American Dreams is starting to draw me in (1 Viewer)

[Karl_Luph]

I starting watching this show awhile back and I'm starting to really enjoy it. That Gail O'Grady is a real looker!

 

[Lew Crippen]

I think that this is a very well done show. Great writing and production values. Probably a bit overlooked, as no way can it be considered hip.

 

[Karl_Luph]

Youre right on Lew. This is one series that is not afraid to touch on some serious issues that our country experienced back then. It's about time Sunday evening had some programing showing decent family values. Everybody in this series covers their role very good. Let's hope they'll be around for more than one season.

 

[Thomas H G]

I too am really liking this show more and more each time I see it. I started watching it cause it was something new on tv on Sunday before Simpsons started. It's really grown on me.

Tell me, I missed the Beatles episode(s). (Was there 1 or 2 episodes with them?) How were they and what happened.

 

[Karl_Luph]

Thomas, I think it's been the first episode with the Beatles footage in it. I kinda missed the last 1 or 2 episodes before this because I was busy with Christmas and family. They might have thrown a couple of reruns in there too. Anyway, I've noticed that each episode in just getting better and better.When you start to look at what's involved in recreating scenes that require sets to look like the early 1960's you start to realize this is what puts this show into a higher catagory.I saw a street scene that showed alot of older cars that looked like they were from the 40's ,50's and early 60's. These cars looked like they were someone's collector cars, they looked that good. Believe me, this is not cheap to duplicate. Usually you will see this in movie productions, but not that often in tv series. My hat's off to them !

 

[Jodee]

I keep watching this show because of the two female leads. I really enjoy seeing Meg's storylines on Bandstand, and I also love the mother's struggle to find herself.

However, I haven't liked the dad since the first episode and I find the older brother character to just be boring. His "do I want to play football or not" and "do I want to date my girlfriend or not" storylines are just so tedious.

I think the female characters are very well written but the male characters need some better storylines. I do like the dad's interaction with his black employee though.

It just seems like the dad always "puts his foot down" about something and is so unreasonable and then he always suddenly gives in, without any reason for his sudden change of heart. (see Meg on Bandstand, his wife writing the English paper, etc.). It just seems he is rather 2-dimensional, acting a certain way because the plot demands it. But I never really know or care about what he actually feels.

 

[Karl_Luph]

LOL! Believe it or not, I have a feeling the dad is actually portraying his role as a Catholic family man would in that time frame. I grew up in similar family surroundings back then. Dads were kinda like that back then,lol!

 

[RobertW]

yeah, i think he is acting as he feels men are expected to act. and as a reflection of that time period, i think it's a pretty good characterization. he isn't supposed to walk around with his emotions on the surface, he's supposed to be the strong, stolid breadwinner and role model. he's supposed to be the solid pillar that his family is built around, and can't let anything alter that perception. men don't talk about their feelings, let alone display them in public. but inside, you know that he loves his wife and family deeply, and they know that too, without it having to be said.

and i feel like a dirty old man here, cause i find brittany snow to be absolutely adorable.

 

[Kong Chang]

I love Brittany Snow (Meg) since she has a little resemblance to Sarah Michelle Gellar (could be the eyes and the blond hair). Anyway, I love the direction the show is going in and if the show gets renewed quite often, we'll be able to see the characters change, the kids change to adopting the hippee generation. I can definitely see the youngest daughter (the spellerbee) have a mental breakdown in the future.

The great thing about this show, is that it does portray family values that's not "in your face" like most crappy family value shows nowadays. This is why I watch it because it's rather subdued in theme than being this ethical crusade to brainwash viewers of what family values should mean and be.

 

[Joel Mack]

and i feel like a dirty old man here, cause i find brittany snow to be absolutely adorable.

You ain't the only one, brother...

 

[Karl_Luph]

Good episode last night. J.J.'s walking on thin ice but he did the right thing telling his girlfriend the truth. Now she has to suck it up and work through it. That Colleen is sure sweet! I hope they show more of her. Henry had a great performance as usual. This is how dads used to lay the law down.

 

[Thomas H G]

I must of missed the episode, but why is JJ not going to Notre Dame? -

 

[Daniel Swartz]

***SPOILER****





The family couldn't afford it since he got in but didn't receive a scholarship. A whole backstory involved Jack asking his evil brother for the money in exchange for equity in his store but that never panned out.

 

[Karl_Luph]

The dad had to really make a hard decision here and after weighing the odds out he decided along with the son coming to the conclusion that he didn't want to put that burdan on his folks. I also think he knew he wasn't going to be playing football at ND possibly too?See folks, this show deals with some real life type issues.

 

[Thomas H G]

Ok I gotcha. I remember them talking about how are they going to pay for it a few eps before that one. Is Leehigh in the same city that they live in or nearby, or are they going to write him out of the series with occasional visits home?

 

[Karl_Luph]

Hey Thomas, how about those aggies!? Yeah, we'll have to wait and see how they handle his storyline if the show gets to run another season. Has anybody seen the ratings for this show? I really hope it makes the cut to stay. I think Lehigh or however it's spelled is close to Philly because I think JJ's girlfriend said she wasn't going to Stanford because she wanted to go to a girl's school(I can't recall the name on her shirt) and I believe it was near Philly too.