Saving Grace (TNT)

Holly Hunter stars as Grace Hanadarko, an Oklahoma City police detective who lives fast and loose, drinking too much and sleeping with the wrong men. After driving drunk and killing a man (or so she thinks), Grace asks for help. An unconventional angel named Earl (Leon Rippy from Deadwood) responds, telling Grace that she is headed for hell, but he will help lead her back to the right path.

At first glance, SAVING GRACE is a typical (if particularly racy) cop drama about a hard-living, self-destructive female detective who lives for her work and is at the top of her game. But then a winged angel spitting tobacco into an empty soda bottle appears, and preconceptions about the cable series come to a screeching halt. Bringing God, angels, heaven, and hell into the world of a gritty police drama -- where Grace investigates crimes like child abductions and other violent matters -- is tricky business. What keeps the program from getting too cheesy is the stellar cast.

Hunter plays her role full-force; sometimes it seems like the acting is taking over the character, but then she pulls it back in and delivers powerful moment after moment. Her unconventional angel, Earl, is the perfect foil to penetrate Grace's bitter cynicism. The rest of the cast comes from good stock as well, keeping the show -- which sometimes tends toward formulaic plots -- exciting to watch. But with its vigorous sexual scenes, heavy drinking and smoking, and frank discussion of grizzly crimes, Saving Grace is absolutely adult material.