Saving Grace: Strong Southern Women Rule at TNT
TNT has a way with women from the south. They’re older, willful and attractive. First, TNT introduced Kyra Sedgwick’s Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson in The Closer. Said one critic a couple of years ago — from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (I believe) — during a TNT/TCA panel, "Kyra, I believe you’ve discovered your inner barracuda."
TNT’s newest series, Saving Grace, spotlights yet another tough female barracuda cop, Grace Hanadarko — but she has way more issues than The Closer’s Brenda Johnson. This hard drinking, hard lovin’, beat-up-Porsche drivin’ detective with Oklahoma City’s Major Crimes unit is drinking herself to death.
A tobacco-spitting angel (Leon Rippy, Deadwood) shows up to give her a last chance at redemption, and occasionally makes her breakfast, too, because she has a weakness for Coke and whiskey in the morning. Kenneth Johnson (Lemansky in The Shield, a character I still mourn) plays Grace’s partner on the force and illicit love interest.
As Grace, Holly Hunter brings her trademark hyper-kinetic energy to the role. Think: the Broadcast News taxi scene where she spat directions at the driver like a Gatling gun.
She may be older, but she’s still hot. And she bares (almost) all, frequently. The writer’s don’t run away from anything, and especially not this character’s sexuality.
Being raised Irish-Catholic and having developed an allergy to the church and religious dogma of any kind, I thought I might be put off by the religious overtones. I wasn’t. Grace was raised Catholic, too, and she has a little trouble believing in the good lord, at one point ranting to her angel about Father Patrick "Satan" Murphy.
Suddenly, I could relate.
But this angel is ecumenical and doesn’t really care what spiritual path his assignees follow, just as long as they hew to one. To this end, TNT and executive producer/creator Nancy Miller have built a very big gathering tent for viewers.
In a later episode, the religious message is more overt but still manageable. Grace grabs some beers from the fridge. She says alcohol helps her relax after a long day. "Why don’t you just pray?" asks her born-again house guest.
"I pray the beer is cold," shrugs Grace.
I hope Grace doesn’t improve too much. The sassy, irreverent Grace is way too much fun.
The overt religious themes make sense, given the setting. Oklahoma City is a place Oklahoma native Miller calls the "buckle in the Bible Belt."
Miller (her list of television credits, from Profiler to CSI, is long) is deeply Catholic. But she wasn’t always. Her father’s death when she was a freshman in college drove her into a 15-year tail spin, she admitted while we chatted in the lobby immediately after last Sunday’s TCA panel. "That’s when I started writing," she said, “I didn’t know what to do with that pain, so I started pouring it out on paper."
Miller returned to her faith after working on a show that was clearly agony for her. "It took me back on my knees," she said ruefully, "I can’t tell you what it was but it was a horrible experience."
A small cluster of press pestered her for an answer but she graciously fended them off. "I’m not going to tell you where it was," she kept repeating.
CLICK HERE to read PART TWO
Anna commented:
Grace is a charater I can really relate to. Its a mirror image of what I have been through. I don't sleep around or drink,but I am tough and I will fight for whats right. Just for the record,I would have thrown that murdering father down the stairs. Maybe even give him a quick burn with my cig too. I love this show. I really like that T.N.T.doesn't make these southern attresses change their accents. Its part of who we are and I love it. Being raised in Alabama by a southern baptist family (just as strict as Catholics and more screwed up) I can relate to Graces past abuse and her feelings toward God.
karen commented:
I had been looking forward to watcihing Holly in Saving Grace, but wasn't able to catch all of the original episode
This a very open=minded series, plays after children and adolescents, and teenagers should either be studyingor sleeping Parents are the monitors of they watch, and if it is too "R" ratedfor them, all they have to do is tune into another station, or block it.
This is a fresh breath of air from all of those police stories that are stoic and too consisent. The only other two series I watch are NCIS and the Closer. I am sick of watching what turns out to be reruns or copies of other programs. Saving Grace is original, nothing else like it/ It gets a 5 star rating from me, and I'm even over the age of 50. Gotta be open-minded folks.
