savinggrace

The cable networks have been very, very good to women over the last few years. Particularly strong, independent women who are on par, or many times above, the men in their lives. This has been exemplified by characters like Brenda Johnson in The Closer, PJ Franklin on My Boys, Nancy Botwin on Weeds, Patty Hewes on Damages, and the ladies from HBO's Sex in the City.

Last year, someone new joined Leigh, PJ, and the rest of the women of cable. Her name was Grace Hanadarko -- the smoking, drinking, and sexually promiscuous Oklahoma City police detective from TNT's Saving Grace. Grace is played by Holly Hunter, the award-winning actress who has appeared in such films as Raising Arizona, The Piano (for which she won an Academy Award) and The Incredibles. Late last week, Holly spoke to members of the press concerning the second season of Saving Grace (premiering tonight at 10 pm) and what's in store for the hard-living detective.

I didn't watch the first season of Saving Grace, but over the weekend, I had an opportunity to screen the second season premiere, titled 'Have a Seat, Earl.' The show is gritty and heartbreaking, and it's shooting to the top of my Must-Watch List.

First of all, let's get this out of the way: I want Holly Hunter's body. The girl just turned 50 in March, and her body is as fit and toned as a 20-year-old triathlete. Only better, because she's got all the wisdom of a 50-year-old soul.

OK, on to the story. I won't give a blow-by-blow of the episode, which premieres July 14, 10/9c on TNT, but I will talk about key plot-points, so if you're averse to spoilers, you'd best quit reading here. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.

Fans of Six Feet Under know that the show was very big on style. One of the more stylish moments in the each episode came at the beginning when they would introduce us to a new character and then proceed to show us their demise. What follows is a list of my favorite characters from the first few minutes of each episode.

Nathaniel Fisher
This one is a no-brainer. How could the show even exist without the violent accident that took the life of the Mr. Fisher? It's also important to note that the elder Fisher's many returns set the tone for other corpses to pop up and have a conversation with Nate or David.

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Former New Kid on the Block singer/actor Donnie Wahlberg is heading back to series television. Wahlberg will team with and director/producer Jon Avnet for a new TNT series called Morse Code. The title may change, but the set up is Donnie as a war hero who becomes an officer for the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration). His beat is Boston, Donnie's hometown. The show is being scripted by Walon Green (Law & Order) and Avent will direct the pilot.

Wahlberg starred in the 2002 NBC drama, Boomtown, a highly touted series that never lived up to the network's expectations. That was the first time Donnie worked with Jon Avnet. More recently, in 2006, he was the star of Runaway for The CW. He received good notices for Spike's FX's The Kill Point in 2007, co-starring John Leguizamo.

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

1. The Closer (TNT)
2. College Football: Florida State vs. Clemson (ESPN)
3. 2007 Video Music Awards (MTV)
4. WWE Monday Night RAW - 10pm (USA)
5. Saving Grace (TNT)
6. High School Musical 2 (Disney)
7. College Football: Notre Dame vs. Penn State (ESPN)
8. Monk (USA)
9. WWE Monday Night RAW - 9pm (USA)
10. 2007 Video Music Awards Post Show (MTV)

Well, it looks like two of TNT's Monday primetime dramas are coming back for another season. Last week we reported that The Closer was returning for a fourth season. Now it looks like Saving Grace will be returning as well.

Grace, which stars and is produced by Holly Hunter, has received a network order for an additional 15 episodes. Since premiering on July 23rd the show has ranked tops among new cable shows. With its lead-in of The Closer the show has averaged 5.5 million viewers each week.

This leaves Heartland, which stars Treat Williams, as the only TNT Monday night drama yet to be renewed. Hopefully the curse of Everwood doesn't hang over this medical drama.

(S01E05) The preview for Heartland that ran during The Closer said it was a can't miss episode. To be honest, I have no idea what they were on about. There wasn't anything particularly shocking, or interesting, nor any big revelations about any of the characters. It was, for the most part, just like every other episode has been. That is, somewhat disjointed with too little focus on the main characters.

And with this episode, I think they finally lost me. The promise that I saw in the premiere hasn't turned into a show that I am going to watch every week. Add in the fact that my Monday TV schedule is already pretty busy with Inside Nextel Cup, The Closer, Big Love, Hell's Kitchen, and the upcoming Saving Grace, and there just isn't enough room for Heartland. So, I'm checking out of St. Judes, and this will be my last post on the show.