CHICAGO - Yet another television series about the corrupt and ridiculous shady political atmosphere that's become world-renowned now is currently being filmed in Chicago and former Cheers' and Frasier star Kelsey Grammer explains why "The Boss" is set here:
"Both of us landed on Chicago because it is ground zero for today's cultural politics," Grammer said of his early conversations with ["The Boss" creator Farhan] Safinia. "It just seemed to be the right place. We also talked about its identity of a self-made-man kind of city, and it's history of corruption and violence. It seems almost like a kingdom that sprouted from the plains."
For Safinia, Chicago—and by extension the state of Illinois—offers a larger than life setting that is rich with absurdities, including the fact that Illinois has no gubernatorial term limits. "That's another fantastic, brilliant thing about this state, it's just brilliant! What if there are angles within the political mechanism here who know that you have to get rid of certain guys, so all that stuff (the downfall of past governors) is sort of orchestrated? So you've got your own version of term limits, and it's called jail. I mean, where else are you going to find that in your country? That's great as a place to set the show."
More story in the Chicago Tribune.
