American Family: Journey of Dreams
Encyclopedia
American Family: Journey of Dreams is a PBS
series created by Gregory Nava
that follows the lives of a Latino family in Los Angeles.
This was the first broadcast television drama series featuring a predominantly Latino cast. It also was the first original primetime American episodic drama to air on PBS in decades -- since the series I'll Fly Away (TV Series)
moved to the network.
Nava initially created the series for CBS
, which passed on the pilot. PBS
picked up 12 remaining episodes for its first season.
Edward James Olmos
plays Jess Gonzalez, a Korean War
veteran and barber with a cranky disposition as well as five adult children. He and his wife Berta (Sonia Braga
) seek a better life for their children. Conrado is a medical school student, who, at the end of the first season, enlists in the Army.
In an interview with Bill Moyers
during the airing of the series, Nava was asked if he wasn't angry that Latinos were invisible during prime-time television. "I think we’re reaching a point right now where Latinos are moving from the fringes into the mainstream of American life. And our time has come right now for us to make our contribution to this country," he said. "So it doesn’t make me angry; I just see it as a challenge. And I think that as a population and as a community
we have to rise to that challenge."
The second season aired in mid-2004 with a slight name change. When it had initially aired in January 2002, it was simply known as American Family. Nava envisioned the second season as an epic story in 13 parts that featured current events as well as how the family was involved in The Mexican Revolution.
The series addressed the ongoing war in Iraq head-on. In its first episodes Conrado is set to deploy to Kuwait. Melanie McFarland, television critic for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
, stated that "Gregory Nava ventures into territory no other scripted television show has meaningfully addressed -- the Iraq War. Since audiences seek escapism in their shows instead of more reminders that U.S. soldiers are still dying over in Iraq, shying from the topic might be understandable. Network TV is ailing right now, and anything which might be perceived as too heavy to draw in viewers probably wouldn't fly."
executives withdrew the organization's support precisely because Nava dared broach the topic of the war. The series was also reportedly costly to produce and suffered from low ratings.
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
series created by Gregory Nava
Gregory Nava
Gregory Nava is a film director, producer and screenplay writer, of Mexican and Basque heritage.-Education:...
that follows the lives of a Latino family in Los Angeles.
This was the first broadcast television drama series featuring a predominantly Latino cast. It also was the first original primetime American episodic drama to air on PBS in decades -- since the series I'll Fly Away (TV Series)
I'll Fly Away
"I'll Fly Away", is a hymn written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley and published in 1932 by the Hartford Music company in a collection titled Wonderful Message...
moved to the network.
Nava initially created the series for CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, which passed on the pilot. PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
picked up 12 remaining episodes for its first season.
Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt...
plays Jess Gonzalez, a Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
veteran and barber with a cranky disposition as well as five adult children. He and his wife Berta (Sonia Braga
Sônia Braga
Sônia Maria Campos Braga is a Brazilian actress. She has been nominated for both a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award.-Early life:...
) seek a better life for their children. Conrado is a medical school student, who, at the end of the first season, enlists in the Army.
In an interview with Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers is an American journalist and public commentator. He served as White House Press Secretary in the United States President Lyndon B. Johnson Administration from 1965 to 1967. He worked as a news commentator on television for ten years. Moyers has had an extensive involvement with public...
during the airing of the series, Nava was asked if he wasn't angry that Latinos were invisible during prime-time television. "I think we’re reaching a point right now where Latinos are moving from the fringes into the mainstream of American life. And our time has come right now for us to make our contribution to this country," he said. "So it doesn’t make me angry; I just see it as a challenge. And I think that as a population and as a community
we have to rise to that challenge."
The second season aired in mid-2004 with a slight name change. When it had initially aired in January 2002, it was simply known as American Family. Nava envisioned the second season as an epic story in 13 parts that featured current events as well as how the family was involved in The Mexican Revolution.
The series addressed the ongoing war in Iraq head-on. In its first episodes Conrado is set to deploy to Kuwait. Melanie McFarland, television critic for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
, stated that "Gregory Nava ventures into territory no other scripted television show has meaningfully addressed -- the Iraq War. Since audiences seek escapism in their shows instead of more reminders that U.S. soldiers are still dying over in Iraq, shying from the topic might be understandable. Network TV is ailing right now, and anything which might be perceived as too heavy to draw in viewers probably wouldn't fly."
Funding
- Corporation for Public BroadcastingCorporation for Public BroadcastingThe Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
(April 4, 2004-July 28, 2006) - Johnson & JohnsonJohnson & JohnsonJohnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
(April 4, 2004-July 28, 2006) - American Legacy FoundationAmerican Legacy FoundationThe American Legacy Foundation is a 501 not-for-profit organization dedicated to preventing teen smoking and encouraging smokers to quit. It was established in March 1998 as a result of the Master Settlement Agreement between a coalition of attorneys general in 46 states and five United States...
(April 4, 2004-July 28, 2006) - Viewers Like You (April 4, 2004-July 28, 2006)
executives withdrew the organization's support precisely because Nava dared broach the topic of the war. The series was also reportedly costly to produce and suffered from low ratings.
Sources
- http://www.pbs.org/americanfamily/series.html
- http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2002/01/23/2002-01-23_pbs_picks_another_plum_fine_.html
- http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2002-01-20/entertainment/0201200355_1_family-drama-gregory-nava-american-family
- http://www.seattlepi.com/tv/167149_tv01.html
- http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/(cen,en)/ZIF/FG/2008Pluribus/fellows/raab_nava.pdf
- http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript_nava.html
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A9225-2004Apr13?language=printer