BEATLESCHICK
03-23-2005, 10:36 PM
http://www.cincypost.com/2005/03/23/broad032305.html
'American Dreams' awaits verdict
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By Rick Bird
Post staff reporter
With two episodes left to air in the best family drama on TV, the future of "American Dreams" remains in doubt.
This month NBC moved the show to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, from Sundays. It now competes against such hits as Fox's "American Idol" and ABCs "Lost."
NBC likely won't decide the fate of the series until later this spring.
Fans of the three-old-series, which focuses on how mid-1960s turmoil affects a Philadelphia family, fell in love early when many viewers had a revelation: It might be a '60s nostalgia show, but it cleverly deals with contemporary issues. Yes, daughter Meg dances on "American Bandstand" as the Vietnam War rages. But the emotionally charged storylines were remarkably modern.
The show's creator, Jonathan Prince, told The Post his vision for the show: "The '60s tore a lot of things apart. We haven't done a good job of putting them back together. No one is telling stories on TV about how we are dealing with that legacy -- gay rights, racism and our current unjust war. This is no 'Wonder Years.'"
Prince, a Harvard grad and veteran Hollywood writer and producer, sees his show as a metaphor for the troubles facing U.S. culture today. And he brings an unabashed heart-strings-tugging point of view to the serial, which is a far cry from the cold "CSIs" and "Law & Orders" that dominate nightly drama.
"'American Dreams' leaves you satiated after an episode is over. You are better for having watched the program," said Summer Brooks, who runs a Web site (www.americandreamsfanclub.com) which is trying to save the show. "Watching 'American Dreams' is not a passive experience."
Prince's characters have been through it all: war, racism, teen pregnancy, female empowerment and the loss of innocence from both a personal and cultural perspective.
The show also has been delightfully frivolous, using current pop stars to portray '60s music icons including "American Idol's" Kelly Clarkson as Connie Francis to Usher as Marvin Gaye. Tonight's episode has modern rockers Fountains of Wayne appear as the Hollies. It is great fun, but also cleverly shows the often-neglected connection of how pop music provides the soundtrack to our lives.
Prince is preparing for both the future and for the end. In the final two episodes he sets the seeds for the series next season. Meg will work on "American Bandstand" booking acts as she holds down a TV news producer job. Her friend Roxanne will stay on Bandstand as the show's hairdresser. If the show is canceled, Prince already has filmed an ending NBC would presumably air at some point in late spring as a conclusion for fans.
Prince, however, thinks the odds are decent the show will return. Still, if "American Dreams" ends, Prince has no problem already writing its epitaph:
"If families felt something from a TV show and could comfortably sit with their kids and talk about drugs, sex, race, religion and war -- and not be preached to -- then that's the footprint we left."
'American Dreams' awaits verdict
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Rick Bird
Post staff reporter
With two episodes left to air in the best family drama on TV, the future of "American Dreams" remains in doubt.
This month NBC moved the show to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, from Sundays. It now competes against such hits as Fox's "American Idol" and ABCs "Lost."
NBC likely won't decide the fate of the series until later this spring.
Fans of the three-old-series, which focuses on how mid-1960s turmoil affects a Philadelphia family, fell in love early when many viewers had a revelation: It might be a '60s nostalgia show, but it cleverly deals with contemporary issues. Yes, daughter Meg dances on "American Bandstand" as the Vietnam War rages. But the emotionally charged storylines were remarkably modern.
The show's creator, Jonathan Prince, told The Post his vision for the show: "The '60s tore a lot of things apart. We haven't done a good job of putting them back together. No one is telling stories on TV about how we are dealing with that legacy -- gay rights, racism and our current unjust war. This is no 'Wonder Years.'"
Prince, a Harvard grad and veteran Hollywood writer and producer, sees his show as a metaphor for the troubles facing U.S. culture today. And he brings an unabashed heart-strings-tugging point of view to the serial, which is a far cry from the cold "CSIs" and "Law & Orders" that dominate nightly drama.
"'American Dreams' leaves you satiated after an episode is over. You are better for having watched the program," said Summer Brooks, who runs a Web site (www.americandreamsfanclub.com) which is trying to save the show. "Watching 'American Dreams' is not a passive experience."
Prince's characters have been through it all: war, racism, teen pregnancy, female empowerment and the loss of innocence from both a personal and cultural perspective.
The show also has been delightfully frivolous, using current pop stars to portray '60s music icons including "American Idol's" Kelly Clarkson as Connie Francis to Usher as Marvin Gaye. Tonight's episode has modern rockers Fountains of Wayne appear as the Hollies. It is great fun, but also cleverly shows the often-neglected connection of how pop music provides the soundtrack to our lives.
Prince is preparing for both the future and for the end. In the final two episodes he sets the seeds for the series next season. Meg will work on "American Bandstand" booking acts as she holds down a TV news producer job. Her friend Roxanne will stay on Bandstand as the show's hairdresser. If the show is canceled, Prince already has filmed an ending NBC would presumably air at some point in late spring as a conclusion for fans.
Prince, however, thinks the odds are decent the show will return. Still, if "American Dreams" ends, Prince has no problem already writing its epitaph:
"If families felt something from a TV show and could comfortably sit with their kids and talk about drugs, sex, race, religion and war -- and not be preached to -- then that's the footprint we left."