NEW SHOW: Boss

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Boss is the seventh of my ten fall hopefuls to premiere, but the second-worst pilot I've seen. I've already dropped 24 Hours in the ER, which was going to be my second BBCAmerica show. Now, Boss is by no means boring, which was my problem with 24 Hours. Rather, Boss has a LOT going on... perhaps too much. Issues with his wife, a battle of sorts with his daughter, secrets he keeps from everyone. Corruption. Sex. Disease. Politics. All of these things are downers for me, at least for the most part. However, the show has some excellent points as well. For instance, Kelsey Grammer is a nice fit for the role of Mayor Tom Kane. And, we have the return of Kathleen Robertson, whom I loved long ago as Claire on Beverly Hills, 90210. Plus, I was very intrigued by the life of the title character's daughter - works in a clinic yet seems to be on drugs of some sort... what's going on there? All in all, it wasn't bad, but I certainly don't know how interested I am in it as a whole. We'll see.

Boss "Listen" (S01E01): Tom Kane, in a Chicago slaughterhouse, hears that he has a degenerative disease with no known cure. Orientation, intelligence, insight are the first to go. Speech, depression, hallucinations, anxiety, muscle tremors, and memory will follow. He's looking at 3-5 years, but doesn't appear devastated by the news. His main concern? He doesn't want to shake, and will take a few drugs to try to stop that from happening. He will need to determine power of attorney, and will eventually need 24-hour care. After leaving the meeting, he's upset and wants to cry, but has to go give a speech.

Some carvings are found in a graveyard. Tom takes a meeting regarding the carvings found in the graveyard, and we find out that there are a ton of issues behind it... a 22-year-old project is at stake over it. Tom gets loud and violent.

Tom talks to a young man and hears his life story... he then asks him to run for governor, with the primaries being a mere three weeks away.

The doctor who saw Tom is seeing another patient, Sam.... who is really a reporter looking at Tom. He wants information for the public, even though he knows that she is bound by confidentiality. He is shown out, though he does leave a business card, which the doctor crumples. Tom finds out that Sam has gone to talk to the doctor and wants her to have a "gentle reminder of certain oaths." The doctor, who has a young son, is given a neuro-muscular tranquilizer and told to behave, clearly frightening her quite a bit. 

That night, he starts shaking at a meeting, which looks like it'll go all night because nobody can agree on anything. He ends up having everyone turn in their electronic devices until the matter is settled. He leaves for an event, where he meets up with his wife. They are separated but do make some appearances together. He also doesn't stay at "the house" often. After the event, Tom goes to meet someone alone, receiving some drugs and handing over some money. Back at "the house," Tom receives a set of ears, which he puts down the garbage disposal, breaking it. He tells his wife that they need a plumber and that he'll set something up, but she doesn't really respond to anything he says until he calls her by her name, Meredith.  

And, finally the story so far on daughter Emma: Shortly after receiving the diagnosis, he calls a free clinic to reach his daughter, but she is working and receives the message later. Later in the day, Tom's daughter sees Darius, the nephew of a patient, in the streets, and wonders if he's into drugs. She offers him a ride. She wants something and he brings her to it. When Emma calls Tom, he can't really talk, and she won't give him a number other than the church's so she'll have to call him back. Another day, Emma distributes communion at church and Darius attends, slipping her something when he leaves. Tom again calls Emma's office, though she doesn't answer. She also decides to throw out both the message to call her dad and some pills...

Lastly, one of Tom's assistants is having an affair with a politician.