New TNT Series "Saving Grace" Gets More Airtime

Holly Hunter fans rejoice! TNT's new police detective series, "Saving Grace," will get even more screen time soon, with network executives ordering 15 more episodes for a second season.

"Saving Grace is a wholly original, thought-provoking show with a dynamic, gut-wrenching performance by one of Hollywood's top actresses at its center," said Michael Wright, a senior vice president for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies, in a press release. "We're thrilled at the response to the show and happy that it has connected with its audience. And we're proud to be extending the run of this exciting new series as it continues to build on its success."

Saving Grace focuses on Oklahoma City police detective Grace Hanadarko, played by Hunter. Despite being a cynical and smart detective, Hanadarko hits bottom one night when she drives drunk and hits a pedestrian. After this tragedy, she receives help from an angel named Earl. The episodes of Saving Grace always include a case that the detectives are trying to solve, but it also sheds more light on the characters. Co-stars include Leon Rippy (Deadwood), Laura San Giacomo (Just Shoot Me), and Bokeem Woodbine (The Big Hit).

The first season of Saving Grace launched July 23 on TNT with more than 6.4 million viewers. Those numbers made it the number one series premiere for ad-supported cable this year, according to the press release. The show is produced by Fox Television Studios and creator Nancy Miller, formerly of the TV sitcom "Any Day Now."

Holly Hunter has been a face on the Hollywood scene since the early 1980s. In 1987, she got her big break when she co-starred with Nicolas Cage in the Coen Brothers' Raising Arizona, a comedy about a pair of bumbling criminals. Other notable movies include 1996's Crash and 1993's The Piano, for which she won an Academy Award for her portrayal of a mute woman. Her latest movie, according to IMDB, is "Frost Flowers," a thriller about a man with supernatural powers.

TNT, short for Turner Network Television, premiered as a cable network in 1988. Originally, it existed as a syndication service, bringing programming to other channels. The network started out showing old movies and television show reruns, but in 2001 it was re-branded as an outlet for dramas, including action movies and original series such as The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick. It is one of the channels in the Turner Broadcasting System.

Turner Networks press release. http://www.turnerinfo.com/newsitem.aspx?P=TNT&CID01=55416154-a83f-4fdd-a0eb-cfe05f9e6782

IMDB. "Holly Hunter." http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000456/

Wikipedia. "Turner Network Television." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turner_Network_Television