Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 07/15/2008 Run time: 559 minutes Rating: Nr
There are very few television shows that revolve around a single figure to the extent that Saving Grace does. Then again, there are even fewer that can boast an actor as good as Oscar winner Holly Hunter in the lead role, and Hunter draws on her considerable chops and charms to bring to life a character who, while certainly sympathetic, isn't always especially likable. Her Grace Hanadarko, a detective working for the Oklahoma City Police Department's Major Crimes division, is a mess. We're barely into the pilot episode (the first of thirteen comprising the show's first season) before we discover that her married partner is just one of Grace's many bedmates (promiscuous is one way to describe her; slut is another), and that she's a heavy smoker and drinker and a foul-mouthed, habitual liar. And that's on her good days. There are reasons for all of this, of course--turns out that the death of her sister in the 1995 terrorist bombing that claimed 168 lives is just one of them--but it's only when Grace commits a particularly stupid and reckless act that the potential for redemption appears in the form of Earl (Leon Rippy), a tobacco-chewing good ol' boy who just happens to be an angel. A "last chance angel," to be exact, who suggests that if Grace will simply turn herself over to God, good things will ensue.
It won't be easy. Despite Earl's good-natured appeals (along with an occasional spectacular display of God's awesome powers), Grace is nigh on incorrigible. And while each episode features a crime of some sort, ranging from murder and child abduction to the theft of a million-dollar statue of a steer, creator-writer Nancy Miller (who was an executive producer for The Closer, another TNT series with a strong female lead) focuses much more on Grace's ongoing struggle to accept Earl's presence ("Why me?" she asks. "I don't know," comes the reply) and do something to clean up her life. The show's bluesy, authentic music (including Everlast's title tune), dry sense of humor, and sexy tone (Hunter, looking very buff, is nearly nude on numerous occasions) are all positive elements; so's the supporting cast, especially Rippy and Laura San Giacomo (as a police examiner who's Grace's best pal). But Saving Grace is all about Holly Hunter, and by and large that's a very good thing. Bonus features include audio commentary by Miller and others on two episodes and several short featurettes. --Sam Graham
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Awesome Show:
This series is incredible! The story lines are current and the cast is exceptional. Granted, the idea of an angel appearing to try to save someone from the path they're going down might be difficult to adjust to but somehow in this show, it works. Holly Hunter is absolutely fabulous in her role. Be aware though, there are some adult scenes so wait to watch it when the kids are in bed.
Best show on TV:
This is the best show on TV. I don't miss a show and I plan on buying them all. You have to watch this show.
Strong, gritty series with a 'hokey' Okie naming element:
Seeing the series is almost like coming home. My husband and I lived in Oklahoma City for nearly thirty years and yes, some of the places in the episodes are very familiar. Probably the most familiar even to non-Oklahomans is the Murrah Building Memorial. The concept is interesting, Grace Hanadarko (Hunter) can't even be favorably described by an angel. She's an OKC-PD detective who drinks too much, sleeps around a lot including with two co-workers one of whom is married. One night, while driving... more info
How about saving the script......:
Well I have seen this show, and what is so good about it? It really stinks. I see no good writing and I see that Hunter should have stayed with film acting because television really does nothing for her.
