Why Starz Cancelled Boss (And Why It's A Tragedy)
Starzs Boss was officially cancelled on the 20th of November, but for anyone familiar with how the television system works in the US, the writing had been on the wall for quite some time. Why was it cancelled you might ask? Was it that bad? Was Kelsey Grammer just playing Frasier Crane again? The long and short of it is that viewership figures in the States are what shows live and die by and Boss was no exception. It wasnt all that bad either; in fact it was rather good, with Grammer giving a career best performance. But that means nothing when people arent watching. Grammer won the 2012 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Series over such fan favourites as Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire) whose shows garner the viewership numbers to match the critical acclaim. Not even this win could convince people to tune in and the consistently low numbers led to the inevitable cancellation. While rumours of a two-hour long TV-film circulate to wrap up the series (which was left unresolved), the likelihood of that ever happening are slim. The same idea was floated around for Deadwood (again another example of how critical adoration means very little) at the time, when it cancelled just as the main character arcs were starting to come full circle, but nothing ever came of it. As infuriating as it is, it is understandable for Starz to cancel the show if it is not making them a profit or getting the channel the exposure it so ravenously desires. The channel wants to be up there with the HBOs, the AMCs and the Showtimes of this world, but in reality cancelling a show like Boss will do little to close the gap. Maybe their other original programming like Magic City or upcoming shows like Frank Darabonts Noir might step up and give the network some success as so far, the only true success the network has had is with the Spartacus franchise which has done decently critically and viewer-wise. Starz over-confidence with the show particularly didnt help, with the show being renewed for a second season before the first had even aired. The ratings failure made people look silly. Of course, there are other factors at play with the shows failure to attract an audience. Could the mere presence of Kelsey Grammer have people off from watching? It is possible given his long career focused primarily in comedy expecting something lighter than his scenery-chewing Tom Kane. Surely seeing Frasier Crane as a devious, vulgar-mouthed politician turned some people off which is a shame given how revelatory Grammers performance is and the rest of the talented case (Martin Donovan in particular is great). But what is certain is that outside the shows small and dedicated fan base, no one else really cared to invest in the Starz channel. Instead of Grammers Golden Globe win intriguing people to get the Starz channel, it turned them off even more. Which is a damn shame as Grammer delivers here big time. Grammer at his best along with the skilled writing and intriguing central storyline of greed, lust, power and pretty much every other cliché that is rampant in film/television is explored uniquely here, even Connie Nielsens Meredith, a potential dud character of a loyal wife could have been a bore, instead she is even more dangerous than Kane. Sadly, well never know how that relationship would finish or any concrete resolution to the many loose ends Boss left open for its third season. Starz got so much right with Boss, but expecting it to compete with the HBOs and AMCs of the world was always going to be difficult, especially for a political drama up against Boardwalk Empires gangster underworld, The Walking Deads blood-splattered adventure and even Showtimes terrorist drama Homeland, which was the breakout star of last seasons premieres. We can cross our fingers and hope that a TV film will wrap out the twisted saga of Mayor Tom Kane and company, but given how Starz have dumped the show it remains very unlikely that one of televisions most criminally unseen shows will remain without a conclusion. What do you think of the decision to dump Boss? Share your thoughts below.