California Dreams

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California Dreams
Genre Sitcom
Running time 25 minutes
Creator(s) Brett Dewey
Ronald B. Solomon
Executive producer(s) Peter Engel
Starring Kelly Packard
Jay Anthony Franke
Brent Gore
Heidi Lenhart
Michael Cade
William James Jones
Aaron Jackson
Jennie Kwan
Opening theme California Dreamin'
Ending theme California Dreamin'
(instrumental)
Country of origin Flag of United States United States
Original channel NBC
Original run September 12, 1992–December 14, 1996
No. of episodes 78
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

California Dreams is an American TV series that aired from 1992-1997. The teen-oriented program aired on Saturday mornings on NBC. It was created by Saved by the Bell writers Brett Dewey and Ronald B. Solomon and executive produced by Peter Engel, known more for his work on Saved by the Bell. California Dreams was about a multiethnic group of teens creating a band and having fun under the sun. The show's plots combined real-life issues with zany adventures. It covered a range of topics such as fear, using drugs for a competitive edge, falling for scams, letting greed overtake friendship, accepting a divorced parent dating, forgiving others for past wrongs, and dealing with general teen social problems.

For the present, the only member of the cast to continue a steady acting career is Kelly Packard, who was cast in Baywatch and as a co-host of Ripley's Believe it or Not!.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Contents

[edit] Original format and character history

California Dreams was originally intended to be a family sitcom, mainly centering around the Garrison family. In the first season, the main characters of the show were Matt Garrison (the teenage son and leader of the band) and Jenny Garrison (the vocalist/pianist in the band who was also Matt's younger sister) along with the rest of the Garrison family, Richard (the dad), Melody (the mom), and Dennis (the 8 year old younger brother).

The other three main characters would be the only three characters to have appeared throughout the show's entirety. They are Tiffany Smith (the bass player), Tony Wicks (the drummer) and Sly Winkle (the teenage manager of the band).

NBC executives, however did not like the show's original format. By Season 2, the focus of the show changed from the Garrison family, to the teens who formed the California Dreams band.

In Season 2, a fifth member of the California Dreams band was introduced. Jake Sommers became the band's second guitarist. Jenny's character was the first to leave the show very early into season two (for a music school opportunity in Italy).

In the following episode, the show brought in its first replacement character, Samantha Woo, a foreign exchange student from Hong Kong whom the Garrisons take into their home. When Sam's singing voice is noticed by the band she becomes the band's new vocalist in Jenny's old place.

By Season 3, it became obvious that the band's (and the show's) original premise would come to an end when Matt left the show (signaling the idea that the entire Garrison family left the show). In Matt's place in the band was Mark Winkle, Sly's shy cousin from New York. Another character added to the cast was Lorena Costa, a band groupie from a rich family who takes Sam into their home after the Garrisons' departure. There were no more cast/character changes to the show after that. California Dreams had much fewer cast changes compared to other TNBC shows on during the show's run such as Hang Time and Saved by the Bell: The New Class.

[edit] Character pairings

When Jake is first introduced at the beginning of Season 2, it seemed that he and Jenny would be paired up, but that had to die in episode three when Jenny's character left the show. Later into that season Jake and Tiffany become a couple. In the season finale however, Jake refuses to attend the prom with Tiffany so she goes with someone else as friends. When Jake changes his mind and goes to the prom in search of Tiffany, he finds her kissing the guy she took to the prom (but it was an unintentional kiss on Tiffany's part) and Jake breaks off the relationship.

With Lorena introduced in Season 3, the pairings and romantic situations become more complex. It begins with Sly's attempts to win Lorena's affections (though it arguable whether or not if was due to her family's wealth). A few episodes later, Sam and Tony became a pair. They remain a pair throughout the show's entirety. For a time, they were even briefly engaged. Late into this season Jake and Lorena become a pair.

In the Season 4 premiere, Jake and Lorena break up and then it is discovered that both Lorena and Tiffany still had feelings for Jake (creating the first love triangle). Jake chooses to get back with Tiffany for the rest of the series.

