Grammer proves he’s the ‘Boss’

So it’s a little crazy to find that, as the cold, manipulative, emotionally twisted mayor of Chicago in the fine new Starz drama series “Boss,’’ he is absolutely nothing like Frasier Crane. In “Boss,’’ as Mayor Tom Kane - elected Citizen Kane - Grammer delivers a grim, fierce portrait of a man who’s probably more drawn to whiskey than wine. Kane would crush Crane. He is a shrewd mayor obsessed with personal and political power - all the more so as he begins to lose it. At the start of tonight’s premiere at 10, we learn that Kane has a degenerative condition linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s that is going to slowly rob him of his faculties.

These days, cable’s protagonists - Dexter, Don Draper of “Mad Men,’’ Nucky Thompson of “Boardwalk Empire’’ - tend to be both sympathetic and morally questionable, inviting viewers to ponder their own moral compasses as they judge. But Grammer’s Kane is flat-out awful, a corrupt guy who is lying to the public about his ability to govern, who’s in a sham marriage with Meredith (Connie Nielsen), and who has cut off contact with his drug-addled daughter because she was a campaign liability. He is a bottled-up volcano of contempt and narcissistic self-pity, and Grammer really nails it. Grammer may open up Tom Kane for us as the season and his illness progress, to reveal hidden integrity; but four episodes in, the man is a seething bureaucratic monster.

And as Grammer expands his palette with “Boss,’’ so does Starz. At this point, the channel is vaguely known for the campy “Spartacus’’ series, the sci-fi drama “Torchwood,’’ and the comedy “Party Down.’’ But “Boss’’ is so hard-hitting and so willing to challenge viewers, it begins to put Starz in another league of cable identity, alongside AMC, FX, HBO, and Showtime. One or two more similarly ambitious series and Starz will be remade. I can’t say “Boss’’ is as layered as the best HBO dramas; most of the characters in this dark tale could use more fleshing out and more dimension. They’re either utterly dislikable or complete victims. But “Boss’’ has the kind of broad scope - if not the brilliant complexity - of “The Wire,’’ as it shows how the systems of city government thrive on inadequacy.

Kane is surrounded by a crew of equally crooked politicians and operatives, all of whom wage PR wars against one another. In an effort to undermine Governor Mac Cullen (Francis Guinan), Kane orchestrates a public takedown and begins to groom the handsome young state treasurer Ben Zajac (Jeff Hephner) for the job. Cullen is a horrible man who berates his assistants; Zajac is better-looking, but no less slimy as he cheats on his wife with Kane’s aide, Kitty (Kathleen Robertson). He’s a John Edwards doll. A fan of dangerous liaisons, Zajac initiates sex with Kitty nearly in sight of his family and staff. Throughout it all, Kane’s adviser, Ezra (Martin Donovan), quietly guides the attack drones, lurking without expression like a funeral director.

There are a number of subplots, one of which has local political reporter Sam Miller (Troy Garity) trying to figure out what is wrong with Kane’s health. He may be the closest thing to a hero on “Boss,’’ as he sees through every political scam waged by the mayor and by the gubernatorial candidates. He screams with disgust over footage that Cullen has leaked in an attempt to bring down Zajac, using my new favorite phrase: “chump bait.’’ He, too, is deceptive in his methods, but at least he is trying to be a force of truth amid the show’s confederacy of scoundrels.

Created by Farhad Safinia, who co-wrote “Apocalypto,’’ and executive produced by, among others, Gus Van Sant, “Boss’’ arrives at a time when most Americans are even more disillusioned with government than they were before. In the wildly partisan battles that are playing out in the daily news, we see clearly that self-interest drives far too many politicians. This show boldly affirms that cynicism. It is not an optimistic hour of TV, so much as a strong, cool rebuttal to “The West Wing.’’ In the American city of “Boss,’’ the public is merely a second thought.

Matthew Gilbert can be reached at gilbert@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewGilbert.