American Dreams Come True

There's good news and better news for fans of NBC's superlative period piece, American Dreams. First, although last season, resident heartthrob Will Estes joked that executive producer Jonathan Prince "has ways to kill all of us off!" G.I. JJ Pryor will not become a casualty of the war.

"JJ's is the story of survival," the boss explains to TV Guide Online. "Just as the Pryors are a family that will survive the '60s and a marriage that will make it through difficult times, so the story of Vietnam is told through the eyes of a boy who will come home to his family. And not only will he have changed, but so will they."

"Expect to see [ex-Bandstand dancer] Jimmy Riley, who joined the Marines last season," he adds. "Expect to meet a new cast of good-looking Marines in JJ's unit, 'the Untouchables.' And expect to see Vietnam accurately portrayed as a place in which men and boys fought hard to stay alive, to fight for their country and to return to the United States changed — some for the better, some not."

Meanwhile, back on American soil, now that retired rock-n-roll groupie Roxanne (Vanessa Lengies) has come home, "she will return to work at the Vinyl Crocodile [record store]," says Prince. "And while she's helping [best friend Meg's old beau] Luke (Jamie Elman) get ready for a date with his new dreamgirl, she gives [the adorable dork] a makeover and finds herself.... Well, you might know where this is going!"

We have a hunch we do, anyway — and man, is it ever fun! Without giving too much away, Elman offers, "It's kind of a delicate situation, but if they handle it right, I think it's a great idea." Translation: It's a really, really great idea. Stay tuned. It's gonna be a long, hot winter.