In the mid-90s, NBC dumped the kiddie element of Saturday morning. They focused on the tween audience with shows like Saved by the Bell: The New Class and Hang Time. These Peter Engel produced series aired after a weekend version of The Today Show. The first of these TNBC shows was California Dreams which revived The Partridge Family with a multi-cultural twist. The Garrison family had two musical siblings. Matt (Brent Gore) was the guitarist. His sister Jenny (Heidi Noelle Lenhart) handled the keyboards. They teamed up with drummer Tony Wicks (William James Jones) and bassist Tiffani Smith (Kelly Packard) to for a super soft rock garage band. They hired a weasel pal named Sly Winkle (Michael Cade) to act as their manager. In the era of Nirvana, the California Dreams mellowed out the youth of America. For five seasons and 78 episodes, they made it hip for youngsters to worship Air Supply. California Dreams: Seasons One & Two has the first 31 episodes.
The first season balanced Matt and Jenny’s home life with the band. The Garrisons are a nearly normal family with a younger brother that isnt in the band. “The First Gig” has the conflict of a family vacation with the band landing a paying concert. Are they willing to destroy dads Grand Canyon dreams? They use a lie involving Van Halen to make everything work out. “Battle of the Bands” has Sly attempting to sway a female judge by getting Matt to hook up with her. Somehow were supposed to be disgusted by such cheating. But in the game of rock n roll, theres superstars and remaindered flops. “Beat of His Own Dream” has Tonys dad unimpressed by his son being a drummer in a wimpy band. The son gets back to the football field to make points with the old man, but is he sacking his dreams?
“Dream Man” has Tony and Sly slyly hear Jenny talking about her ideal stud during a slumber party. The duo become the men of her dreams. Cans see see through this fraud? Tiffani wants to write a song, but her lyrics are horrible. How can Matt let her know that shes talentless without breaking up the band? “Romancing the Tube” has Tiffani teach Sly how to surf. However he wants to ride her big wave. She isnt sure if Sly can truly commit to her. He wants to be a band manager. He cant be tied down to one woman when a client needs a little servicing. “They Shoot Videos, Dont They” has Matts girlfriend upset that hell be kissing another girl in their video. What? Hasnt this woman watched Rock of Love with Brett Michaels? “Wheres Dennis?”has the band is playing at the Garrisons house, but they cant find the youngest son. Soon little Dennis would be completely lost on the show.
The second season cuts back on the family aspect of the show. They want it to be all about the kids. The Garrisons slowly fade into the background. “Jakes Song” introduces a piece of rough trade who the guys think just wants to cause trouble. However Jake Somers (Jay Anthony Franke) doesnt want to fight, he wants to rock out. He quickly becomes the second guitarist for the California Dreams. “Ciao, Jenny” writes off the musical sister by having her sent to a conservatory in Rome. Sly sabotages her big audition, but shes bound for Italy. The band no longer is a brother-sister act. But dont moan too long for “Wooing Woo” has Samantha Woo (Jennie Kwan) arrive as an exchange student at the Garrisons. Amazingly enough shes able to slide into Jennys keyboards without missing a note. The romance between Sly and Tiffani gets completely derailed by Jake. Shes willing to take an auto repair class to prove shes his kinda gal in “Surfboards and Cycles.” Jake ends up enduring home economics under Sgt. McBride (Denise Dowse). “Indecent Promposal” has Jake allow another guy to take Tiffiani to the prom if they get to be the band. However can he really take the sight of his lady being romanced?
It is strange to see how the show changed over its first two seasons with the elimination of the Garrisons one by one. Not to be a big spoiler, but season three opens with news that Matt and his family have moved away. It became Jakes show. The music is so peppy and smooth. Its hard to think that in a time when we were rocking out to Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana and the Beastie Boys, these clean cut kids were setting a tone that could have made the Carpenters blush.
The Episodes
“The First Gig,” “Battle of the Bands,” “Beat of His Own Dream,” “Double Date,” “Dream Man,” “Friends First,” “Guess Who’s Coming to Brunch,” “It’s a Guy Thing,” “Mother and Child Reunion,” “Romancing the Tube,” “They Shoot Videos, Don’t They?,” “This Time,” “Where’s Dennis?,” “Jake’s Song,” “Dirty Dog Days,” “Ciao, Jenny,” “Wooing Woo,” “Sleazy Rider,” “The Sly Who Came To Dinner,” “Surfboards and Cycles,” “A Question of Math,” “High Plains Dreamer,” “Bwa Ha Ha Means I Love You,” “Vote of Confidence,” “The Year of the Woo,” “Schoolhouse Rock,” “Save the Shark,” “21 Jake Street,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Rebel Without A Clue” and “Indecent Promposal.”
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The show appears to have been shot on video. But the resolution isnt too bad. There appears to be no video issues. The audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. Youll be able to groove out to all their soft rock hits.
Lets Do It: A California Dreams Reunion (15:08) brings back Brent Gore, Kelly Packard, Michael Cade and Jennie Kwan. Has it really been 15 years since this first aired? The kids now look like adults.
Video Jukebox allows you to listen to all the songs on each DVD without worrying about the plots.
California Dreams: Seasons One & Two keeps the sweet sounds of tomorrows yacht rock rolling over. The show wasnt the deepest of probes into the reality of having a band in high school. These kids were too cute for the gritty world of grunge that was exploding around you. This is the stuff of Saturday morning daydreams.
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Shout! Factory presents California Dreams: Seasons One & Two. Brent Gore, Heidi Noelle Lenhart, William James Jones, Kelly Packard and Michael Cade. Boxset Contents: 31 episodes on 5 DVDs. Released on DVD: March 31, 2009. Available at Amazon.com
