Last weekend I was excited to see ‘Saving Grace,’ TNT’s cop show starring Holly Hunter, back in my DVR queue–it meant a new season was beginning. The gritty stories and characters appealed to me from the very start, much to my initial surprise–I am not exactly the target audience for a show about a woman cop with a guardian angel.
For two seasons ‘Saving Grace’ has managed to not be heavy-handed about its religious themes. Earl (Grace’s guardian angel) is my least favorite part of the show–but his preaching hasn’t been too overwhelming, and it’s always offset by Holly Hunter’s fabulous acting, not to mention characters like her on-screen love interest, Ham, and her quirky Catholic friend Rhetta. The plots are often gripping and seamlessly weave the religious and spiritual in with the ordinary.

So I eagerly started the season 3.5 premier, “Let’s Talk,” only to quickly feel very disappointed: the first episode did not go down well. Without giving away the season 3.0 cliff-hanger, let’s just say the show took a turn toward the potentially, very explicitly religious, and has begun down the road oward the proselytizing. I’m worried that the new turn in Grace’s character is going to make her into a true believer and soften her beyond repair.
But I’m not ready to give up just yet! Holly Hunter is too riveting to write off this quickly. I’m hoping that ‘Saving Grace’ will manage to salvage itself before too long. And despite the premier, I am eagerly anticipating tonight’s new episode (Monday’s, TNT @10) and those that follow.