"Jack & Bobby" (2004) TV series 2004-2005

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Creators:

Greg Berlanti
Steven A. Cohen
Brad Meltzer

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

12 September 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

This fall, meet two brothers, one whose path will shape the future of us all

Plot:

Faux documentary series from 2049 about Bobby McCallister, the US president elected eight years earlier...

Plot Keywords:

President | Teacher Student Relationship | Young Love | College Town | Brother Brother Relationship

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Matt Long	...	Jack McCallister (22 episodes, 2004-2005)
Logan Lerman	...	Bobby McCallister (22 episodes, 2004-2005)
John Slattery	...	Peter Benedict (21 episodes, 2004-2005)
Keri Lynn Pratt	...	Missy Belknap (18 episodes, 2004-2005)
Christine Lahti	...	Grace McCallister (15 episodes, 2004-2005)
Jessica Paré	...	Courtney Benedict (15 episodes, 2004-2005)
Bradley Cooper	...	Tom Wexler Graham (14 episodes, 2004-2005)
Dean Collins	...	Warren Feide (11 episodes, 2004-2005)

Runtime:

60 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:TV-14 (some episodes) | USA:TV-PG (some episodes)

Filming Locations:

Alhambra, California, USA

Company:

Shoe Money Productions

Trivia:

The music played during the opening credits is score music from The Patriot (2000), which featured ?Logan Lerman?.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jack is shaving in "Chess Lessons", at one point you can still see a bit of shaving cream on the side of his face, and though he does not wipe off his face, the shaving cream is gone in the next shot

Quotes:

Adult Marcus Ride: [about Bobby's incumbent Presidential opponent] Lorio's numbers were further down the toilet than this morning's breakfast, but he was good with a mic.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards (2005) (TV)

Brilliant and strangely deep

Jack & Bobby is a strange drama in that it is original without seeming so. Two brothers grow up under the gaze of their brilliant, breakable, over-controlling, liberal-professor mom, and one of them becomes president. Weird concept, unlikely to work. But the real shock of J&B is: it does. The actors are one of the main reasons. Lahti is out of this world as a woman who desperately needs to be loved, but won't let it come to her. Lerman and Long, both fairly new, bring their characters to life wonderfully. Slattey is pleasantly wry as a father who has lost his wife and must now raise his children. Pare and Hodge add as well, and Cooper gives a surprisingly deep performance that proves strangely real.

The plots are good too. Yeah, it's bothering that week after week, we have to see poor Grace "learn" her lesson, and be humbled, but it's TV: no one would watch if an intelligent person wasn't forced to be put down contantly. Another good moment features her affair with a TA, which comes off, not as a fling, but rather as a ripping, surprising romance. The boys too add their own mix. Teenager Jack is pretty stereotypical, but he's still real, and while overly good Bobby is a bit too good, he still comes off as sweet and impressionable.

My only hope is that the WB learns to appreciate what a gem they have. This one's a keeper, guys.