Anybody else watch American Dreams? I’m assuming a lot of people do, as there are enough ratings to keep the show alive (and in this day and age that’s a hard thing to do), so it’s a sleepy hit.
American Dreams is one of the few shows I watch where I really care about the characters. I really get into this show, and have been following the lives of the Pryors and their friends since the show came on.
One of the characters I’m especially fascinated in is Sam. He’s torn between two important people in his life: his father, set in the ideals of an older generation and his cousin, ready to rise up against the whites. I could have sworn that in the “Next Week on…” preview I saw Sam throwing a metal barrel against a store window.
Also according to the previews, JJ wants to go into the military since the unfortunate turn of events for him in tonight’s episode (SPOILERS!!!: he was kicked off of the football team at the university because his leg never healed right), and of course this probably means Vietnam. That was pretty easy to predict since he broke his leg, but I still care about the character.
I also feel for Roxanne, one of those girls who only gets places because of Meg. Meg is the popular one with the comfortable home life, while Roxanne is in a quandry about allowing her father back into her life and hurt that the other girls in the school reject her.
So speak up fans!! 
So, Marine boot camp is easier on a broken ankle than football practice? I don’t think JJ is going to 'Nam. They already have that kid from bandstand in the Army and going overseas…
And I still find Meg’s hair to be anachronistic.
I didn’t catch all the preview, but that’s what JJ wants to do. Whether or not he does is yet to be seen. Like you said, Jimmy Riley already went. It’s not like they can put all the boys in 'Nam.
I watch this show pretty regularly, which I’m actually rather embarrassed about. (I don’t, however, tape when I’m out or watching something else, as I was tonight with the “Survivor” finale.)
The character I’m most fascinated by is the mother. (Just out of curiosity – how old are the other viewers? I was born in '54, so am roughly the same age as the younger sister.) She seems like she’s the one (at least of the core family) who’s most struggling with the way her life is changing from underneath her.
I love this show, but then I also was about the age of the younger sister in 1963-64 (born in '52; hard to say how old she is, but I thought 6th grade, and I was in 6th grade that year). They’ve done a great job with accuracy imho, except for the fact that Bandstand moved to LA in Feb. of 64! LOL
I like the Mom; I think she’s going to turn a bit activist, at least in her own way. I’m also quite sympathetic towards Roxanne and was glad to see that she and Meg made up; her family life is definitely not as balanced as the Pryors is, but even theirs is shaky at times.
I think that American Dreams is probably assured of a return in the fall; NBC seems to be backing it. Another very enjoyable aspect of the show is seeing the artists of today covering the songs of yesterday in character and costume. And yes, that was a reference to Paul Revere and the Raiders.
I was born in 1982, so I am rather young. My parents are baby-boomers (and history buffs), so I’ve heard about the '60s my entire life.
I think the mom is interesting, too. I think the one who will have the hardest time with everything is Jack, or his youngest brother (I hate that character). At least Jack isn’t as racist as his brother.