so familiar to the WB in creating a young upstart (an Obama?) with great promise.
The show’s titular characters, Jack and Bobby McAllister (Matt Long and Logan Lerman), both attend a present-day Missouri high school when not engaging in fast-talking duels with single mom Grace (Christine Lahti). The dramatic irony comes from the audience’s knowledge that Bobby some day will be president, an understanding aided by documentary-type interviews with peripheral political allies in 2049.
Shows have crumbled under similar high concept burdens, though. And the prospect of, say, a school dance informing the older Bobby McAllister’s views on a woman’s right to choose could make for the first after-school special on weekend television.
But like a politician meeting with a smiling pollster, there is hope – if not true surprise. The reason for caring about young Bobby is there, and both Lahti and Lerman already show a unique grasp on their characters’ personalities. If the writing retains its sharp beginnings, just how a McAllister puts Hart, Mo. on the map should remain a winner. |
