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Saving Grace (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Saving Grace is an American television
crime drama
series which premiered on TNT on July 23, 2007 and ran until June 21, 2010. The show stars Academy Award-winner Holly Hunter
in her first television series, as well as Leon Rippy
, Kenny Johnson
, Laura San Giacomo
, Bailey Chase
, Bokeem Woodbine
, Gregory Norman Cruz, and Yaani King
. It is set in Oklahoma City
— including numerous shots of local buildings and landmarks (such as the Oklahoma City National Memorial
and the downtown
skyline) — while much of the show was filmed in Vancouver and Los Angeles
.
The theme song for the show was written and performed by American rapper/musician
Everlast
. The series is rated TV-MA in the United States for language
, sexuality
, and violence
.
detective
. In the series opener, Grace meets up with her "last-chance" angel
, when after a night of drinking she runs down and kills a pedestrian with her Porsche
. In desperation she calls out for God's help, and a scruffy, tobacco-spitting man who calls himself Earl (Rippy) appears. Unfolding his wings to reveal his divine origins, Earl tells her that she's headed for Hell
, and asks if she's ready to turn her life over to God
. When he finally disappears, the person she struck is also gone and it's as if the accident never happened. The only evidence left is a small amount of the victim's blood on her blouse, which she brings to her best friend, forensics expert Rhetta Rodriguez (San Giacomo), to analyze. With Rhetta's help, Grace discovers that her accident "victim" is actually an inmate on death row, Leon Cooley (Woodbine), who is also visited by Earl on a regular basis.
Passionate in her job, Grace investigates homicides and other major crimes with the fellow officers in her squad, including Ham Dewey (Kenny Johnson), Butch Ada (Chase), Bobby Stillwater (Gregory Cruz), and Captain Kate Perry (Lorraine Toussaint
).
Off the job Grace drinks heavily, engages in numerous one-night stands and casual encounters with men, and is having an affair with her police partner, Ham. Aside from her faults, Grace is an extraordinarily loving and generous person to those around her. In particular she loves her young nephew, Clay (Dylan Minnette
), and devotes a great deal of her time to him.
Earl appears to Grace throughout the series, hoping she'll turn away from her more self-destructive tendencies and seek God's help. Saving Grace does not promote any one religion but does use Grace's story to discuss the topic of faith, and how difficult faith can be in such an imperfect world.
, and as a result Saving Grace includes many references to Oklahoma City and the state of Oklahoma
. For instance, many of the characters' last names are the names of Oklahoma towns: Hanadarko is derived from Anadarko, Oklahoma
; also Clay Norman, Ham Dewey, Butch Ada, Bobby Stillwater and Captain Perry all have last names taken from Oklahoma towns and cities.
The 1995 bombing
of Oklahoma City's Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building
and its aftermath have been frequently incorporated into the plot and character development of the series. In the show, Grace's sister, who was also Clay's mother, died in the bombing.
In addition, local Oklahoma City eating establishment Johnnies Charcoal Broiler is frequently incorporated.
In an October 2007 trip to Oklahoma City by the cast, writers and producers, Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett
presented Miller and Hunter with Keys to the City.
The third season of Saving Grace began airing on June 16, 2009, shifting from the Monday night slot it had for the first two seasons to Tuesday night. Season three ended sooner than planned, on August 18, 2009, due to the decision to cancel the show. The final nine episodes of the show aired beginning March 29, 2010 and ending June 21, 2010.
On August 13, 2009, the show's producer, Fox Television Studios
, canceled the series, despite its high ratings, due to disappointing overseas and DVD sales. TNT had originally ordered a split 15-episode third season, with nine episodes ordered for the summer and six to have been aired in the winter of 2009. Due to the show's cancellation, the summer season ended with ten episodes (one episode, "What Would You Do?", slated for season 2, was delayed until season 3, adding one to the 15 originally ordered for the season), and in March 2010 TNT began airing what were advertised as the final episodes. These were the six remaining episodes of the season, with three new episodes added to bring the series to closure. The final episode of Saving Grace aired on June 21, 2010.
The 19 episodes that aired June–August 2009 and March–June 2010 were released collectively as a third and final season.
