With all the talk about his personal life and the Michael Chiklis pilot he’s directing for CBS, Kelsey Grammer’s new show over at Starz has gotten largely swept under the gossip. It’s a shame too because it sounds awesome. Entitled Boss, the program follows the mayor of Chicago, not Rahm Emanuel, as he discovers his mental faculties will begin evaporating because of a brain condition. He struggles to keep the diagnosis secret, as well as his troubled relationship with his wife under wraps. She’s good with the media and willing to play her part but of little help when it comes to the mayor working out his private issues.
We’ve yet to see any actual footage from the Gus Van Sant directed eight episode series, but it seems based on plot description that its success will largely depend on how well Kelsey Grammer’s main character interacts with his withdrawn wife. The role went uncast for quite awhile, but now Deadline is reporting producers have booked their girl. Connie Nielsen, best known as Joaquin Phoenix’s sister in Gladiator, is officially on board, begging the question why she isn’t more famous ten years after the Best Picture winner was released. Maybe this is the boost she’ll need.
No word yet on when this might go into production, but I’d expect it to be soon with a likely premiere late this year or early next year. Starz is quickly establishing itself as a premium cable force alongside Showtime and HBO. They need the momentum to continue, but there’s no reason to suspect it’ll stop with a high profile project like this.
