Kelsey Grammer and the cast and crew of the Starz series “Boss” flocked to downtown Evanston on Monday to film for their second season.
The political drama, which premiered in October, features Grammer as a fictitious Chicago mayor who tries to hide his neurological brain disorder from enemies as he tries to stay in power. The show taped all day Monday at the Music Institute of Chicago, 1490 Chicago Ave.
Larry Murray, a Chicago-based medic working on the “Boss” set in Evanston, said he was there to provide medical care to members of the cast and crew as they built the set for the show. He said Phil Merker, the show’s assistant location specialist, did a good job finding an interesting place to tape.
“I’ve been in Chicago for 35 years, and Merker knows more nooks in the city than I do,” Murray said.
There were two medics on set because they needed to protect the lead actors, construction workers and the extras.
“It gets hairy sometimes,” Murray said. “I’ve got guys welding a stairwell.”
Columbus, Ohio, resident Mike Middaugh, who owns the bus that was used as a prop during the taping Monday, said almost all of the second season has been shot.
Cast and crew members, including Middaugh, were unwilling to disclose much about the taping because they did not want to give away the plot. Merker didn’t say specifically why he chose the Music Institute of Chicago for the episode, but he said the location was one that the director approved.
Merker added that this was his favorite location of those he suggested for the series.
“This one is the coolest – it’s an old church,” Merker said.
