Jack & Bobby tells the story of 2 boys, raised by a single mother. It's a story of growing up, trying to find your way, searching for your identity,... It's hard to describe what this TV-series is about because there's so much in it. It's not a classical TV-series about the typical American family. It's a clever masterpiece which deals with serious life issues of teenage boys who are trying to find their way in this life, who are trying to find out who they want to be and what they want to stand for.I have seen many series and movies about people, trying to find their way in life, about people who haven't figured it out yet...but this is the first series who succeed in capturing it all in such a unique, intelligent and sensitive way without getting melodramatic. An episode lasts about 40 minutes but I have the impression it lasts less and every time the episode has finished, i can't wait to see the next! I'm afraid I'm getting addicted to it. No seriously, this is just outstanding, wonderful, brilliant,... Just see it!There is also some great acting in this. Christine Lahti (who plays Grace, the mother) is brilliant. I think she should have won the Golden Globe. The rest of the cast is also without any exception terrific.Here I will tell something more about the different characters. Jack & Bobby is the story of two brothers and their mother Grace. Jack is the oldest of the brothers. He is 16 (but looks and is in real life much older) and he is a nice, good looking and popular young guy. Although he is only 16, he is very responsible and grown-up. For him, it's very important to be accepted and to fit in. His girlfriend Missy is a blond, rather shallow young girl who cares a lot about her looks but doesn't seem to have much inside her head.Besides his relationship with Missy, Jack also has a beautiful friendship with Courtney. Courtney not only lives in his neighbourhood but she's also the deans daughter. She's a fragile young girl who has been through a lot. For her, Jack is more than just a friend, he is her best friend.Then there is Bobby, the youngest brother. He is 13 and he differs a lot from his brother Jack. He doesn't care much about fitting in. For him, growing up isn't as easy as it is to Jack. But there is a good understanding between the two brothers. Like his brother, Bobby also has a good relationship with Courtney. They understand each other very good and they are both good listeners.Last but not least there is Grace. She is about 40 and she is the mother of both boys. She's a single mother but she's very self-confident and intelligent. Raising her two boys on her own isn't always easy and she does make mistakes, but she is a good person.It's only just the start of this TV-series. I've seen 8 episodes and I can't wait to see the rest! I'll give it ***** out of *****

I had high hopes for this show, particularly because Thomas Schlamme (The West Wing) produced it, but the pilot turned out to be just plain awful. Every moment of it was predictable; it was obvious from the beginning which brother would be President. When Bobby stole his mother's pot it was clear what would happen, but the directors dragged it out anyway. The script was trite and the characters are one dimensional. Jack is angry all the time, even though his reasons for being so aren't really justified. Bobby is seen as a freak for no real reason, and their mother speaks in long winded, labored clichés.Perhaps the WB promoted this show too heavily. It fell way short of my expectations. Thomas Schlamme can do much better than this.

This show is probably going to be big. I can already tell I'm going to get addicted to it the way I usually get addicted to WB programming. It's nice to see a show so well cast (Lahti is particularly impressive) but I'm still not sold on Berlanti's writing. This is his third show on the WB, and he appears to be recycling the same types of clichés he's been using since Dawson's Creek, which is to say the highly intelligent if socially awkward hero(es) versus the cool kids. We saw it with the Dawson clique versus school, Ephram versus Bright, and now it seems Bobby versus Jack. However whereas I could not bear to stomach even one episode of Dawson's Creek, I will probably faithfully tune in to Jack & Bobby, so progress has been made, one viewer at a time. One of these days, though, I'd love to see Berlanti use his powers for good, instead of piggybacking on some clever hooks and a beautiful cast.

I viewed the WB's "Jack & Bobby" on a preview DVD of the first episode which is airing this Sunday. Got it from an insert in "Entertainment Weekly". I had seen the TV trailer on the WB, and thought the series conceit was a modern retelling of Jack and Bobby Kennedy. "One brother will become President of the United States." On the surface it is, and this series has the possibility of being breakthrough television. "Jack & Bobby" centers around the conversation of the origins of greatness in all people.The first episode is expertly crafted, effective in it's retrospective narrative, i.e. from the future looking back. I don't know who wrote the episode, but he or she is visionary, having a noble cause. The cast is powerful. Christine Lahti plays Grace McCallister, free-spirited college professor and single mom to her sons, Jack and Bobby. Matt Long plays Jack, the older brother. Jack is a high school sophomore, track star, smart cool loner, and popular with the girls. Logan Lerman plays Bobby. Bobby is the sensitive geeky asthmatic brother, who really doesn't much care about what other people think. He also has a strength of character that even he is yet unaware. The first episode is a battle of wills between Grace and Jack over Bobby's future, and the possibility of the man he will become. Long and Lerman have a special chemistry which is the power of "Jack & Bobby". Jack and Bobby have an unconditional and unspoken love for each other, and see the other as great. In the narrative the future First Lady recalls that Jack and Bobby are like "two sides of the same coin". Rather each fills in the other's "missing". Jack inspires the strength and character in Bobby, that he himself has not yet distinguished. Bobby brings out the heart and compassion in Jack which he often chooses to dismiss or disguise. Ultimately, "Jack & Bobby" is a story about greatness, and those who inspire greatness. It is not a coincidence that "Jack & Bobby" focuses on the relationship between three strong, smart, and special people. "Jack & Bobby" has the possibility of greatness.