Boss

If you haven't read the book "Boss" by Mike Royko and you haven't already fallen in love with the new Starz series Boss, then you should do both.. NOW. I know it has only the first episode of the first season but its not a pilot, the entire first episode was directed by Gus Van Sant in Chicago and almost like one of the best 50 min. movies you ever saw. It is starZ answer to the great cable TV shows i.e. Dexter, OZ, The Sopranos, True Blood, The Shield etc.

The new series Boss is not based on Royko's book but almost the history of Chicago's gritty politics and policies. It encapsulates the anti- heroic and heroic decisions of our beloved mayor and Boss. Kelsey Grammar is Spectacular. His presence is so palpable it seems the entire cast, who are fantastic, have him on their mind when acting. Kelsey Grammar is the Bulldog mayor, he is the King of the City, he is the Boss.

The tragedy of Macbeth was watching a good man slowly destroy the good in his life as he chose to pursue power in incremental decisions that tarnished his soul. But what would this story look like in reverse? Tragedy, as we usually experience it, sees a hero forsaking his happiness choice by choice as he opts for power. But in Boss we find Mayor Tom Kane (Grammar) as a man who is already powerful, has estranged all of those whom he loves, and has abandoned and abrogated his morals and conscience to get where he is. Then, a life-changing piece of news sets him on a path to contrition.

What happens as this powerful "Boss" begins to allow his humanity to surface again? Can he keep his grip on power as he begins to show the 'milk of human kindness' again? Shades of Tony Soprano balancing his shadow side and sensitive, loving side in this powerfully-themed (and acted) series.

And if the Macbeth-in-reverse comparison weren't enough, there is a "King Lear" like pathos to the man who has estranged his daughter who chose the path of compassionate poverty even as Dad was ruling the city with an iron fist. The faltering attempt at reconciliation here adds yet another rich texture to a compelling series sure to grow more and more powerful. THe scope is ambitious, as it explores the dynamics of the modern city-state, much as "The Wire" ambitiously attempted (and succeeded at).

Emotionally powerful, dark, compassionate, visceral and a paean to what makes life significant (no explanations... you'll see), this series is as full an orchestra of art as has been seen on television since the likes of The Wire and The Sopranos.

Starz! is starting to give HBO a run for their money in original programming. Their Spartacus series is one of my all time "guilty pleasures".

But "Boss" ups the ante considerably with this deadly serious & very dark melodrama of politics in Chicago.

Forget "Frasier Crane", Kelsey Grammar has the role of a lifetime playing the titular character of Mayor Tom Kane & he knocks it completely out of the park with somber rhetoric, explosive rages & double dealings. When he is on the screen he dominates it.

Of course, given the talent of series creator Farhad Sarfinia maybe the only task of Grammar's was not to screw it up. Either way it works brilliantly.

The supporting cast is excellent. The plot lines are labyrinthine without ever becoming lost.

If you like compelling drama about dirty politics & politicians you will thoroughly enjoy these 1st 8 episodes --the 1st season.

It's always hard when you don't love the characters in a show. We felt for Michael Corleone, because the mantel he wore wasn't the one he wanted. Even bad guys can be sympathetic, unless your name is Tom Kane and you're the mayor of Chicago.

It's possible other viewers feel for Tom (Kelsey Grammar), a despicable human being, if you can call him human, a ruthless, dying man sometimes made even more despicable by his illness. Grammar proves he is not only a great actor, which has always been so, but that he has a magnificent range.

His costars are awful, too, so good in their roles that you hate them sometimes if not all the time -- the stunning Danish actress Connie Nielsen as his wife Meredith, the former mayor's daughter - clearly a dynastic marriage; his drug-addicted daughter Emma (Hannah Ware), estranged from her family; his associate, Kitty O'Neill (Kathleen Robertson), sleeping at various times with a couple of the enemies; and Ezra Stone (Martin Donovan) who does his master's bidding, most of it not too pleasant.

Kane has lewybody dementia, and as a result, hallucinates, hears voices, has seizures and bombastic fits of temper, sometimes in public. As he fights his disease and does inappropriate things, he makes deals, lies, plays people off one another, wires peoples' offices and bedrooms, and is generally corrupt - in other words, business as usual.

I have one objection to this show, and you'll think I'm a prude but here it is - it seems like nearly every encounter - and that includes in the hallways - ends with a sex act. I think it would have been more interesting if there were a few less encounters. One thing the show is great at is implying sexual heat during a scene so you just know there's chemistry - but I would like to think most adults are a little bit more discreet than some of these people, who seek out empty ladies' rooms, have sex in their offices, hallways, etc.

Nevertheless it is tragic that this mature show was canceled after two seasons and there was no movie on STARZ, as was planned, to wrap up the series. Boss deserved so much more. Is it a realistic look at politics? Lucrative contracts to your friends, lots of quid pro quo, constantly lying, having people killed - probably.

I'm currently on episode 5. I'm writing a review because there are currently so few reviews.

This show caught me by surprise. I've never been a particular fan of Kelsey Grammar. Though who doesn't love Gus Van Sant? Which is the name that drew me in.

The writing is excellent. All the technical components are great, the camera work, the locations, costumes, production design; it's all impeccable. The acting is mind blowing, which I credit a lot to the directors and producers who are doing all the right things, staying out of the way when they should and thinking out loud when they should, to get great performances on a TV screen.

It may be a cult, love it or hate it, show. It may win a truckload of Emmys. But, in the eyes of this often fickle and bored TV misanthrope, it is a fine piece of craftsmanship that I believe will hold up to the test of time.

And to the previous reviewer who is tired of Chicago being portrayed this way, I just have to explain. This is fiction. It is about as true as True Blood. It is, I believe, a dark piece of satire. A character-driven-wry-look at contemporary politics in America. Every time they say Chicago, imagine they are saying The Land of Oz or Bon Temps. I think you'll enjoy it more for what it is. And thank whatever cosmic splendor that this is not another show with zombies, vampires or housewives.