Jack & Bobby 

The early life of Bobby McCallister, a progressive President of the United States from 2041 to 2049, is explored.

Creators:

Greg Berlanti, Steven A. Cohen, Brad Meltzer

Stars:

Christine Lahti, Matt Long, Logan Lerman

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Christine Lahti	...	Grace McCallister 22 episodes, 2004-2005
Matt Long	...	Jack McCallister 22 episodes, 2004-2005
Logan Lerman	...	Bobby McCallister 22 episodes, 2004-2005
Jessica Paré	...	Courtney Benedict 21 episodes, 2004-2005
John Slattery	...	Peter Benedict 22 episodes, 2004-2005
Edwin Hodge	...	Marcus Ride 20 episodes, 2004-2005
Keri Lynn Pratt	...	Missy Belknap 18 episodes, 2004-2005
Bradley Cooper	...	Tom Wexler Graham 14 episodes, 2004-2005
Dean Collins	...	Warren Feide 11 episodes, 2004-2005

Storyline

Faux documentary series from 2049 about Bobby McCallister, the US president elected eight years earlier, and his older brother Jack. Talking head interviews with Bobby's staff are combined with reenactment footage of the McCallisters' teenage years, dealing with a pot smoking mother and typical high school drama. Also explored is Jack's tentative romance with Courtney Benedict.

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Plot Keywords:

character names as series title | president of the united states | future president | told in flashback | melodrama | 

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Taglines:

In 2041, one son will be President.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

During the first half of the season, Bobby is referred to as being 13 years old, but beginning in episode 1x11 they began referring to him as being 12 years old, which he remains for the rest of the season.

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Quotes

Bobby McCallister: I'm not like you, Jack.

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Connections

Featured in 11th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2005)

User Reviews

The seeds have been sown for greatness...

I was really drawn by the premise of this show, as well as by its loose allusions to the Kennedys, and funny, even though the acting leaves a bit to be desired and the dialogue sometimes approaches the Dawson's Creek zone. We've seen these situations before on the WB -- check out, for instance, one of Courtney's first lines when Jack tries to pick her up in the opener -- "you don't know anything about me" -- obviously implying she has some deeply-buried skeletons in the closet that will be uncovered in a later episode; very much like Andie McPhee's introduction to Pacey in Dawson's ... recycled material. However, unlike Dawson's Creek, which I watched religiously for three-plus years out pure amusement (you knew you couldn't take a show seriously in which every other line was some long-winded diatribe), there's something deeper, something more fascinating about "Jack and Bobby" that makes me keep coming back.

I believe that lies in the actual characters -- in some weird way, you really care about them. Maybe part of that has to do with the relationships -- they just seem so real. Jack has a strange love-hate relationship with his brother that actually reminds me very much of the relationship between my own brothers. Jack wants to push Bobby away because he's sick of being trailed by his annoying little brother, but at the same time subconsciously longs for his company, though denyingly embarrassed to say so. Grace is fighting to find the balance between smothering her sons and letting them do what they want. Some of the previous reviewers have criticised the show for not being explicit enough -- that Jack continuously refers to Bobby being "weird" but Bobby's actions don't support the accusation -- but they should look twice. How many of the outcasts in high school were truly those one-dimensional freaks you see portrayed too frequently in bad sitcoms? More often, the line between fitting in and being "different" is all too subtle -- I find it most interesting that Bobby is such a naive do-gooder at this point, he can't even internally comprehend what makes him so "different"... and because he can't see it, you can bet that it'll take time for the casual viewer to see it, too.

Another reason may be the flash-forwards -- you know this is not just some cheesy drama focusing on teens because they won't stay eternally young; everything they do in the here and now influences the people they will someday become, and the pieces are slowly and subtly being exposed, one by one. My greatest fear for the show is that, because we're learning about the future as we're learning about the present, the writers don't eventually get too boxed in, reveal too much about the future, and have to go back and "change" characters or take certain liberties in plot and time frame. If the writers can avoid such a pitfall week after week, there's little doubt in my mind that "Jack and Bobby" the show will be destined for greatness.

Seriously worth a watch. I can't wait for episode three.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 September 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jack and Bobby

Filming Locations:

Alhambra, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shoe Money Productions, Warner Bros. Television, Berlanti Liddell Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1