Saving Grace is a new series on TNT starring Holly Hunter, the latest film actor to make the jump to the small screen. She plays Grace (natch) Hanadarko, an Oklahoma City police detective battling her own personal demons.
You might say she’s slightly flawed. She’s an alcoholic, exhibitionistic, sexual addict with anger issues. She blames herself for her sister’s death in the Oklahoma City bombing. She’s having an affair with a married man.
One night she hits a pedestrian while driving drunk and kills him. She calls out to God for help and is promptly visited by a tobacco-chewing, wise-cracking angel.
I can just hear the pitch meeting for this show: “It’s Rescue Me meets Touched by an Angel.” While there are familiar elements from these shows, Saving Grace is like nothing I’ve seen before. It plays like a complete original.
For a show that deals with faith and God, it’s pretty racy. There’s as much sex, semi-nudity, and cursing as any episode of Rescue Me. I’m wary of TV shows telling me what God is or what God wants, but so far, Saving Grace has managed to cleverly avoid giving us, or Grace, the “Answers”.
Holly Hunter is fantastic as Grace. She is joined by Laura San Giacomo as her best friend and the rural equivalent of a CSI. Leon Rippy plays Earl, the angel that’s come to save Grace.
Saving Grace airs Mondays at 10pm/9pm Central on TNT.
I’m not sure whether I’m going to like this show or not. The concept of a “last chance angel” intrigues me, but I wonder where the show can go to.
Actually, I’m afraid the whole angel gimmick is going to limit the show or make it stupid or silly. I just watched the 2nd episode and that hasn’t happened yet. I hope they can keep it interesting and spiritual w/o getting too religious, if you get the difference.
I agree it totally unlike any drama that has been greenlighted. Check out my coments at
http://curmudgeoncritic.blogspot.com/
I think this a character that could jump for the small to large screen. It is palusible that Saving Grace, the movie would be a huge hit.