Jonathan Groff Joins Season 2 of BOSS Premiering 8/17

The STARZ Original Series BOSS is set to premiere its second season on Friday, August 17th at 10pm ET/PT. Starring Kelsey Grammer in his Golden Globe(R)- winning role as fictional Chicago Mayor Tom Kane, the series also stars Connie Nielsen, Hannah Ware, Jeff Hephner, Kathleen Robertson, Troy Garity and Rotimi. Produced by Lionsgate, "Boss" earned a Golden Globe(R) nomination for Best Drama Series for its debut season and is currently shooting season two in Chicago.

Joining the ensemble cast as series regulars this season are Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening, "Glee") as Ian Todd, a smart and ambitious young advisor to Kane. Groff originated the role of Melchior Gabor in the Tony Award-winning musical “Spring Awakening,” for which he received a Tony nomination. He appears as Jesse St. James in Fox’s hit musical comedy series “Glee.” He has recently appeared on CBS’s “The Good Wife”.

Additional theatre credits include “Hair” and “The Singing Forest” (co-starring Olympia Dukakis), both for The Public Theater, and “Prayer for my Enemy” at Playwrights Horizons (Obie Award), directed by Bartlett Sher. He made his West End debut at the Noel Coward Theatre in the revival of Ira Levin’s “Deathtrap.” He also appeared in national tours of “The Sound of Music,” “Bat Boy: The Musical” and “Honk!”

Also joining the cast of the Starz series is Sanaa Lathan ("Nip/Tuck," A Raisin in the Sun), Alderman Ross' strong-willed and politically savvy Chief of Staff. Special guest star Tip Harris, who is known internationally as rapper T.I. ("American Gangster," "Takers"), will be featured as Trey, a former gangbanger with designs on a career in City Hall. Additional guest stars include Amy Morton (Up in the Air, "Private Practice") as State Senator Catherine Walsh, who has been defeated in her bid for Governor three times, but is now determined win.

Dee Johnson ("The Good Wife," "ER") will serve as executive producer along with series creator Farhad Safinia, Kelsey Grammer, Gus Van Sant, Brian Sher, and Stella Bulochnikov. The series is produced by Lionsgate Television in association with Grammnet NH Productions, Roya Productions and Small Wishes, Inc.

In season two of "Boss," Kane ferociously beats back the physical symptoms of his illness with high doses of medication. But this comes at a cost -- experiencing heightened psychological manifestations of the disease. Without his longtime advisors Stone and Kitty, Kane is also forced to reconfigure his inner circle. Surrounded by strangers and without much time left, he acts quickly to protect and repair his legacy by cutting out the cancers within the political machine. But as corrupt heads roll and his list of enemies grows, Kane's virtuous actions begin to erode the very foundation of power he's worked a lifetime to build. In order to maintain it, Kane must govern as he always has - ruthlessly.

About Starz Entertainment

Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie and original programming entertainment service provider operating in the United States. The company offers 17 premium channels including the flagship STARZ(R) and ENCORE(R) brands with approximately 19.6 million and 33.2 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs in total more than 1,000 movies and original series every month across its pay TV channels. Starz Entertainment is recognized as a pay TV leader in providing HD, On Demand, HD On Demand and online advanced services for its STARZ, ENCORE and MOVIEPLEX brands. Starz Entertainment (www.starz.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation (NASDAQ: LMCA).

About Lionsgate

Lionsgate is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution and new channel platforms. The Company has built a strong television presence in production of prime time cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming and an array of channel assets. Lionsgate currently has 15 shows on more than 10 networks spanning its prime time production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the multiple Emmy Award-winning "Mad Men," "Weeds," "Nurse Jackie" and "Boss," as well as the syndication successes "Tyler Perry's House Of Payne," its spinoff "Meet The Browns," "Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse," "The Wendy Williams Show," "Are We There Yet?" and the upcoming "Anger Management." Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 13,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand remains synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.