Review: Saving Grace on TNT

Saving Grace stars Holly Hunter, in great form but with really bad hair (which adds to her tough charm).

Holly's a hard-drinkin', hard-lovin', hard-livin' sandpaper-rough detective named (surprise!) Grace Hanadarko. Grace is driving home one night, unfortunately drunk, and runs a man down. Desperately crouched over the dead man, she says 'O God, please help me' and her guardian angel, Earl shows up. Turns out Earl just faked the whole scene, to bring Grace to her senses and kickstart the 'Saving' in 'Saving Grace.'

It's mildly entertaining, with some nice touches. Earl's a rough-hewn no-nonsense kinda guy, not your mother's guardian angel. Grace's got a great and fun relationship with her beyond annoying into unwatchably annoying.

Grace is supposed to be so lost and dissolute she merits personal notice by God and monitoring in the form of Earl. But to me, except for driving drunk (which she's not repeated) I like everything about her. I don't think she should change a thing. On the infidelity theme episode, Holly's sleeping with her police partner, and when he says they must stop because it's bad, she replies, "I'm not the married one." Because, like, he's the one cheating. I'm not actually applauding sleeping with a married man, but why does she need to be saved? It's ok for him because he's the man, or because he feels bad? Later, her married partner gets all jealous and stupid when another detective lets slip that he and Grace may also have taken some turns in the sack. Like two Alpha-dorks they get into it, and Grace's just like "whatever." Which she should be, why should she be responsible for two guys who can't keep themselves from acting like immature jerks?

She takes no crap, she's kickass at her job, she balances out any ratings-threatening lack of femininity by being a super cool aunt, and she's apparently seen the light on drunk driving. So what exactly does she need saving from? Doing her job well? Catching bad guys? Expecting her cowboy lover to take responsibility for his own childhood traumas?