Starz Happy To Have 'Boss' Continue

Viewership may be far lower than expected, but don't expect Chris Albrecht to apologize for renewing Kelsey Grammer's Chicago boss political drama "Boss."

Albrecht, who leads the Starz cable channel, in fact joked about premium cable's business model, and how channels like Starz, is not as beholden to the number of viewers as network television, which turns those viewers into advertising buys.

"Our sponsors are thrilled," Albrecht said during the recent Television Critics Association tour. "We have not heard a complaint from one of them. No one has asked for any makeups on the commercial spots."

Shows like "Boss" don't necessarily depend on viewers, but instead depend on the buzz they create for the channel in helping to attract new paid subscribers. With "Boss" already getting some early award season attention from the Golden Globes, that can only help boost the profile of Starz as a cable channel able to create program that is acclaimed by both critics and the industry alike.

"If we think the work is good, and if the team in place has the capacity to continue to do that work, then we're going to stand behind it," Albrecht said.

The number of viewers for "Boss" had to be measured in the hundreds of thousands for the first season instead of millions like other cable shows. Yet, "Boss" -- including Grammer's portrayal of the dying and degrading Chicago mayor -- won universal critical acclaim.

However, the show will have to start building a viewership base if it wants to maintain credibility. Even the best-produced shows won't get much attention if no one is actually watching it, so the goal leading into the second season is to play up the awards attention "Boss" is getting, and try to translate that into viewers, and ultimately subscribers.

But at least for now, "Boss" is running like a well-oiled machine, and Starz is willing to keep making the investment. That wasn't true of "Camelot," however, which drew far more viewers, but really didn't get the critical attention "Boss" did.

"On the production side there were just too many challenges, and it was just not going to be the show we wanted it to be," Albrecht said of "Camelot."

"So we made the tough decision."

"Boss" returns later this year with its second season.