During Season 4 onward, Sly tries to go after Lorena again. And near the end of the series they become a pair at last.

[edit] Series finale

The series finale found the band on the verge on embarking on new crossroads in life. Tiffany is planning on attending school in Hawaii to study marine biology, Sam is moving to England to study physics, Tony is off to study acting at an undisclosed location, Mark is moving to New York to study at Juilliard, while Sly and Lorena are to attend Pacific University. All of the members are excited and looking forward to starting the new stages with their lives, except for Jake, who wants to keep the band together. When a music producer offers Jake a record contract, he quickly refuses, because the rest of the band aren't given one themselves. Luckily, Tiffani convinces Jake that she and the rest of the band have moved past the Dreams and want to discover the new phase of their lives, rather than continue on as a band. Jake realizes this and signs the contract. The episode ends with the California Dreams playing one last gig, and their tearful goodbyes to one another.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Ties to Saved by the Bell

  • Actor Jake Grace played a 'hippie surfer' character named Stingray on both California Dreams and Saved by the Bell: The College Years.
  • A cozy, romantic beach hangout called "Paradise Cove" exists on both California Dreams and Saved by the Bell. It is first mentiond on the SBTB episode "My Boyfriends Back" when Zack asks Staci on a date to Paradise Cove. On California Dreams episode "Heal the Bay" Tony Wicks mentions Paradise Cove as a spot he likes to take dates. In that same episode Paradise Cove gets temporarily closed down due to pollution.
  • The Schools on California Dreams and Saved by the Bell are both Coastal Schools as insinuated by there names, Pacific Coast High (California Dreams) and Bayside High (Saved by the Bell). The shows do exist in the same continuity as proven in an episode of Saved by the Bell: The New Class titled "Belding's Baby" where Scott Erikson dates a girl from Pacific Coast High named, Ashley.
  • Both shows are set in Los Angeles suburbs right outside of Los Angeles with California Dreams taking place in Redondo Beach and Saved by the Bell set in the fictional city of Palisades (which could be based on the actual town of Pacific Palisades).
  • Pacific Coast High is mentioned by Screech as one of Baysides rival schools in an episode of Saved by the Bell: The New Class.
  • The character Gem Diamond, played by Gary Beach, appeared in both shows. In Saved by the Bell, he sold shoddy class rings. In California Dreams, he was a used car salesman.

[edit] Very special episodes

  • An old friend of Tony's is severely beaten by a couple of guys, and another friend wants to get revenge. Tony wants to get revenge using a bat, but also convinces his friend that using a gun isn't the way to go.
  • Tiffani starts taking steroids when she wants to make the national volleyball team.
  • Jake begins a job as a mechanic, and starts smoking in order to impress his uncle (Eddie Mekka). At the end of the episode Jake's uncle reveals he has lung cancer.
  • Mark drives drunk, which results in him getting into an accident, injuring his date, and getting arrested.

[edit] Cast

  • Brent Gore .... Matt Garrison (1992-1994)
  • Kelly Packard .... Tiffani Smith
  • William James Jones .... Tony Wicks
  • Michael Cade .... Sylvester 'Sly Winkle'
  • Burke Bryant .... Keith Del (1996)
  • Michael Cutt .... Richard Garrison (1992-1993)
  • Jay Anthony Franke .... Jake Sommers (1993-1997)
  • Aaron Jackson .... Mark Winkle (1994-1997)
  • Jennie Kwan .... Samantha 'Sam' Woo (1993-1997)
  • Heidi Noelle Lenhart.... Jenny Garrison (1992-1993)
  • Ryan O'Neill .... Dennis Garrison (1992-1993)
  • Gail Ramsey .... Melody Garrison (1992-1993)
  • Diana Uribe .... Lorena Costa (1994-1997)

[edit] See also

  • The Heights - A short-lived FOX TV series similar to California Dreams.

[edit] External links


TNBC
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