The latest ambitious cable drama is a dark meditation on the art of political survival, centered on one ruler’s weakening grip on power, set in Chicago and given lofty, Shakespearean dimensions.
“Boss,” premiering Friday at 8 p.m. on Starz, is a modern tragedy starring Kelsey Grammer as a Chicago mayor whose style lies somewhere between that of the old Richard Daley machine and Macbeth.
Grand speeches, ruthless power struggles, an icy husband-and-wife ruling team and reflections on evil deeds done — the saga strives mightily to be meaningful. While well-acted and certainly relevant, “Boss” is a worthy but sometimes trying commitment that threatens to choke on its own self-importance.
The power-mad Thomas Kane (Grammer), head of a long dominant political machine, finds his body giving out before his term in office ends. He has a debilitating neurological condition, which he keeps secret from everyone, including his wife, Meredith (Connie Nielsen), and his chief of staff, Ezra Stone (Martin Donovan). Kane’s wife is a cunning political animal herself; their marriage is merely window dressing at this point. Their estranged daughter, Emma (Hannah Ware), is the only one who suspects something is wrong with her father.
Spiraling outward to touch aldermen, ward bosses, precinct captains, interest groups, the media and the wealthiest city fathers, all racing toward an impending primary election, it’s a dark study in the worst of American civics. Who’s in whose pocket?
Farhad Safinia has written a tragedy of politics, marriage and fatherhood that’s taut and downbeat, but somehow bloodless. Grammer seizes the opportunity to showcase his serious side, ably portraying the physical, mental and emotional breakdown of a leader.
Along the way, the backroom political deals and manipulations, the nasty trade-offs between unions, political parties, the wealthy establishment and the news media, are revealed as business as usual.
Echoes both modern and vintage are littered throughout. Like LBJ, this boss belittles political colleagues by going to the bathroom with the door open while conversing with them in his office. Each episode’s opening sequence, depicting angry crowds in the street below skyscrapers, holding signs that read “Blood suckers,” is reminiscent of today’s anti-Wall Street demonstrations.
Layers of urban history are excavated, as Kane recounts his rise through the sanitation department and the housing authority, all the way to City Hall.
“Fair play had about as much currency as the Tooth Fairy,” he says. “One necessary evil leads to another until, one day, you can’t differentiate between what’s necessary and what’s merely expedient. And when that happens, you’re done. You’re a monster.”
These rants — soliloquies of a tragic monster — are expertly delivered, even if they err on the side of the self-indulgent.
Visually, the extreme tight shots — close-ups of faces, eyes, mouths — suggest a profundity that isn’t present in the script. Meant to amplify the emotion, this zoom reflex ends up being a distraction.
Starz has already ordered a second season of the drama, perhaps hoping to assure viewers that it’s safe to get attached.
Judging by the series’ first five hours — yes, it’s addictive — “Boss” offers a compelling but oddly joyless ride.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
