturday afternoon at the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field, which did not have lights at the time.

The show had East Catholic with female cheer leaders. In 1963, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia was so prudish that it would not permit female cheer leaders. Also, Catholic schools were either all male or all female. Even the schools which had both boys and girls were not really coeducational. They were co-institutional, meaning there were separate parts of the school for males and females. There were no coeducational classes.

Several episodes showed Beth Pryor as a member of the East Catholic band wearing slacks. Again, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia was so prudish, it required female members of the bands of co institutional schools to wear skirts.

One additional note. In Philadelphia Catholic System, there were a North Catholic High School(due to be closed because of declining enrollment, a South Catholic(which became Bishop Neumann, now Neumann-Goretti, after a boys' school and a girls' school(St. Maria Goretti) were merged, and a West Catholic(originally there were a West Catholic Boys school and a West Catholic girls school, now merged into one school). There was never an East Catholic.

I have to disagree strongly with one parsimonious reviewer who stated there was no reason to watch this show. There are at least two good reasons...

First, if you were a teenager in the early 1960s, like I was, and looked forward to watching American Bandstand, this weekly TV series is a marvelous, nostalgic reminder of those times. Whether your memories were good or bad, this is the closest we will ever get to "being there" one more time. The film clips from the original Bandstand show add to the realism.

Second, if you are too young to remember the 1960s, and are curious, the styles of dress, the dialog, the boy-girl infatuations, the racial tension, the religious conflicts over birth control, the "transistor radios" that everyone carried around, the round-screen black and white TVs, all those are very authentic in this TV series.

"American Dreams" - overall a very fine show, one we've dreamed about for years!

"American Dreams" was truly unique to be airing in the first half of the twenty first century, especially since the story lines match the early 1960s. It was a time of a more innocent America when fresh faced families like the Pryor's were struggling to find their own happiness in a world of racism, wars in southeast Asia, and British rock n roll. I was sad and disappointed to see NBC cancel a program such as this that exemplified excellent writing, acting and production value. Let's be honest, did not every kid between 14-18 years of age want to be on "Bandstand?" After buying the first season, I need to see the others released to complete my collection. If you haven't seen "American Dreams", I highly recommend it for anyone who lived through the '60s or wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to be a part... I was born in the wrong decade.

I loved this show when it first premiered. It had a great cast, enjoyable characters that were built on a strong foundation, and great story lines. I also loved the music incorporated into the show; it added more spark and was fun to sing along with the characters. I really do not know why they canceled it but I know they made a huge mistake. I liked learning about the 1960s and the family and what they did back then. I was 13 when it first premiered and it was cool to see kids around my age in the show. I would loved if the show went more into the 60's but sadly, we would never get to see it. I recommend this show to anyone who likes the 60's or remembers their childhood.

This was one of the finest television shows ever made. The characters were real and the situations were real, believable and the entire show had a hook that made you enjoy watching it week to week... American bandstand and all those great old acts. The show ended with Meg rebelling and riding off with that guy on the motorcycle and when the next season rolled around no more show!!! This was a horrible way to end a show leaving its fan base in limbo. Did Meg return to her good girl ways and come home, did JJ ever go to college etc... This was a wholesome show that tackled some very big issues of both growing up and life itself and with a focus on one family I enjoyed seeing all the characters challenges. I hope NBC (or some other network) will at least film a special to let us know how it all turns out.

No show has made me cry more over little things… the death of Kennedy, all the times Meg says that "she's doing it for JJ", the many scenes with the whole Pryor family worrying about JJ even though you know he's okay… even a hug between father and daughter, or two friends reuniting after being in a fight have made me cry… why? Because the characters don't just overcome things, they push the boundaries and make the world a better place one day at a time. They set the path for what would be the world I live in today: and as a child of the 2000 era (I was born in 1983), it shows me that this world – our world - is a better place because of the fight that was led on by the courageous minds of the 60's and 70's. Honestly, I could watch this show over and over again, because it gives me hope that what we do makes a difference… maybe not on the short run but on the long run, absolutely. It keeps me from becoming jaded. I too want to keep pushing the boundaries, so that 40 years from now, our children can look back and see the work we've done… and the work that's left to do.

I am a 14 year old living in a world where the American Dream is all about the times. The latest fashion, the newest music. My parents were in their early teens during the 60's, living in a world with Vietnam, and the industries. My mom was the oldest of 5 daughters living on the farm. My dad, the youngest of 2 boys living in a military family in the city. But there is one thing that they both could relate to. The American Dream.

American Dreams brings back that dream with such amazing reality. My parents remember American Bandstand and the artists that performed there. They remember the events happening in the world, and remember what it was like to live during that time. It's like a part of my parent's history, is being brought into my home for me to share with them. I get to understand what their lives were like, and get to know them a little bit better. This show is extremely well written and I will watch this show until it is taken off the air. I watch it with my father, as our Sunday night tradition, milkshake in hand. Sharing memories with my father on these Sunday nights, will become a memory that I will share with my children in the future. A show for the generations to share, American Dreams is helping my parents re-live memories, and helping me form my own.

This is a show I can let my five year-old stay up and watch on Sundays. It's a warm drama, set in the 60's in Philadelphia. Brittany Snow was amazing when she appeared on Guiding Light two years ago. She's even better here. We can truly get the feeling of living in the 1960's, the good and the bad. Hoping this show gets a second season.....

This is a fabulous show that did an exceptional job at capturing the events of the 60s and the lives of one family. The min family is Jack, the father, who is a small business owner in Philadelpia. Helen, the mother, who is a stay at home mom who wants to do more with her life. JJ, the oldest son, who is a senior in high school and the star of the football team. Meg is a sophomore and loves American Bandstand. Patty is in elementary school and is very intelligent. Will is the youngest and has a disability with his leg due to a previous illness. They use a lot of real footage from the news and American bandstand that aired during the time period. It shows how people dealt with a decade of change, integration and turmoil. The actors and actresses did an outstanding job. the first season is available on DVD however there is no word yet on the release of season 2.

Wow why did they end this after three seasons. I love this show, I love the history. I missed this when it came out in 2003 I was a mum of a newborn. Not much time for tv unless it didn't arrive in the uk. Luckily I subscribed to MGM on my amazon prime tv account and this show was included. Great cast and great music makes me wish I would have been alive in that time instead of the 80's. Really love this Gem of a show must be watched ...

I love this show. I watched it in 2002- 2005 on NBC so years later I found it on dvd in the thift store I worked. It is truly a gem. I wasnt born til 1966 so this show captures the brilliance of the 1960s when my parents were teenagers. I love it. The music, the stories, and the actors are top notch!!!!! This is truly a favorite I watch over and over... I only wish it had a better last episode and I wish we could of seen what happened to the cast down the road and if Meg came back from being on the road. I didnt care for the Chris character I wish Meg would of remained friends with Sam he was a sweetheart. Love this show.

I am an Englishman in my home country, and have just finished watching the complete series of American Dreams. Suffice to say it took me back to my youth here in England. The pop songs, the girls, the family atmosphere. As a student of American politics, I know that this wonderful TV show represents an America that has long gone, perhaps its low rating shamed American viewers in realising what they have lost by stealth over the decades ?. The family unit has been smashed, just like in my country where the same political dogma exists based on greed and self interest.

The family unit in this show featured dad as the boss, and solid role model for the kids...I could go on but i wont. All i can say is that i hope this TV series returns, and that any low ratings are ignored by the shows producers.