“Saving Grace” finale airing Monday night on TNT
Holly Hunter has starred for three seasons as hard-living Oklahoma City police detective Grace Hanadarko in the TNT series "Saving Grace," which makes its series finale Monday night.
After four seasons on TNT, the often-controversial spiritual/cop drama “Saving Grace” will make its series finale Monday night. Created, produced and written by Oklahoma native Nancy Miller, the show centers around Oklahoma City police detective Grace Hanadarko, played by Academy Award winner Holly Hunter.
“We will not soon forget the experience of having an Oscar-winning actress portray an Oklahoma City police officer in a hit national television show created by one of our own,” says Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett in a news release. “We are appreciative to Nancy Miller and the cast and crew of Saving Grace for highlighting Oklahoma City.”
In 2007, “Saving Grace” writers and cast made a trip to Oklahoma City to understand and learn about the city they were portraying onscreen. While here they met with members of the police department, toured various sites around the state, and attended local athletic events. Although the series was never shot in Oklahoma, many second unit shots we filmed here for the show.
“Through ‘Saving Grace,’ Nancy was able to share with a national audience, an updated image of Oklahoma and its culture in a way that has made us proud,” says Jill Simpson, director of the Oklahoma Film & Music Office, in the release.
Saving Grace made its series premiere on July 23, 2007. The ensemble cast includes Leon Rippy, Kenneth Johnson, Bailey Chase, and Gregory Cruz, with Lorraine Toussaint and Laura San Giacomo.
Miller is not a stranger to television drama success. From 1998-2002 she served as creator/executive producer/writer for the Lifetime series “Any Day Now.” From 2002-03, she was executive producer for “CSI Miami.” In 2005, she was executive producer for TNT’s “The Closer.” Most recently she was the recipient of the Gracie Allen Award for Outstanding Producer- Entertainment Series in 2008 for “Saving Grace.”
In 2008 and 2009, Hunter was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series; in 2008 she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series- Drama; and in 2008, 2009, and 2010 was nominated by the Screen Actors Guild for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series.
“Saving Grace” follows the misadventures of hard-living, hard-drinking Detective Grace Hanadarko who receives visits from an unconventional angel named Earl (Rippy). Earl has been sent to guide Grace to her last chance at redemption.
The final two new episodes of the series will air at 8 and 9 p.m. Monday on TNT.
-BAM
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Comments
I am so sad to see this show end – Grace’s journey has been so touching and so true to life. The chemistry between the characters was fantastic. Last nights episode was heart breaking — I can’t believe the ending.
(COMMENT EDITED TO REMOVED SPOILER – BAM) I didn’t see … it … coming at all!!! The final two episodes seemed to be a little rushed (to me) to try to get everything into them. BUT, they were wonderful. I choose to believe Grace finally was ready to believe and give her life to God by destroying evil. I’ve tried to think of who else could have played her character, but there is no one – Holly Hunter was the perfect choice for this role. I’ll miss this show; and wouldn’t it be wonderful for this to continue as Grace coming back to be an angel for . . . I’ll leave that up to the writers. One other thing-there was no conclusion as to Earl.
Grace accepted evil where she never accepted God. Her last act of altruism left all her loved ones devastated and therefore evil still exists. Clay is forever damaged by losing the two most important women in his life, and all the other characters are likewise maimed. I guess the sequel will be the baby trying to live up to her namesake’s legacy.
The whole going to Mexico subtext was irrelevant and not especially well done. While Hunter has been compelling and Grace is now an indelible archetype, one can see in the long run Angels are useless and causing pain to our loved ones is ok if we believe.
I don’t require a happy ending, but Earl’s role in Grace’s life was not consistent with the ending. I guess the writers just wanted to be finished and never see Grace again. A sad end to a truly great series.
Think higher people, think ascension, think about that fact that we were O.K. with angels and God and it was accessible. Most of our culture shuns it all. It came to us accessibly not in the form of organized religion, not in the form of fundamentalism, but in the form of flawed, wounded folks that we can really relate to on some level. I liked that it was food for thought and food for conversation about God.
I did not care for the first hour of the finale, but I did think that the wrap up was good. Grace did learn to love herself, Ham believed and quoted scripture and given where he came from . . . I mean my God! Rhetta received all the proof and validation of God she could have ever asked for, Clay losing his Aunt helped him to heal the loss of his Mother. Ham lost her, but he knew that she loved him and that her death being the “drama” that is was, was completely appropriate, albeit painful.
I did not see her death as her end, but her beginning. Taking her soul to the next level was the best that she could have ever done, and it was done in the name of love. Whether or not evil was vanquished for eternity was never the question, she did what she could do and she did it for others, not just for herself, as so much of her “acting out” had been. It showed growth and healing and great strength. I was happy to witness it. I am not sorry that “Grace” was gone, it was SAVED. I will really miss the series. Holly Hunter and the whole cast are amazing, I hope that we can expect something that is thought provoking enough to have us question things more existential, most enjoyable.
I wondered why Grace’s other two siblings were not at the end when they were bringing Grace out of the building. Her priest – brother and other sister. ANyone see them there? I did not. Thank you.
Debbie
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why is it ending?
i love the show, grace has spirit, spunk, and love for life rarely seen or portrayed in television. she does things fully, sometime with out thought, she lives in the moment. she is a character without equal. her sense of humor, her love of family, her sense of doubt about GOD, are all the things that make her a memeorable charachter.
i enjoy all the others, Earl, the detective, the chief of police all add to the flavor and character. the cast makes themselves seen as a true unit. i am sad to see such talent come to an end.
thanks donna dodson