Dreams is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from October 3 to October 31, 1984. It follows the story of a fictional rock band in Philadelphia that tries to get a recording contract, starring John Stamos in the lead as Gino Minnelli, a 22-year-old welder who plays guitar for rock band Dreams outside his regular job. Jami Gertz co-stars as lead singer Martha Spino.
Inspired by the growing popularity of music videos in the early 1980s, the show incorporated music video aesthetics in each episode, with executive producer Jon Peters previously having produced Flashdance. However, the show was negatively reviewed by critics and was canceled after five episodes. Stamos and Gertz would go on to success in later work, and one song performed in the show, "Alone", would become a number-one hit in 1987 for rock group Heart.
Premise
Gino Minnelli, a 22-year-old welder in Philadelphia, performs as a guitarist with rock band Dreams when not at his regular job.
Executive producer Jon Peters previously produced Flashdance, a 1983 film that incorporated music video editing with the story.
Broadcast
CBS scheduled Dreams on Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. beginning October 3, 1984.
For The New York Times, John J. O'Connor found similarities between Dreams and Happy Days, regarding Stamos's character of Gino as a "straightforward resurrection" of Henry Winkler's Fonzie "in the Flashdance mode". However, O'Connor was critical of Gino's character development: "...without a nice-guy Richie for a foil, Gino comes across less irresistible than obnoxious."
However, David Bianculli of The Philadelphia Inquirer had a more mixed review: "The pilot works, barely, but later episodes will tell if this is a cult item or a commercial cop-out." Later in the show's run, Bianculli pointed out the sanitized nature of Dreams on CBS in contrast to the group's music videos on MTV: "The paradox here is that rock music, by definition, is supposed to be uninhibited and loose, while network television has censors on its payroll. If Dreams were afforded a little more freedom, the show would be a lot more fun to watch."
Legacy
The two lead cast members would find success in other ventures after the short run of Dreams. Stamos played Jesse Katsopolis on sitcom Full House from 1988 to 1995. on ABC. Full House was a popular show on ABC's TGIF lineup, reaching the top ten of Nielsen ratings in 1991–92. From 2002 to 2006, Gertz portrayed Judy Miller on the CBS sitcom Still Standing. In 2015, Gertz and husband Tony Ressler became majority owners of the Atlanta Hawks basketball team.
In 1987, rock group Heart recorded a cover version of "Alone", previously performed by Stamos and Stevenson for Dreams. Heart's version became a number-one hit in 1987 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was ranked no. 2 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 of 1987.
In 2016, Bob Leszczak called Dreams "an expensive and ambitious flop".