Saving Grace

I started out watching "Saving Grace" (the TV series, not the movie, although the movie is a rare gem--something so funny but not-too-shocking that I could watch with my mother) solely for Holly Hunter. I will watch pretty much anything for Holly Hunter. She is one of the best actresses. Ever. I figured even if she's on a stupid TNT cop drama she'll still bring enough oddity and intensity to the part for me to enjoy it.

That did turn out to be true. Holly Hunter is totally awesome and even when the writing is horribly clichéd and uninspired and nauseatingly uplifting, she makes Grace such a tough, wry, earthy character, so I keep watching. The other actors are not half bad, and I rather like Laura San Giacomo, but I pretty much only watch for Holly Hunter.

One thing I do like is how unabashedly Southern the show is. It really utilizes expressions and stories that would come out of Oklahoma City, and doesn't devolve into Oklahoma City-but-really-it's-just-Southern California, which many shows do. The sense of place is very palpable. Part of that is due to the writer/creator, Nancy Miller, who is from Oklahoma City, and part of it is due to Holly Hunter's delicious Georgia drawl.

The writing has improved much in the second season, and the humorous notes really do make me chuckle. The only thing that has grown increasingly alarming is Holly Hunter's musculature. Is she doing the same scary yoga routine as Madonna? She's more ripped than a detective ever needed to be. Sometimes her biceps scare me.