Despite critical acclaim, the Starz network gave the Chicago-based drama Boss its walking papers on Tuesday.

In the politically charged series, Kelsey Grammer stars as a corrupt Chicago mayor whose administration is plagued by bribery, sex, and murder. 

During the show’s two season run, the producers of Boss stressed that the program was fiction, but some real-life stars of City Hall were big fans.

“We joke about the show during breaks,” Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) chuckled, “and then, based on the episode, we try to assign characters to real-life aldermen if we can.”

Reilly says he and his colleagues loved the show’s larger than life depiction of city politics. 

“We take it at face value,” he said. “This is fiction, [but] it’s loosely based on the political realities that have existed in Chicago. I’m not saying that Chicago is corruption-free by any stretch…but it doesn’t bother me.”

Reilly says Boss helped give Chicago a national profile by showing off some of the city’s most iconic destinations.. 

“In balance, that’s good for Chicago,” he said.

The cast and crew for Boss included over 150 locals. Since the show wrapped up production last summer, many have already moved on to new projects. Others are wondering if they should start searching for work somewhere else.

Chicago actress Anita Brown was a core background extra on Boss. She was hoping her screen time during season two would lead to a bigger role. 

“If season three had come back, it could have been that break I needed,” she said.

Brown is considering looking for work in New York or Los Angeles this spring.

“In Chicago we don’t have a huge abundance of filming opportunities,” she said.