Kelsey Grammer will always be synonymous with his role as Dr. Frasier Crane, and of course Sideshow Bob for Simpsons fans, and while the actor has been busy with voice work, producing, and cameos here and there, he hasn't really had a show get off the ground since.
There was the ill-fated Partners back in 2014 alongside Martin Lawrence, which FX had said they would commit to 90 episodes of if the first season was a hit, and well, given that you've probably never heard of it, you can assume it wasn't.
There was also Boss in 2011 which saw Grammer star as a fictional mayor of Chicago who was diagnosed with dementia, a role which earned him a Golden Globe in 2012 but was cancelled after two seasons.
He also tried his hand at sitcoms again with Back to You in 2007, cancelled by Fox after one season and ABC's Hank, cancelled after just five episodes.
Grammer has always been considered a decent actor that can do both comedy and drama well, but it seems these days he just can't catch a break. However, this new series from Amazon Prime may just be the show that turns that around.
The Last Tycoon is based on the final novel of F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby author) and is set in the Hollywood studio era, not long after the Great Depression and pre-World War II. There was also a 1976 movie adaptation of it starring Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson.
Grammer plays the head of a studio, Pat Brady, who faces a power struggle with Hollywood’s Golden Boy, Monroe Stahr, played by Matt Bomer (Magic Mike, White Collar).
According to Amazon Prime: "In a world darkened by the Great Depression and the growing international influence of Hitler’s Germany, The Last Tycoon illuminates the passions, violence, and towering ambition of 1930’s Hollywood."
Lily Collins plays Pat's daughter Rose Brady and Rosemarie DeWitt plays his wife Rose Brady, while there's also a heavy Irish influence on this show too, as you can hear straight off in the opening minutes of the trailer below, which features Dublin actress Dominique McElligott (House of Cards) as Kathleen Moore.
A co-production with TriStar Television, The Last Tycoon is written and directed by Academy Award nominee Billy Ray (Captain Phillips, The Hunger Games), and executive produced by Ray and Christopher Keyser (Tyrant, Party of Five), who also serve as showrunners.
Mad Men’s Scott Hornbacher also serves as co-executive producer, along with Perri Kipperman (Billions).
It looks and sounds very promising, watch the trailer below:
The Last Tycoon is available on Amazon Prime from July 28th. (The streaming service is now available in Ireland at an introductory price of €2.99 per month for the first six months.)
