There is a great new show that premiered on Starz last week. Kelsey Grammer plays Tom Kane, the mayor of Chicago, in the new series Boss. Not since The West Wing have I seen a better portrayal of politics on the small screen. It's an excellent show and well worth your time.
The reviews were mostly positive, some glowing. However, in this age of instant analysis, the comments following the reviews were curious to say the least. A large portion of the comments had to do with Grammer's own political beliefs (he's a conservative) as opposed to the quality of the show itself.
A lot of the readers automatically assumed that because Grammer was the star and the show was about a fictional mayor, it was a right wing hit job. Others speculated that the reason the show was about the mayor of Chicago was to somehow smear President Obama. Nonsense.
The show is about politics and power. The political party is never identified because the plot and actions can apply to either side of the political spectrum. Why Chicago? Well, my guess is when you want to do a series about someone who rules a major city with an iron fist you usually think of Chicago first, not Salt Lake City.
As for Grammer's participation, he's the star because he's an excellent actor. (He is also one of the producers of the series.) This just in: there are a lot of conservatives working in the entertainment industry and as with liberals, their political beliefs are not brought to the sets or influence the product. In fact, Grammer recently stared on Broadway in La Cage aux Folles, the musical of which the movie The Birdcage was based. Not exactly playing to his base.
If you can't separate political beliefs from the opposing side's acting, writing or directing ability, then you're missing out on a lot of great entertainment. If you can only see the finished product through the political prism then it's your loss.
Boss airs Fridays at 10pm on Starz movie network. In my opinion it's the next great political drama. It would be a pity if your prejudices caused you to miss it.