American Dreams

NBC | Release Date: September 29, 2002

CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION

68	METASCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Critic score Publication By date

Glenn GarvinMar 28, 2022

Season 1 Review: This look back at the America of 1963 breathtakingly captures the dying roars of an old culture and the triumphant cries of the new one. It may be the closest thing to time travel we'll ever experience. [29 Sep 2002, p.M8]

Ian SpellingMar 25, 2022

Season 1 Review: Without a doubt, the season's best new show. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)Mar 25, 2022

Season 1 Review: American Dreams, although set in the supposedly kindler, gentler days of 1963, manages not wrap itself in a “things were so much better then” haze. In so doing, it encourages viewers to think about the issues it tentatively raises, and to make connections between the lives it portrays and the lives we live now. Read full review

Noel HolstonMar 28, 2022

Season 1 Review: The new series' production values are impeccable, its cast is solid, and there are occasional moments of fresh, specific detail that suggest the show could transcend the overstuffed pilot episode. [27 Sep 2002]

Rob OwenMar 25, 2022

Season 1 Review: The show looks slick, the attention to detail is painstaking and the music inspires toe tapping. Read full review

John LevesqueMar 25, 2022

Season 1 Review: Fueled by the rock 'n' roll music of the '60s and using "American Bandstand" as a story component, American Dreams is unabashedly hopeful in spite of enough personal crises to spawn a Party of Five revival. Read full review

Tim GoodmanMar 18, 2013

Season 1 Review: At least the ambitious pilot makes it clear that the show has a vitality and passion sadly lacking in a lot of other fall offerings. Read full review

Dorothy RabinowitzMar 25, 2022

Season 1 Review: All programs about the '60s should go down as well as this one. Read full review

Tom ShalesMar 25, 2022

Season 1 Review: A softer and sweeter show, and though it may sometimes seem obvious and even corny, it too has an emotional pull that is lacking in much of what might be called video noir. Read full review

M.S. MasonMar 25, 2022

Season 1 Review: This show tries to deal with the major cultural shifts during this time by showing an American family going through them. The season première is promising. Let's hope it doesn't devolve into mere melodrama. Read full review

Scott D. PierceMar 25, 2022

Season 1 Review: This is a drama about a family — the Pryors of Philadelphia — that's actually interesting for viewers' entire families. Read full review

Jeff GilesMar 25, 2022

Season 1 Review: American Dreams is a complex, poignant look at a family finding its way as the '60s rock their world. All that, and the best soundtrack on TV. Read full review

Phil GalloMar 25, 2022

Season 1 Review: With the emotional tug of Wonder Years presented with the production values of The West Wing, Dreams should follow Wing, The Sopranos and 24 as stellar shows that live up to the promise of its pilot. Read full review

Ken TuckerMar 25, 2022

Season 1 Review: With its strong female performances — Snow and O’Grady are superbly nuanced — ”Dreams” maintains a nurturing warmth that appeals to young viewers as well as the boomers I mentioned earlier. Read full review

Mark DawidziakMar 28, 2022

Season 1 Review: American Dreams will need to change and develop if it has any hope of mimicking the success of American Bandstand. But tonight's opener has a nice beat and is easy to dance to. [29 Sep 2002, p.2]