ONE SEASON WONDERS: Jack & Bobby

On Wednesdays, I look at shows that lasted one season or less. Today I am looking at 2000s flop Jack & Bobby!

JACK & BOBBY

Programming Details:

September 12, 2004 - May 11, 2005
22 episodes
WB

Starring: Christine Lahti, Matt Long, Logan Lerman, Jessica Pare, Edwin Hodge and John Slattery
Created by: Greg Berlanti, Vanessa Taylor, Steven A. Cohen & Brad Meltzer

Plot: Jack and Bobby McCallister (Long & Lerman) are brothers living with their mother, Grace (Lahti) in Hart, Missouri. While they may seem to be living average lives, one of the boys will grow up to be President from 2041-2049. Also in the cast is a love interest of Jack, Coutney Benedict (Pare) and her college president father, Peter (Slattery). 

Brief Pilot Review:

This was one of the rare pilots in "One Season Wonders" that made me very much want to watch the rest of the season even knowing that's all it has. It is a rich and layered character drama with a fun and unique twist. Without watching the rest of the season, it certainly had the feel of other wonderful one season dramas like My So-Called Life and Freaks and Geeks. There were tremendous performances from experienced and great actors like Lahti and Slattery but Long and Lerman, both pretty inexperienced at the time, were also strong. Lahti, appearing in this not long after Chicago Hope, was especially strong though. 

The pilot did an excellent job of building its world and giving attention to its unique format. It might be easy to call the "President" part of the story a gimmick but it didn't feel that way at all watching it. It felt very organically a part of the plot. At the same time, it also kept it from being a standard family drama. It felt a little more urgent and a little more important because of that element and it certainly gave a reason to come back to the show. Jack & Bobby really deserves the "gone too soon" or "brilliant but cancelled" moniker. When you think of how many standard shows happen each year, it's always nice to see something different and very well done and I wish all those shows succeeded.

What Went Wrong:

Jack & Bobby premiered on the WB back in the era of Gilmore Girls, Everwood, Smallville and more. It was the home of generally well-liked shows that are still favorites to this day but never got the proper respect when they were on the air even when they ran for years because of their network. Jack & Bobby was perhaps the most glaring example of that because it didn't even get the support from its own network which meant it had absolutely no chance of breaking through to large audiences. The WB had been on the air for nearly a decade and was still not able to get anywhere close to the big four networks in the ratings. Similar struggles for UPN was one reason they merged into the CW a few years later.

The series started on Sunday nights airing after the original Charmed, which was not a very compatible lead-in. It aired on the night for less than two months before it moved to Wednesdays airing after Smallville. It aired a full 22 episodes but was not renewed for a second season. The series received strong critical notices (Lahti received Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations) but the WB could not figure out how to market it or get it attention beyond a few television critics. Although it has never been on streaming or in reruns or even on DVD, it is still fondly remembered by some as one of those "brilliant but cancelled" shows. Although it played a lot like a gentle family drama, it might have been just a little bit too high concept to work, especially at that time. I'd love to see the full season sometime!

Tomorrow: A look at the first season of Parks and Recreation!

Next Wednesday: A look at 1960s flop The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo!