PBS Presents American Family – Journey of Dreams
On NJN Public Television
Friday nights at 10 pm beginning April 9

STATEWIDE – American Family , PBS’ widely acclaimed drama, returns to NJN Public Television Fridays at 10 pm beginning April 9, 2004, with the Gonzalez clan celebrating the wedding of one son while confronting their worst fears as another goes off to war. Starring Academy Award nominee Edward James Olmos, Constance Marie, Yancey Arias, Jesse Borrego, Patricia Velasquez, Kate del Castillo and Raquel Welch, with special guest stars Esai Morales, Lynn Whitfield and Rachel Ticotin, and special appearances by Sonia Braga, the second season juxtaposes the Gonzalez family’s story against the broad sweep of contemporary history.  American Family – Journey of Dreams interweaves the Gonzalez’ escape from the Mexican Revolution in 1915 to seek a better life in America with the sacrifices the family made in the 1990s to send their first-born son to medical school and the consequences of those sacrifices as seen through the war in Iraq to reveal how their past informs their future.

“This dramatic and personal story will resonate with our viewers as they meet the Gonzalez family members living their lives, sharing their concerns and dreaming their dreams – dreams that we all share, born from our love for family and friends and our respect for each other,” states Elizabeth Christopherson .

“I wanted to do something different with AMERICAN FAMILY this year,” said series creator, Academy Award nominee, writer/director Gregory Nava (El Norte, Selena). “Instead of doing an episodic series, I wanted to tell one epic story that unfolds over 13 chapters. It’s a mini-series titled American Family – Journey of Dreams. The topical story lines of this drama will be based around events of the Iraq war and will also show how the Gonzalez family came to America during the Mexican Revolution. American Family – Journey of Dreams will depict all the sacrifices they have made through the years to achieve the American dream.  In every household in America , there is an epic story — this year American Family – Journey of Dreams will tell that story.”

American Family – Journey of Dreams is told from the vantage point of family patriarch Jess Gonzalez (Olmos), whose hopes for his family’s future and fears for their well-being have sometimes unexpected consequences.  His eldest son, Conrado (Arias), is a doctor who is serving with the Army in Iraq; his second son, Esteban (Morales), is starting a new life after scrapes with the law; his daughter Nina (Marie) is a progressive attorney with whom Jess is constantly at odds; his other daughter Vangie (Ticotin) is a clothing designer; and his youngest son, Cisco (Torres), is a cyber punk who is constantly filming his family and posting the footage on the Gonzalez family Web site. Esteban’s son, Pablito (Marques), and the flamboyant Dora (Welch), Jess’ sister, a former aspiring entertainer, round out the Gonzalez household.

The 13-part miniseries begins with the joyful marriage of Esteban and Ofelia (del Castillo) and the shocking news that Conrado, an Army doctor, is being sent to the Middle East just as the country is preparing for war in Iraq . Torn by their disparate views about the war, their concern for Conrado’s safety and the impact that has on their relationships with one another, the family is forced to deal with their personal history. In the thick of battle, Conrado finds himself in conflict with his Army superior (Whitfield) because he is a doctor first and soldier second. He also finds himself haunted by memories of a past love relationship and struggling between feelings of gratitude for the sacrifices his family endured in order to send him to college, and guilt over the fact that he is living out his family’s dream and not his own. Jess and Nina fight about the war, causing a deep divide in the Gonzalez family, which mirrors the divide that exists in the country. Esteban’s attempts to carve out a new life for his wife and son are threatened by the appearance of Shady (Borrego), a gang member from his rebellious past.

Funding is provided by Johnson & Johnson, American Legacy Foundation, Public Television Viewers, PBS and Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Producers : El Norte Productions and KCET/Hollywood, in association with the Greenblatt Janollari Studio and Fox Television Studios. Creator/executive producer: Gregory Nava. Executive producers: Robert Greenblatt, David Janollari, Barbara Martinez-Jitner. Co-executive producer: Eric L. Gold. Producers : Ann Kindberg and Lorenzo O’Brien. Writers: Gregory Nava, Barbara Martinez-Jitner and Lorenzo O’Brien. Directors: Gregory Nava, Barbara Martinez-Jitner and Charles Burnett. KCET executive-in-charge: Joyce Campbell. KCET senior vice president of programming and production: Mary Mazur.