Ah, out with the old, in with the new. The television season is dead, long live the next television season. And to prepare for it, I’m going to review new shows as the pilots become available.

Jack and Bobby; WB, Sunday Nights 9:00 pm

Here’s a show with an interesting premise; there are two brothers, one of whom becomes a well-loved United States President in the future, the other of whom dies sometime before the brother’s assension to power. A documentary about “The Great Believer” acts as a springboard for flashbacks to contemporary time, as the brothers grow up.

Jack (Matthew Long) is the jock, the one who takes care of the family. Bobby (Logan Lerman, “The Butterfly Effect”) is sickly, only now trying to develop into a “normal” boy, hampered by his college professor mother Grace (Christine Lahti, “Chicago Hope”) who continues to treat him as a china doll while lying to them about their father and frequenty retreating to her study to drag on some weed.

Jack is trying to get to know the new girl in town, Bobby is trying to grow up, and Mom is trying to get high. That, unfortunately, just about covers this show. Other than the rather unique format, this is little more than your basic coming-of-age story, and based on the first episode a rather average one at that. The cast is fine, given what little they are asked to do here, and it’s fun during the first episode trying to figure out which will grow up into the White House…but even that small mystery is handed to us by the end of the pilot. I must admit I’m a little sorry to see Ms. Lahti’s talents wasted here, even though she clearly enjoys this role.

I can’t imagine this sustaining our interest over the long term. But then, with the creative talents of Greg Berlanti (”Everwood,” “Dawson’s Creek”), Thomas Schlamme (”The West Wing,” “Ally McBeal”) and Mickey Liddell (”Everwood,” “Go”), I suppose it’s possible they may have something up their sleeves to break this show out of the ordinary. Try as I might, though, I just can’t find it in the pilot.