by Bridget Petrella with
additional writing by Sonia Satra
In
a career spanning more than 25 years, Holly Hunter has crafted a
menagerie of roles that rivals just about any actress working today.
Creator Nancy Miller says of Hunter, “Holly can break your heart and
make you laugh in the same moment. She’s astonishing. Grace is a complex
character, deeply troubled but searching for the good, with a heart full
of love and pain, and a surprising tenderness when you least expect it.”
For the first original television series of her mighty impressive
career, Oscar and Emmy-winning actress Holly Hunter chose to show up
guns a blazing, fists a flying, drinks a plenty... and just for the
record folks... she checked all of those pesky inhibitions at the door.
Besides signing on as the show's producer, Hunter portrays an Oklahoma
City Detective, Grace Hanadarko who drinks and smokes too much, has
unapologetic sex with a married man and puts up one hell of a fight to
get things done... her way. That is... until the day she meets Earl,
who, from first impressions, doesn’t appear to be much of an angel
either. But the especially clever plot twist is that he actually is an
angel— of the guardian kind (no this ain't Clarence in case you were
wondering)— and he’s dropped in to let Grace know she’s treading on some
very thin ice with the people upstairs. She's an alcoholic,
exhibitionistic, sexual addict with anger issues... and that's just the
tip of the dysfunctional cue stick folks. The core of Saving Grace is
that monumental struggle within every person. Yet it is intelligently
portrayed against the backdrop of police investigations, friendships,
temptation, betrayal, and miracles. Grace has a firm grip on her dark
side and has yet to be given a good enough reason to completely embrace
the light.
The jury is definitely "IN" on this show as Holly Hunter is more
than tremendous as Grace Hanadarko. As we've come to expect from this
dynamic actress she plays the character right on the edge with just
enough primal energy to make it all flow together rather nicely. She’s
believable as a woman at a difficult crossroad and she collectively does
it all at once. Alongside the lovely leading lady are two very "hold
their own" costars: Laura San Giacomo and “Deadwood” alumni Leon Rippy
as her slick tobacco-chewing guardian angel. Seated comfortably behind
Kyra Sedgwick’s series now in its third year on Mondays, Saving Grace
enjoys a great lead-in. The show also seems to be hanging on to the
audience. For a show that deals with faith and God, it's pretty racy and
that's how we like it people. There's as much sex, semi-nudity, and
cursing as any episode of Rescue Me. There’s also been a duality about
the case each week. The struggle that Grace faces that week also
resonates in the case that she’s working on, and often the insight she’s
supposed to receive is the key to unlocking the investigation. That
crossover between the investigation and the personal growth is really
well done. I'm usually pretty 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".
We have to admit, with "Saving Grace," TNT seems to be making a
calculated (and bold) step forward in terms of programming. Given the
semi-spiritual "overshadowing" of this series, as well as the FX-like
envelope-pushing... viewers are going to be talking about it. They
should be. It’s a good series with a great premise, and a fantastic
actress in the lead role. More than that, it’s about the struggle for
something to believe in (or anything close enough to cover it) in a
world that’s gone dark and dangerous of late. "Saving Grace" is an
eye-opening surprise on a couple of levels. First, Hunter never takes
her foot off the gas pedal here. She's all bad-girl-with-a-badge
intensity all of the time. And that's a tough place to visit for most
actresses let alone stay. Second, this is probably the best-scripted
series on TNT... and yes, that includes "Closer".
Whether
that translates into a hit will definitely make a strong statement
about the TNT audience— "Saving Grace" not only has Hunter sleeping
around and drinking like several sailors on leave, but that's all a
smokescreen for its unconventional look at religion or, more accurately,
faith. Hunter's character has a self-destructive streak that nearly
matches her intensity for the job. These are the kinds of roles that
have traditionally gone to men until cable stepped in and broke many of
the established casting patterns. No doubt that someone like the
Hanadarko character drew Hunter back from the realm of feature films
because... Number 1— Those roles don't really exist on the big screen
(anyone over the age of 35 is an IGNORED demographic)... and Number 2—
If they do exist, the roles will inevitably go to men first and women
who are 10 or 15 years younger (NOTE: after the male actor has turned
the role down). So we who fall into that 30+ crowd say— watch it for the
non-stop pummeling that Hunter will give you emotionally, but stick
around for the action-packed drama. UB
Bridget
Petrella is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of UPBEAT Entertainment
News Online. At this point in her life, she's seriously contemplating a
complete and unbridled abandonment of typical network television...
opting instead for Buffy The Vampire re-runs on FX, Silver Surfer comic books, novels with wordy titles,
Retro TV Land, Xena Warrior Princess on Oxygen, HBO and Showtime's Original Programming schedule and
of course... Nick at Night where Bill Cosby reigns supreme as the
"ultimate" Dad.
In
a career spanning more than 25 years, Holly Hunter has crafted a
menagerie of roles that rivals just about any actress working today.
Creator Nancy Miller says of Hunter, “Holly can break your heart and
make you laugh in the same moment. She’s astonishing. Grace is a complex
character, deeply troubled but searching for the good, with a heart full
of love and pain, and a surprising tenderness when you least expect it.”
For the first original television series of her mighty impressive
career, Oscar and Emmy-winning actress Holly Hunter chose to show up
guns a blazing, fists a flying, drinks a plenty... and just for the
record folks... she checked all of those pesky inhibitions at the door.
Besides signing on as the show's producer, Hunter portrays an Oklahoma
City Detective, Grace Hanadarko who drinks and smokes too much, has
unapologetic sex with a married man and puts up one hell of a fight to
get things done... her way. That is... until the day she meets Earl,
who, from first impressions, doesn’t appear to be much of an angel
either. But the especially clever plot twist is that he actually is an
angel— of the guardian kind (no this ain't Clarence in case you were
wondering)— and he’s dropped in to let Grace know she’s treading on some
very thin ice with the people upstairs. She's an alcoholic,
exhibitionistic, sexual addict with anger issues... and that's just the
tip of the dysfunctional cue stick folks. The core of Saving Grace is
that monumental struggle within every person. Yet it is intelligently
portrayed against the backdrop of police investigations, friendships,
temptation, betrayal, and miracles. Grace has a firm grip on her dark
side and has yet to be given a good enough reason to completely embrace
the light. 
Whether
that translates into a hit will definitely make a strong statement
about the TNT audience— "Saving Grace" not only has Hunter sleeping
around and drinking like several sailors on leave, but that's all a
smokescreen for its unconventional look at religion or, more accurately,
faith. Hunter's character has a self-destructive streak that nearly
matches her intensity for the job. These are the kinds of roles that
have traditionally gone to men until cable stepped in and broke many of
the established casting patterns. No doubt that someone like the
Hanadarko character drew Hunter back from the realm of feature films
because... Number 1— Those roles don't really exist on the big screen
(anyone over the age of 35 is an IGNORED demographic)... and Number 2—
If they do exist, the roles will inevitably go to men first and women
who are 10 or 15 years younger (NOTE: after the male actor has turned
the role down). So we who fall into that 30+ crowd say— watch it for the
non-stop pummeling that Hunter will give you emotionally, but stick
around for the action-packed drama. 
