Everyone has fond memories of spending Saturday mornings watching cartoons as a kid, but they often don’t remember that shows like “Saved by the Bell” were also part of the weekend festivities. With the characters of Bayside High gearing up for graduation in late 1992, however, producer Peter Engel was busy launching a worthy replacement. No doubt inspired by the “Saved by the Bell” rockumentary episode, “California Dreams” took the concept one step further by making the entire show about a group of friends – Matt Garrison (Brent Gore), Jenny Garrison (Heidi Lenhart), Tiffani Smith (Kelly Packard) and Tony Wicks (William James Jones) – who play in the eponymous pop/rock band and their unruly manager (Michael Cade).
Though not as popular as Zack Morris and Co., the guys and gals of “California Dreams” actually ran a season longer. Granted, the acting is a little worse (that’s what happens you cast musicians over actors), but the real standout of the series is Steve Tyrell’s original music. It may sound a bit dated now, but the soundtrack is what ultimately allowed “California Dreams” to distance itself from all the other shows just like it. The first two seasons are bit hit and miss (though Season Two features some major improvements like moving the action away from the Garrison household and the addition of new cast members), but fans will still get a kick out of the included reunion featurette. Hopefully, the five-disc box set does well enough to persuade Shout! Factory to release future seasons, because “California Dreams” doesn’t deserve to be judged solely on its early years.
