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American Family (2002 TV series)

American Family, sometimes called 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 nearly a decade—since the series I'll Fly Away moved to the network.

American Family
GenreDrama
Created byGregory Nava
Starring
ComposerSteve Kaminski
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes35
Production
Executive producers
  • Eric L. Gold
  • Bob Greenblatt
  • David Janollari
  • Barbara Martinez Jitner
Producers
  • Gregory Nava
  • Jay Sedrish
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time45 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkPBS
ReleaseJanuary 23, 2002 (2002-01-23) –
July 11, 2004 (2004-07-11)

Production

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Nava initially created the series for CBS, which passed on the pilot. PBS picked up 12 remaining episodes for its first season.[1] 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.

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 (Sônia 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.

Themes

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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."[2]

In an interview with Bill Moyers during the airing of the series, Nava was asked if he was not 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."[3]

Cast

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[4]

Episodes

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Season 1 (2002)

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No.
overall 		No. in
season 		Title Directed by Written by Original air date Prod.
code
11"Pilot"Gregory NavaGregory NavaJanuary 23, 2002 (2002-01-23)09-01-179
22"The Sewing Machine"Gregory NavaBarbara Martinez JitnerJanuary 24, 2002 (2002-01-24)09-01-102
33"La Estrella (The Star)"UnknownUnknownJanuary 30, 2002 (2002-01-30)TBA
44"La Llorona: Part 1"Gregory NavaGregory NavaFebruary 6, 2002 (2002-02-06)09-01-104
55"La Llorona: Part 2"Gregory NavaGregory NavaFebruary 13, 2002 (2002-02-13)09-01-109
66"The Barber Shop"UnknownUnknownFebruary 20, 2002 (2002-02-20)TBA
77"Circle of Fire"Leon IchasoStory by : Gregory Nava
Teleplay by : Lorenzo O'Brien
88"Crash Boom Love: Part 1"Barbara Martinez JitnerBarbara Martinez JitnerMarch 27, 2002 (2002-03-27)09-01-105
99"Crash Boom Love: Part 2"Barbara Martinez JitnerBarbara Martinez JitnerMarch 27, 2002 (2002-03-27)09-01-113
1010"Mexican Revolution"Barbara Martinez JitnerBarbara Martinez JitnerMay 1, 2002 (2002-05-01)09-01-107
1111"The Forgotten War"Gregory NavaGregory Nava & Barbara Martinez JitnerMay 8, 2002 (2002-05-08)09-01-111
1212"La Cama (The Bed)"Gregory NavaGregory NavaMay 15, 2002 (2002-05-15)09-01-101
1313"Citizen Cisco"UnknownUnknownMay 22, 2002 (2002-05-22)TBA
1414"Silence of God"UnknownUnknownMay 29, 2002 (2002-05-29)TBA
1515"The Father"UnknownUnknownJuly 17, 2002 (2002-07-17)TBA
1616"The Glass Ceiling"UnknownUnknownJuly 24, 2002 (2002-07-24)TBA
1717"The Fighting Friedas"UnknownUnknownJuly 31, 2002 (2002-07-31)TBA
1818"The Journey: Part 1"UnknownUnknownAugust 28, 2002 (2002-08-28)TBA
1919"The Journey: Part 2"UnknownUnknownSeptember 4, 2002 (2002-09-04)TBA
2020"La Casa"UnknownUnknownSeptember 11, 2002 (2002-09-11)TBA
2121"The Hat: Part 1"UnknownUnknownSeptember 18, 2002 (2002-09-18)TBA
2222"The Hat: Part 2"UnknownUnknownSeptember 25, 2002 (2002-09-25)TBA

Season 2 (2004)

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No.
overall 		No. in
season 		Title Directed by Written by Original air date Prod.
code
231"The Wedding"UnknownUnknownApril 4, 2004 (2004-04-04)TBA
242"The War Begins"UnknownUnknownApril 11, 2004 (2004-04-11)TBA
253"The Farewell"UnknownUnknownApril 18, 2004 (2004-04-18)TBA
264"A Deal with God"UnknownUnknownApril 25, 2004 (2004-04-25)TBA
275"The Doors to the Past"UnknownUnknownMay 2, 2004 (2004-05-02)TBA
286"The Brother"UnknownUnknownMay 9, 2004 (2004-05-09)TBA
297"Shadows"UnknownUnknownMay 16, 2004 (2004-05-16)TBA
308"The Searchers"UnknownUnknownMay 23, 2004 (2004-05-23)TBA
319"The Burning Fire"UnknownUnknownMay 30, 2004 (2004-05-30)TBA
3210"Victory"UnknownUnknownJune 20, 2004 (2004-06-20)TBA
3311"The Child"UnknownUnknownJune 27, 2004 (2004-06-27)TBA
3412"The Night Sun"UnknownUnknownJuly 4, 2004 (2004-07-04)TBA
3513"The Flowers and the Songs"UnknownUnknownJuly 11, 2004 (2004-07-11)TBA

References

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  1. ^ Bianculli, David. PBS picks another plum Fine Latino 'Family' is CBS' loss, NY Daily News, January 23, 2002. Accessed August 31, 2015.
  2. ^ "'American Family' runs smack into the war". April 2004.
  3. ^ "NOW on PBS | PBS". PBS.
  4. ^ "The Cast: Season Two". PBS. Retrieved May 5, 2020.

Sources

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