Got Bad? Get Saving Grace.
I'm not much on new television shows. Most, based on script writing alone, cannot hold my interest. Be that the case, I have always had a passionate feeling toward Holly Hunter, so I gave her TV show a shot. I love the premise. She's great, and sometimes quite naked. I love her cigarette smoking, her hard drinking, her Porsche, her tight jeans, her belt buckles, her cowboy boots, her tough southern drawl, her long blond hair, her leather jackets, her questioning the reality of God based upon her personal experiences. This show is great! I sat through it twice over the course of 2 weekends. I recommend this series to those who have trouble believing in God because of bad experiences in their lives. Halleluiah!

Excellent show!
I really fell in love with this show. Holly Hunter does a great job (as, in my opinion, she always does) portraying a hard hitting cop with a pretty set atheistic religious belief. This makes (SPOILER) the arrival of her own personal guardian angel somewhat of an ordeal for her. Is she losing her mind? Actually, the religious part of the show is somewhat of a side story to the excellent 'cop show' that this series is. I hesitate to call this show a comedy, but the angelic interruptions are quite humorous. The cop stuff is pretty gritty and this definately rates as an 'adult' show. I hope the series continues on for a long time!

Edgy, Emotional, and Raw
SAVING GRACE, starring Holly Hunter and Leon Rippy, quite simply takes my breath away. This show is an unfiltered look at the life of police detective Grace Hanadarko (Hunter) who works in the Oklahoma City major crimes division. Grace feels responsible for the death of her sister in the Oklahoma City bombing, and she is well down the path of total self destruction, taking all of her guilt, anger, and frustration out on herself. While Grace excels at her job, is compassionate with victims and their families, is devoted to her nephew and her dog (Gus), and is a dedicated friend, she is also a hard-hitting, chain-smoking, foul-mouthed, booze-swilling, bed-hopping mess. Grace is almost beyond redemption.

Almost beyond redemption, but not quite. Into her life comes Earl. Earl was quite literally sent to Grace by God. He is her "last chance angel." Wings and all. It is Earl's job to help Grace redeem herself, and help her stop her tail-spin into Hell. And so the sparring begins. Let me make it clear that this is not a show about religion. It is not. SAVING GRACE is about faith, forgiveness, and healing.

Holly Hunter is brilliant in this role. She is gutsy, raw, honest, and in your face. She never pulls a single punch. She is not always likeable, but she is always real, believable, and passionate. Leon Rippy as Earl, a good ole boy who just happens to be one of God's handymen, is warm, friendly, and very likeable. Although he is not human, he likes to sample the tamer human pleasures (food, warm showers, shopping, world travel, etc.), and he provides the perfect counterpoint to Hunter's irrepressible Grace.

The rest of the cast are all superb (including Laura San Giacomo as the OKC version of CSI and Grace's devoted pal since childhood); a fantastic ensemble that rounds out the show and completes the total package. The interactions, the timing, the humor, and the emotions are all dead on. The camaraderie of this cast come shining through; they clearly enjoy what they are doing. The writing and the dialogue are tight and terrific. This is a superior show, week after week.

Please be advised that this IS a very adult show. Language, nudity, sex, uncomfortable topics; there are no holds barred. But that is part of what makes SAVING GRACE the out of the ballpark hit that it is.

Tom
This show is without a doubt, the BEST SHOW on TV. I'm so glad to watch this show over and over and over. Holly Hunter has always been one of my favorite actors. Gotta love her!! "Earl" is the best. I wish I had an angel like him at my side. If you have not seen this show or taped it, then it is a MUST BUY!! You need to watch from the beginning to get the whole picture with "Earl". I can't wait to buy the second season which is about to come to an end. Watch and you WILL BE HOOKED!!

Is there a saving grace?
The premise of the story is that a woman on course for self-destruction eventually crosses the line and is given a second chance to turn her life around.

Except that the line she crosses is running over a person placed there by the angel so that she would ask God for a second chance. So she did ask God for a second chance. And is given a second chance. But the accident never happened anyway. If this was done by mere mortals, it would be called a flim-flam, a con job.

Oh wait, it is done by mortals - the writers.

As a simple detective or police story, it would probably work ok. But I did not get the sense that Grace was in any kind of path of self-destruction - at least no more than many other cops in many other cop dramas. As a plot device, the angel seems to serve little purpose. Oh wait - he serves God's purpose and as we all know God works in mysterious ways.

That's all fine and dandy for God's world, but for a TV series, it's gotta make more sense than having an angel unfurl his wings once every other episode just to use up the special effects budget (low).

I gave it two stars for being a passable cop show. But the whole premise of the show just didn't play out as promised. It almost seemed like the writers pitched the show as "a gritty southern gal cop", and the producers go, "and...?"

And whut?

What's the hook?

whut hook?

The thing that makes it different from all the other southern gal cop show!

Well... I guess we could make her talk to an angel.

Great! go with that idea!

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I lost interest after the first disc, so if the show picks up after the 4th episode, drop a comment to this review and maybe try to convince me to give Grace a second chance.