After two episodes, I gotta wonder if I'm seeing the same episodes of Jack & Bobby as the critics. I mean, yes, it's done well enough, there's nothing wrong with it, but the way critics seemed to be talking about it, it was like it was of such transcendent quality, television could barely contain its like. Maybe that's the problem; it's just so good, the broadcast medium isn't able to convey it's true virtues, and the only way I'd really be able to see how truly brilliant it is would be if they came and performed it live in my living room every Sunday night. Because what I am seeing, for better or worse, is a well-written, well-acted family drama on the same level as the other WB shows I watch and enjoy, like Everwood, One Tree Hill, and Smallville. So far, the writing isn't particularly deeper or more clever or more insightful than the other shows, the acting isn't any better (or worse; they're all just fine), and they're all shot beautifully. And if the hook that sets it apart is that Bobby has this sense of destiny, because he's going to grow up to become president... well, that's Smallville, isn't it? Except that the Smallville one is even more interesting, because it's not just that we know that Clark Kent grows up to become Superman, it's that best-friends-in-the-show Clark and Lex Luthor will eventually become mortal enemies.

Not to knock Jack & Bobby; it's certainly worth my time watching it. But with all the hype, it's very Emperor's New Clothes. Just another example of something being hailed as brilliant just because it's not crap.

As for shows that don't get enough attention that do stand out... Last night also saw the season premiere of HBO's The Wire. Now, I've made no secret of the fact that I'm not a big fan of The Sopranos or Six Feet Under, that I think they're overrated soap operas that also win acclaim by simply not being stupid. I'm also not a big fan of the characterless, soulless network TV crime procedural as represented by the CSI and Law & Order families. The Wire, however, is a show I can sink my teeth into. I don't care how arty the photography is, overblown melodrama is overblown melodrama, and that's what keeps me at arms' length from The Sopranos. The Wire keeps the drama at a human level, often telling more by not showing or telling things than by showing them. The crime investigations last a whole season, so it's not rushed or packed in like a network cop show. Why this one doesn't get more attention escapes me.