Boss: Season One

This acclaimed Starz original series, premiering in 2011, stars Kelsey Grammer as the mayor of Chicago and reigning king of the city's political machine, holding on tight as he fights a degenerative neuromuscular disease that is slowly destroying his mind and body. Grammer's Tom Kane is a hardball politician whose simple goal boils down to winning the game at all costs and capturing the associated rewards of money, sex, and power. Although not as smart or daring as cable's best original shows—Boss serves up every cliché of politics at its most corrupt and cynical—Grammer does sink his teeth into the title role with ferocity, playing the benevolent public servant in front of the cameras and crowds, while plotting his maneuvers and petty vengeances behind closed doors with trusted staffers Kitty and Ezra (Kathleen Robertson and Martin Donovan), and also navigating distant relationships with his wife Meredith (Connie Nielsen) and daughter Emma (Hannah Ware). Presenting all eight episodes from the debut season (including the pilot helmed by Oscar-nominated director Gus Van Sant), extras include episode commentaries and an interview with Grammer and series creator Farhad Safinia. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)