Jack and Bobby

This post is way overdue, but I am finally going to get around to talking about one of The WB's new shows this Fall, Jack and Bobby (Sundays 9 pm, starts 9/12).
The premise involves a single mother and her two sons named Jack and Bobby, and one of them becomes president in the future. The story is interrupted by what appear to be interviews with various personalities involved with the presidency around the year 2049 (you see the younger incarnations of some of these people), so the future president is just in high school for present day, when most of the story takes place.

Oh, and so you know, these kids are not named Kennedy. I guess the producers thought that using such familiar names would immediately clue people in as to the nature of the show.

The whole pilot makes a big deal about how "one" of them becomes president, and you get the feeling that they're trying to jerk you around and make you guess which of the two brothers it is. That whole aspect is a little distracting, but the story isn't so bad, and you get some good glimpses into the characters. They also lay on the drama pretty heavily, which all became clear when the credits rolled and my roommate pointed out that the executive producers are pretty much all involved with Everwood. The one that's not, Thomas Schlamme, has The West Wing and Ally McBeal on his CV.

There wasn't a whole lot of funny in this, it definitely had a WB feel to it, and I found some parts way too predictable, but the show is also redeeming in the way that most of the WB's shows tend to be. There are warm parts, you get some chuckles in, the characters are likable (enough), and the sap is just right at times so I will stick with this show for at least the first few episodes. We'll see how it pans out.

- totoro