When will you show reruns of the pilot series, and when will it start new episodes?
I've watched Holly Hunter , my favorite being where she played with Richard Dryfess as flying firefighters. She is unique and fun to watch. Hang in ther cast of Saving Grace. I've already become attached to each one of you, just like I do with NCIS characters.
Thank you for allowing me to express my opinion.
Also, when I try and watch past episodes on TNT TV, it is fractured
Best of luck,
Karen
Mary commented:
I really really like Rhetta's GLASSES! Can anyone tell me what kind they are?
And I really love this show. I'm so tired of reality and fluff and sitcom stuff. It's just interesting for a change ....
R S MacKinnon commented:
I was blown away by the conclusion of season 1. I can't think of anything comparable.
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mary mcnamara commented:
believer, I was a little confused by Earl's insistence that Leon choose between faiths, at first. but..as I mentioned in my latest review there is a lovely moment at the end of the episode that explains Earl's behavior. Nevertheless, I think that part of the story was a little obscure.
skyepup - nicely said. yes, that's what I like about this series. it's not saccharine. it's not judgmental. It's just imperfect people struggling to be better, a little bit every day.
skyepup commented:
I think people need to take a closer look at themselves and the people around them. Everyone has some bit of Grace in them. We all falter in our relationship with God, it's what we do because we are human. I look at this show as a way to remind myself that even if I fall, I can be forgiven if I just ask for it. I love this show and the premise behind it. Stop looking at the surface and start looking into the message.
believer commented:
gee, to bad the show went ignorant. i like it but when the writers and producers choose have the character playing the angle earl to differentiate between faiths and the names people use for "God" and professing which is right and which is wrong and who gets Gods help really does loose my interest. oh well
CHELSEA commented:
The game is up
Carol G commented:
Holly Hunter is overacting - the show is over advertised and overrated- I think they placed it after "The Closer" because they have a sure winner w/The Closer - the character she portrays is so unreal - not like the policewomen in the past- I hope they cut it from their lineup
Ernie commented:
If I were Holly Hunter and I had a build like hers I'd keep my cloths on.
darla commented:
who sings the song at the beginning of Saving Grace? love what we can hear of it and love the show
blueflame50 commented:
hey i love holly in this show i know it has growing pains as every good tv show has, but i think if it keeps on growing up as i think it will it could be a great show. not that it is with out flaws i think to much is about grace and not about her being a cop. so i think in the next season they hopefully will update that as the shooting in the last epsoide showed, she is a cop first and a strong woman last. when the too colide will remain a secret until it happens. i love the show. as a woman of age i appreact that everyone is not 20 or even 30 i love watching a woman of age being strong and dealing with real life as it happens everyday. we all have problems but it is so refreshing to see it on the screen that i will continue to watch.
cherarkeemaiden commented:
I left a couple of things out of my last comment Holly Hunter is an older actress and shes much better than any of the Lindseys, Brits, or any of the young actors. She has wisdom and experience and life has taught her well. Its to bad the real actors and actresses are passing away because when they do there goes the real and great people who can really act,
cherarkeemaiden commented:
I for one think Holly Hunter is one heck of a good actress, and Im so glad to see her on TV. I,ve watched her movies and couldn,t get enough of her. She may be playing a drinking, harsh, curseing, strong woman is Holly. She even in her movies has been one to tell it like it is, I am a woman and wemon have to be strong to be able to live in this mans world and be able to be just as harsh as any man. This is life people, like it or not. You either fight or fall and I don,t see Saving Grace , Holly Hunter falling any time soon. I really like the show and wish it was on every night as thats where I would be glued to the TV watching it and I like the religious part of it, if only we could all just have one more chance and that Angel to give it to us.
Anonymous commented:
I just saw some of this show, and it should be named "chick with d**k. I was waiting for the ethnic slurs next. What a disaster. Will not watch again.
