Show of the week: Boss
In a new series directed by Gus Van Sant, Kelsey Grammer gives a revelatory dramatic performance as a ruthless mayor of Chicago.
His savagery camouflaged by a smile, Tom Kane is not merely the mayor of Chicago but its ruthless ruler. He’s also secretly succumbing to a brain disease that has begun robbing him of his faculties. That’s the premise of this series, whose premiere episode introduces an urban mosaic as rich as The Wire’s, and a protagonist—portrayed in a revelatory dramatic performance by Kelsey Grammer—as simultaneously repellent, pathetic, and charismatic as Tony Soprano. Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) directed the riveting premiere. Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 10 p.m., Starz
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Jared and Ivanka's Albanian island
Under The Radar The deal to develop Sazan has been met with widespread opposition
-
Storm warning
Feature The U.S. is headed for an intense hurricane season. Will a shrunken FEMA and NOAA be able to respond?
-
U.S. v. Skrmetti: Did the trans rights movement overreach?
Feature The Supreme Court upholds a Tennessee law that bans transgender care for minors, dealing a blow to trans rights