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/shows/Saving-Grace/10762
Portugal: Season 1 and 2 already have been broadcast on Fox Life
.
The third season is currently airing on Fox Next
which is also rerunning the previous two seasons.
In Australia, Season 1 has just begun airing on 9th August 2011 on Channel 10 at midnight most week nights.
Japan: Season 1 began on 14 December 2008. Season 2 began on 11 December 2009.
In Quebec, Canada, the series began airing in French on March 5, 2009, on Thursday nights at 9:00 P.M. On March 16, 2010, when season two of the series began, it had its timeslot changed to Tuesday nights at 9:00 P.M. replacing Bones
after its fourth season concluded. The channel decided to air the 10 episodes of the final season following the second season. The last 9 episodes will possibly be aired sometime in the winter of 2011.
For calendar-year 2008 on a first-run basis, the series garnered 1.59 million adults in the 18-49 demo.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
crime drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
series which premiered on TNT on July 23, 2007 and ran until June 21, 2010. The show stars Academy Award-winner Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter is an American actress. Hunter starred in The Piano for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She has also been nominated for Oscars for her roles in Broadcast News, The Firm, and Thirteen...
in her first television series, as well as Leon Rippy
Leon Rippy
Leon Rippy is an American actor.-Life and career:He has worked with Roland Emmerich on seven movies including: Moon 44 , Eye of the Storm , Universal Soldier , Stargate , The Thirteenth Floor , The Patriot , Eight Legged Freaks and also had a role in the 2004...
, Kenny Johnson
Kenny Johnson
Kenneth "Kenny" Johnson is an American actor well known for his portrayal of Detective Curtis Lemansky on the American drama The Shield and Detective "Ham" Dewey on Saving Grace.- Early career :...
, Laura San Giacomo
Laura San Giacomo
Laura San Giacomo is an American actress known for playing the role of Maya Gallo on the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me! and Kit De Luca in the film Pretty Woman, and Cynthia in sex, lies, and videotape as well as other work on television and in films...
, Bailey Chase
Bailey Chase
Bailey Chase is a stage and television actor known for his role as Butch Ada in the television series Saving Grace, his recurring roles as Graham Miller in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Christopher "Chris" Robert Hughes in the soap opera As the World Turns and Beckett 'Becks' Scott on Ugly...
, Bokeem Woodbine
Bokeem Woodbine
Bokeem Woodbine is an American film and television actor.-Personal life:Woodbine was born in Harlem, New York to an actress mother. He attended the prestigious Dalton School in New York before transferring to the also prestigious LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in the city...
, Gregory Norman Cruz, and Yaani King
Yaani King
Yaani King is a West Indian/Guyanese actress.She played Amanda, one of Julia Stiles best friends in Paramount Pictures The Prince & Me. She also appeared in In The Cut as one of Meg Ryan's students. Yaani frequently guest stars on TV series...
. It is set in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
— including numerous shots of local buildings and landmarks (such as the Oklahoma City National Memorial
Oklahoma City National Memorial
The Oklahoma City National Memorial is a memorial in the United States that honors the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were affected by the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995. The memorial is located in downtown Oklahoma City on the former site of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal...
and the downtown
Downtown Oklahoma City
Downtown Oklahoma City is located at the geographic center of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and is the principal business district of the city. With 115 city blocks and around of office space, downtown Oklahoma City also is the economic, financial, and entertainment center of the city...
skyline) — while much of the show was filmed in Vancouver and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
The theme song for the show was written and performed by American rapper/musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
Everlast
Everlast (musician)
Erik Francis Schrody , better known by his stage name Everlast, is a Grammy Award-winning American rapper and songwriter, known for his solo hit "What It's Like" and as the front-man for rap group House of Pain. He is also part of the hip-hop supergroup La Coka Nostra, which consists of members of...
. The series is rated TV-MA in the United States for language
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
, sexuality
Human sexual behavior
Human sexual activities or human sexual practices or human sexual behavior refers to the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts from time to time, and for a wide variety of reasons...
, and violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
.
