‘California Dreams’: Where Is The Cast Now?
“Surf Dudes with Attitudes…”
Remember that song?
Premiering in 1992 on Saturday mornings, NBC’s California Dreams capitalized on the growing popularity of fellow teen sitcom Saved By The Bell by offering a similar show with a new batch of teen characters, with a twist — these kids could rock! Members of a fictional band that shared the name of the show, the “Dreams” brought the funny while navigating school, part-time jobs, and their money-hungry incompetent manager Sly Winkle (played by Michael Cade). With a devout fanbase all their own, California Dreams ran for five glorious seasons … but where are they today?
NBC/courtesy Everett Collection
Brentley Gore (50)
Matt Garrison
NBC/courtesy Everett Collection
Lead singer of the band during the first two seasons, Gore eventually decided to leave the show to pursue a legit music career. Still making music today, he recently released his first solo album, At the Ready.
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Kelly Packard (49)
Tiffani Ann Smith
NBC/courtesy Everett Collection; Steven Ferdman/Getty Images
Playing sweet and innocent Tiffani on all five seasons of the show, Packard landed on her feet (and the hot sand) after the show ended to nab a role on Baywatch, where she stuck around for several seasons until 1999. While being a family woman is her main focus in life these days, Kelly has been a driving force behind recent Dreams reunion events.
William James Jones (48)
Tony Wicks
NBC/courtesy Everett Collection; Steven Ferdman/Getty Images
As funky drummer Tony Wicks, Jones was a constant source of fun for all five seasons of the show. Now a clinical psychologist with a PhD, Jones is still known to break it down onstage alongside his former bandmates as only he can.
Jennie Kwan (49)
Samantha Woo
NBC/courtesy Everett Collection; Steven Ferdman/Getty Images
When Jennie, aka Samantha “Sam” Woo, joined the show as the band’s new lead singer in Season 2, the world immediately loved her — especially her voice. No wonder the real woman behind the mic has enjoyed a decades-long career in voiceover work, appearing in many of our favorite animated shows and video games over the years, including voicing Suki in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Chun-Li in Street Fighter 6.
Jay Anthony Franke (52)
Jake Sommers
NBC/courtesy Everett Collection; Steven Ferdman/Getty Images
If California Dreams was missing anything in the early days, it may have been a character with an edge. Enter Jay Anthony Franke, played by Jake Sommers, the intense, leather jacket-wearing songwriter with a fast motorcycle, an old soul and a look that caused many a female squeals from the show’s studio audience. Now married and living in Australia, Franke still happily engages with fans on social media and travels to the U.S. whenever possible for California Dreams reunion appearances.
Michael Cade (52)
Sly Winkle
NBC/courtesy Everett Collection; Steven Ferdman/Getty Images
While not technically part of the band, Michael Cade was a breakout star on all five seasons of the show as band manager Sly Winkle. Despite questionable moral standards, the Dreams reluctantly kept Sly around as a manager and friend, allowing Cade’s good looks and charms to be on full display every Saturday morning. While he’s traded in his acting pursuits for life as a producer, Cade continues to ham it up with fans during reunion events.
Steven Ferdman/Getty Images
Remind 
February 2021
1990s Rom-Coms
Pop some popcorn and cozy up to feel-good movies and TV shows from a generation ago.
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