Question: I'm wondering what you think of Saving Grace. I'm from Oklahoma, so I'm trying to figure out if my disappointment with the show comes from how it stereotypically portrays Oklahomans. There are the cowboy and Indian detectives. The angel chews tobacco. Part of the first episode took place at the stockyards, with the redneck millionaire cattleman hitting on Grace. The only character who doesn't seem like a walking stereotype is Grace herself, and she just seems off. A detective in Oklahoma driving a Porsche, even a beat-up one? On what planet? How much do they think detectives earn? And she's Catholic? Not that there aren't Catholics in Oklahoma, but there aren't that many, not like there are Baptists and Methodists. Why stereotype every character but one? Do you think future episodes are going to get any better? For me, the only thing this show accomplishes is to remind me how much I miss Joan of Arcadia. I'm still mad at CBS for that one.
Answer: I've seen the second episode,
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Question: I'm a little worried: I love The Closer and I enjoy watching Heartland right afterward. But the previews for Saving Grace indicate that it is going to go on in the Heartland time period. Have they already canceled this great show? I hope not. I hope they are just going to preview Saving Grace, then it will move to a different time period. Please don't tell me that Heartland is leaving already. It has only been on for a few episodes.
Answer: Matt Roush: You're right to be worried. The numbers for Heartland didn't hold up, and it wasn't getting much critical buzz, to put it mildly, so TNT decided to switch things around and, starting Monday, it has moved Heartland an hour before The Closer on Mondays as a lead-in. Saving Grace was originally scheduled to air on a different night of the week, but TNT is now hoping that Closer fans will stay tuned for Holly Hunter's oddball new show, which feels at times like an R-rated Touched by an Angel uneasily mixed with a procedural crime
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Patty Hewes loves red meat. "I'm thinking steak," declares the glamorously ruthless litigator, played to the cunning Cruella De Lawyer hilt by Glenn Close in FX's twisted new legal thriller Damages. When told her naive young protégée is also a carnivore, Patty approves: "Atta girl."
Meaty roles like Patty Hewes — and Saving Grace's Grace Hanadarko, a booze-swilling Oklahoma detective on the fast track to self-destruction — have brought dazzling stars with the Tony and Oscar cred of Close and Holly Hunter to cable. Not HBO, but high-end basic cable. Their characters, rich in layers and scene-stealing opportunity, are more rewarding than the sorts of roles most actresses of their generat
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Question: Is Aisha Tyler off Ghost Whisperer? Her character, Andrea, died in the finale!
Answer: Exec producer Ian Sander says, "If you think you know what's happening next season — think again. With Ghost Whisperer, the possibilities are endless." Aisha's personal publicist, meanwhile, assures me that her client has not been fired. "It's the nature of the show to be mysterious and deal with unique viewpoints," says the rep. "And obviously, it deals with spiritual issues. It may appear one way, but it may or may not be the case." Sounds like Ghost Whisperer may be veering into Touched by an Angel territory next year.
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Question: How often have you seen a show start off mediocre or as a disaster and then become a surprise hit? I can think of only one. Touched by an Angel was written off as dead after its first season and surprised everyone by being renewed. The second surprise came when, after being renewed, it suddenly came out of nowhere and became a top-10 hit. Do you really think Commander in Chief could pull that off?
Answer: Commander in Chief, no. Its best bet would be to be regarded as a possible utility player if the show could be successfully retooled. But a signature hit for the network? That's looking more and more like the longest of long shots. To answer your broader question, there are many examples of shows that struggled at first but went on to become giant hits: Cheers, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Practice. But none of those shows had quite the backstage turmoil that marked Chief's turbulent freshman year.
Also on Commander, Ryan S. remarks: "I personally would really like
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