Plot
The plot focuses on Grace Hanadarko (Hunter), a smoking, heavy drinking, and promiscuous Oklahoma CityOklahoma City Police Department
The Oklahoma City Police Department is the principal law enforcement agency of the city of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies and is the largest municipal law enforcement agency in the state.The OCPD was officially...
detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
. In the series opener, Grace meets up with her "last-chance" angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
, when after a night of drinking she runs down and kills a pedestrian with her Porsche
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
. In desperation she calls out for God's help, and a scruffy, tobacco-spitting man who calls himself Earl (Rippy) appears. Unfolding his wings to reveal his divine origins, Earl tells her that she's headed for Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
, and asks if she's ready to turn her life over to God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
. When he finally disappears, the person she struck is also gone and it's as if the accident never happened. The only evidence left is a small amount of the victim's blood on her blouse, which she brings to her best friend, forensics expert Rhetta Rodriguez (San Giacomo), to analyze. With Rhetta's help, Grace discovers that her accident "victim" is actually an inmate on death row, Leon Cooley (Woodbine), who is also visited by Earl on a regular basis.
Passionate in her job, Grace investigates homicides and other major crimes with the fellow officers in her squad, including Ham Dewey (Kenny Johnson), Butch Ada (Chase), Bobby Stillwater (Gregory Cruz), and Captain Kate Perry (Lorraine Toussaint
Lorraine Toussaint
Lorraine Toussaint is an actress best known for starring alongside Annie Potts in Any Day Now.Toussaint graduated from Manhattan's School of Performing Arts in 1978, before going on to graduate from Juilliard School...
).
Off the job Grace drinks heavily, engages in numerous one-night stands and casual encounters with men, and is having an affair with her police partner, Ham. Aside from her faults, Grace is an extraordinarily loving and generous person to those around her. In particular she loves her young nephew, Clay (Dylan Minnette
Dylan Minnette
Dylan Christopher Minnette is an American teen actor and musician.-Life and career:Minnette was born in Evansville, Indiana to Robyn Maker-Minnette, moved briefly to Champaign, Illinois for 5 years, and later moved to Los Angeles to continue his acting career.His first role was a single episode of...
), and devotes a great deal of her time to him.
Earl appears to Grace throughout the series, hoping she'll turn away from her more self-destructive tendencies and seek God's help. Saving Grace does not promote any one religion but does use Grace's story to discuss the topic of faith, and how difficult faith can be in such an imperfect world.
Oklahoma City
Series creator Nancy Miller grew up in Oklahoma CityOklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
, and as a result Saving Grace includes many references to Oklahoma City and the state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. For instance, many of the characters' last names are the names of Oklahoma towns: Hanadarko is derived from Anadarko, Oklahoma
Anadarko, Oklahoma
Anadarko is a city in Caddo County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 6,645 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Caddo County.-Early History:Anadarko got its name when its post office was established in 1873...
; also Clay Norman, Ham Dewey, Butch Ada, Bobby Stillwater and Captain Perry all have last names taken from Oklahoma towns and cities.
The 1995 bombing
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
of Oklahoma City's Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building
Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building
The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was a United States Federal Government complex located at 200 N.W. 5th Street in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. The building was the target of the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995, which killed 168 people, including 19 children...
and its aftermath have been frequently incorporated into the plot and character development of the series. In the show, Grace's sister, who was also Clay's mother, died in the bombing.
In addition, local Oklahoma City eating establishment Johnnies Charcoal Broiler is frequently incorporated.
In an October 2007 trip to Oklahoma City by the cast, writers and producers, Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett
Mick Cornett
Mick Cornett is the current Mayor of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. He also serves on notable positions including the national President of the Republican Mayors and Local Officials , and also serves on the Board of Trustees for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. He was also Chairman of the...
presented Miller and Hunter with Keys to the City.
Show run
Following a 13-episode first season which ran from July 23 to December 18, 2007, Saving Grace ran for a second season of 14 episodes which began on July 14, 2008 and ended on April 13, 2009. The first half of this season ran in the summer of 2008, and its second half ran in the spring of 2009.The third season of Saving Grace began airing on June 16, 2009, shifting from the Monday night slot it had for the first two seasons to Tuesday night. Season three ended sooner than planned, on August 18, 2009, due to the decision to cancel the show. The final nine episodes of the show aired beginning March 29, 2010 and ending June 21, 2010.
