| California Dreams | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Brett Dewey Ronald B. Solomon |
| Written by | Bonnie L. DeSouza Brett Dewey David Garber Robert Jayson Paul Lander Ronald B. Solomon Tony Soltis Noah Taft Dawn Urbont |
| Directed by | Don Barnhart Miguel Higuera Patrick Maloney Kevin Charles Sullivan |
| Starring | Brent Gore Kelly Packard William James Jones Heidi Lenhart Michael Cade Jay Anthony Franke Aaron Jackson Jennie Kwan Diana Uribe |
| Opening theme | "California Dreamin'" |
| Ending theme | "California Dreamin'" (instrumental) |
| Composer(s) | Guy Moon Steve Tyrell |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 78 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Peter Engel |
| Producer(s) | Franco Bario Brett Dewey David Garber Ronald B. Solomon |
| Editor(s) | Michael Dowell Shelia Hall Dick King |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | NBC Productions Peter Engel Productions |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original run | September 12, 1992 – December 14, 1996 |
California Dreams is an American teen-oriented sitcom that aired from 1992 to 1996 on Saturday mornings during NBC's TNBC programming block. It was created by writers Brett Dewey and Ronald B. Solomon and executive produced by Peter Engel, all known for their work on Saved by the Bell.[1]
Contents |
California Dreams is about a multi-ethnic group of teens and their band. 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.
California Dreams was originally intended to be a family sitcom, mainly centering on the Garrison family. In the first season, the main characters of the show were the teenage son and leader of the band, Matt Garrison (Brent Gore) and the vocalist/pianist in the band who was also Matt's younger sister Jenny Garrison (Heidi Lenhart). The rest of the Garrison family included dad Richard (Michael Cutt), mom Melody (Gail Ramsey), and the youngest son, Dennis (Ryan O'Neill).
The other three main characters would be the only three characters to have appeared throughout the show's entirety. They are bass player Tiffani Smith (Kelly Packard), drummer Tony Wicks (William James Jones) and the teen manager of the band, Sly Winkle (Michael Cade).
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 (Jay Anthony Franke) became the band's second guitarist. Jenny's character was the first to leave the show very early into Season 2 (for a music school opportunity in Italy). In the following episode, the show brought in its first replacement character, Samantha "Sam" Woo (Jennie Kwan), 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, the band (and the show's) original premise ended 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 (Aaron Jackson), Sly's shy cousin from New York. Another character added to the cast was Lorena Costa (Diana Uribe), a band groupie from a rich family who takes Sam into their home after the Garrisons' departure.
The series finale found the band on the verge on embarking on new crossroads in life. As high school ends, Tiffani 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 back home to New York where he originally lives 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 initially refuses, because the rest of the band aren't given one themselves. 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. The episode ends with the California Dreams playing one last gig, and their tearful goodbyes to one another.
Seven members of the cast (Brent Gore, William James Jones, Jennie Kwan, Jay Anthony Franke, Kelly Packard, Michael Cade, and Heidi Noelle Lenhart) were reunited on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on March 4, 2010, where they performed the theme song from the show after being briefly interviewed by host Jimmy Fallon. This segment of the show also featured actor Dennis Haskins, who had attempted to help Fallon organize a reunion for his similar teen comedy, Saved by the Bell, in 2009.
When Jake is first introduced at the beginning of Season 2, there was a mild flirtation between him and Jenny. The romance never came to fruition because Jenny was written out of the series soon after. Later into Season 2, Jake and Tiffani began dating. In the Season 2 season finale however, Jake refuses to attend the prom with Tiffani and after a misunderstanding, 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. A few episodes later, Sam and Tony became a couple and remained together throughout the show's entirety. Late into this season, Jake and Lorena begin dating. In the Season 4 premiere, Jake and Lorena break up and then it is discovered that both Lorena and Tiffani still had feelings for Jake (creating the first love triangle). Jake chooses to get back with Tiffani 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 couple.
| Season | Number of Episodes | Season Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | September 12, 1992 – December 5, 1992 |
| 2 | 18 | September 11, 1993 – February 5, 1994 |
| 3 | 17 | September 10, 1994 – January 7, 1995 |
| 4 | 15 | September 9, 1995 – April 16, 1996 |
| 5 | 15 | September 7, 1996 – December 14, 1996 |
Shout! Factory has released the first four seasons of California Dreams on DVD in Region 1. Season 4 was released on January 18, 2011 as a Shout! Factory select title, available exclusively through their online store.[3]
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Seasons 1 & 2 | 31 | March 31, 2009 |
| Season 3♦ | 17 | May 18, 2010[4] |
| Season 4♦ | 15 | January 18, 2011[5] |
♦ - Shout! Factory select title, sold exclusively through Shout's online store
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | NCLR Bravo Awards | Nominated | Outstanding Program for Children or Youth |
|
| 1993 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in a Youth Series or Variety Show | Michael Cade, Brent Gore, William James Jones, Heidi Lenhart and Kelly Packard |
| Best Young Actress in a New Television Series | Heidi Lenhart | |||
| Best Young Actor in an Off-Primetime Series | Ryan O'Neill | |||
| 1994 | Nominated | Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Cable or Off Primetime Series | Michael Cade, Jay Anthony Franke, Brent Gore, William James Jones, Kelly Packard, and Ryan O'Neill |
|
||||||||
|
||||||||||||||