Holly commented:
My husband and I love the show and make a real point of making sure we don't miss it - something rare for us. I love the whole ensemble - all the actors are strong on the show and I hope it is around long enough for episodes that feature each of them. I also like the location being Oklahoma City and respectful references to the bombing there. As a New Yorker, I still remember the tragedy which preceded 9-11and think the tone is right. But the best thing is that the characters seem real to me, even as I wince at the amount Grace smokes and drinks. I hope the show survives. I like the characters and am already invested in where the show is headed. I hope the people who are turned off by the language and the religious angle to the show can just change the channel instead of attempting to deprive us from a show that is refreshingly different.
Fred commented:
I amj getting tired of the character of Grace. The show contains approx. 6 minutes on the actual crime and 34 minutes on Grace and all of her personal crap. When the show first came out it was mildly interesting but even that is waining. The only reason I watch it is because of Earl the Angel. The public will lose interest unless one or both of two things happens soon.........#1 Spend more time on the crimes and solving them #2 Introduce more of Earl to make the show interesting. Pick a genre, a detective show or a supernatural show. Floating in the middle will ruin the show. It is obvious that Holly Hunter is acting, tell her to be a little more natural. Giancomo is a great actress also, have more of her.
prue commented:
I work in nursing and after a very long hard day I love to come home to The Closer and Saving Grace. We are strong woman..stronger than many of us think until we need to be.
Jann commented:
As a life-time, strong southern woman, you have nothing on me, but one thing "WE" southern women have that is obviously missing from SAVING GRACE is class. While, I think Holly Hunter is a gifted actor, this program is not going to be pulled into a top rated show on the coat-tail of THE CLOSER. This is far from entertaining no matter what story line and script is followed. This program should be rated as R and hopefully pulled from the programming.
CO commented:
I love this program. I have a friend who could be the real live Grace and she lives in Oklahoma City. This is a great program demontrating how flawed we all are and how much God still loves us.
melli commented:
Poo on all of you who don't just absolutely adore Holly Hunter and "Saving Grace"... makes me laugh, cry and wonder if I too won't soon be visited by my last chance angel....
Anne commented:
I was very disapointed in this new series. It should be marked a san " R " rating. All I can see is a very harsh, loose,drinking, cussing woman, portraying a law inforcment officer. I watched it again the second show to see if it was any better. It was not and I don't plan on watching it again. My ratings for this show would be very poor.
athene commented:
A quality drama is not a self-help book, chris love. it's art, or tries to be, and art is not a moral improvement lesson. if you don't understand this, take some literature courses.
btw, a clue: there's a big world out there, and a much, much larger set of thoughts circulating amongst even just americans (to restrict to a small group...) about what the Divine is and how it may speak to us. i realize you feel you have the direct land line already installed, but human beings have been exploring these things for a lot longer time than the southern baptist church has owned real estate in oklahoma.
for me, it's a stretch just to watch a show with an angel character, OK? but i'll do it if it's irreverent and holly hunter's in it. and that, i think, is something this show's creator knows.
"tell it slant." ---emily dickinson
LaDon commented:
SAVING GRACE, WAS AWESOME REALLY ENJOYED THE SHOW, HATS OFF TO HOLLY HUNTER,BOY SHE REALLY CAN ACT.I WAS LOOKING FOR A SHOW TO FOLLOW ALONG WITH, LOW AND BEHOLD,THIS IS IT!!!!!!
Chris Love commented:
It seems to me that "Saving Grace," the new TV show highly advertised on TNT beginning Monday 7/23 is a misguided Hollywood depiction of Christianity.
From what I have seen so far it is a "watered down" version of God's presence, using a shocking or suprising expectation of what an angel is or should be. Having a tobacco spitting, nondenominational angel as a character, can be I'm sure very entertaining to a broad range of viewers. Does this portrayal pass on the message to viewers to start doing the right thing, or does it create a big comfort zone when doing the wrong thing?
Although I must say it is a personal issue with me, since I am the author of "If I Could Do Life Again." The story illustrates the same premise about a drunk driver who is visited by an angel to help with a second chance at life. Tate Publishing out of a Mustang, Oklahoma released this book in 2005, which is still available through most major retailers.
Chris Love
chris.love77@sbcglobal.net
214-592-9279