On August 13, 2009, the show's producer, Fox Television Studios
Fox Television Studios
Fox Television Studios, Inc. is the TV production arm of the News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group, as well as being the production arm of Fox and a production arm of 20th Century Fox Television, Inc., itself a division of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation...
, canceled the series, despite its high ratings, due to disappointing overseas and DVD sales. TNT had originally ordered a split 15-episode third season, with nine episodes ordered for the summer and six to have been aired in the winter of 2009. Due to the show's cancellation, the summer season ended with ten episodes (one episode, "What Would You Do?", slated for season 2, was delayed until season 3, adding one to the 15 originally ordered for the season), and in March 2010 TNT began airing what were advertised as the final episodes. These were the six remaining episodes of the season, with three new episodes added to bring the series to closure. The final episode of Saving Grace aired on June 21, 2010.
DVD release
| Title | Season One http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Saving-Grace-Season-1/7672 | Season Two http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Saving-Grace-Season-2/8679 | The Final Season http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Saving-Grace-Final-Season/9972 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Release date | July 15, 2008 | June 16, 2009 | July 13, 2010 |
| Ep# | 13 Episodes | 14 Episodes | 19 Episodes |
| Disc # | 4 | 4 | 5 |
The 19 episodes that aired June–August 2009 and March–June 2010 were released collectively as a third and final season.
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/shows/Saving-Grace/10762
International broadcast
UK: Season 1 began on More4 on Monday 29 August 2009 at 11:00 P.M.Portugal: Season 1 and 2 already have been broadcast on Fox Life
Fox Life
Fox Life is a television network, launched by the Fox Broadcasting Company, which airs across Latin America, Europe and Japan . Its basic programming include numerous television series, sitcoms and movies, among others, which includes some original programming in certain regions...
.
- Season 1 - Thursday at 9:00 P.M.
- Season 2 - Monday at 9:50 P.M.
The third season is currently airing on Fox Next
Fox Next
FOX:Next was a television channel operated by Fox International Channels in Portugal. Its programming was basically focused on television series and movies. The channel was launched in Portugal on April 14, 2008, as part of the meo package line-up...
which is also rerunning the previous two seasons.
In Australia, Season 1 has just begun airing on 9th August 2011 on Channel 10 at midnight most week nights.
Japan: Season 1 began on 14 December 2008. Season 2 began on 11 December 2009.
In Quebec, Canada, the series began airing in French on March 5, 2009, on Thursday nights at 9:00 P.M. On March 16, 2010, when season two of the series began, it had its timeslot changed to Tuesday nights at 9:00 P.M. replacing Bones
Bones (TV series)
Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
after its fourth season concluded. The channel decided to air the 10 episodes of the final season following the second season. The last 9 episodes will possibly be aired sometime in the winter of 2011.
U.S. ratings
| Season | Timeslot | Season premiere | Season finale | Viewers Total (in millions) |
Viewers Age 18-49 (in millions) |
Viewers Age 25-54 (in millions) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Viewers Total (in millions) |
Viewers 18-49 (in millions) |
Viewers 25-54 (in millions) |
Date | Viewers Total (in millions) |
Viewers 18-49 (in millions) |
Viewers 25-54 (in millions) |
|||||
| 1st | Monday 10:00PM | July 23, 2007 | 6.4 | 1.94 | 2.47 | December 18, 2007 | ||||||
| 2nd | Monday 10:00PM | July 14, 2008 | 5.2 | 1.61 | 2.29 | April 13, 2009 | ||||||
| 3rd | Tuesday/Monday 10:00PM | June 16, 2009 | 3.5 | 1.6 | June 21, 2010 | |||||||
For calendar-year 2008 on a first-run basis, the series garnered 1.59 million adults in the 18-49 demo.
Critical reception
- The New York Post; Reviewed by: Adam Buckman; Grade: 100; Both "The CloserThe CloserThe Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who often closes her cases using sometimes-questionable methods...
" and Saving Grace are at the top of their games in tonight's premiere episodes. - New York Daily NewsNew York Daily NewsThe Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
; Reviewed by: David Hinckley; Grade: 80; This will be good news to people who enjoy watching train wrecks in which the engineer accelerates as the precipice nears, which is Grace's signature move.