OKC Starring in TNT's "Grace"

This tidbit has been floating in the internet for weeks now, and the Okmetropolis forum was the first to openly discuss it. TNT is developing a drama set in OKC starring Holly Hunter.

GRACE (TNT) - Oscar winner Holly Hunter has been tapped for the lead role in the drama pilot, about a jaded Oklahoma City police detective who is visited by an irascible angel and offered an opportunity to redeem her life. Her character, Grace Anadarko, is detailed in the casting notice as follows: "35. Grace is tough, audacious and sexy as hell. A homicide detective in Oklahoma City, Grace is headed for hell: she sleeps with her married partner, drives drunk, smokes too much, sings along with country music at the top of her lungs and avoids her mother on every occasion. A woman who's broken more than her share of the Commandments, and has turned her back on her Catholic upbringing, Grace is famous within the department for being a hard-nosed cop who clears cases, but her volatile persona keeps her under constant scrutiny, lest she go wholly off the rails. Still guiltily aware of the fact that she contributed in a minuscule way to her sister's death in the Oklahoma City bombing, Grace is an angry, unforgiving woman whose life is about to blow apart at the seams. When she's visited by a tobacco-chewing angel named Earl and ordered to reform her trainwreck of a life, Grace has a "Road To Damascus" moment, and when events (and the forensics lab) prove Earl to be more than a drunkard's dream, Grace begins her journey, stumbling through her Heavenly orders, painfully aware that the road to Calvary is steeper and straighter than the road to Hell." Nancy Miller is behind the Fox TV Studios-based hour, which has been in the works for nearly a year. Gary A. Randall and E. Duke Vincent also serve as executive producers on the project. "Grace" joins "Talk to Me" as the only pilots currently under consideration at the cable channel.

And the fetching Laura San Giacomo will be starring as Grace’s best friend:



LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Laura San Giacomo will co-star opposite Holly Hunter in TNT's drama pilot "Grace."

Hunter plays a jaded Oklahoma City police detective who is visited by an irascible angel (Leon Rippy) and offered an opportunity to redeem her life. San Giacomo will play Grace's best friend, a forensic scientist. Bokeem Woodbine will play a death-row inmate who also can see the angel.

San Giacomo, probably best known for her role on NBC's long-running comedy series "Just Shoot Me!" will next do a multi-episode arc on the CW's "Veronica Mars." The stint will reunite San Giacomo with fellow "Just Shoot Me!" cast member Enrico Colantoni.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

I can only hope they shoot on location as much as possible and reference OKC names as much as possible (people, streets, restaurants, clubs, neighborhoods, and stores other than Wal-Mart).

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True greatness requires many fathers.

For a good time, see http://www.okchornets.com/

Hey, my wife tells me we were on Studio 60 last night. As one of the only markets in the country who censored a comedy sketch. Our reputation precedes us...

After reading the synopsis, I can't imagine that many references would be very flattering.

Holly Hunter often plays characters with thick Southern drawls... I would expect more of the same here.

I think it'll prove to be entertaining and helpful to OKC. It'll show that we actually do have clubs and restaurants to OKC and that we're not a bunch of squares. It's a series, so I think redemption will the dominant theme throughout the life of the program -- if it lasts. I've been a fan of Hunter since Broadcast News, and find her drawl very sexy. It helps that her characters are usually smart.

I luv Studio 60 but cringed at that OKC reference. Shows how much we have to overcome. Grace just may be the antidote.

__________________
True greatness requires many fathers.

For a good time, see http://www.okchornets.com/

This should be a good thing.. we'll have to wait and see.. the Chamber should be all over this - sending the producers and writers, directora and anyone else influential, as much positive info on the city as possible.

I would venture to take it a step further and have them personally invited on a tour of the city, the Memorial, treat them to a few nice restaurants.. that would help our tourism if they took some of what they experienced and worked it into the script.

__________________
“In the end we are all separate: our stories, no matter how similar, come to a fork and diverge. We are drawn to each other because of our similarities, but it is our differences we must learn to respect.”

I hope so. I'm just speculating, but as it will be focused on crime and a down-and-out character, I assume that much of it will be focused on the underside of the city. That's fine with me as long as the city's good side is included as well. My biggest fear is that it will play up the rednecky (sorry, cabbie) or other "negative" stereotypes associated with OKC. I think it will be hard for the writers to ignore the temptation to include Oklahoma stereotypes altogether. Hopefully, they mix in some of the good stuff as well...

Unfortunately, it was fairly accurate of them to single out OKC. Our affiliates are notorious for letting their politics guide their programming decisions.

Hmm, this doesn't portray a good picture of the city's residents. Or am I taking this too seriously? After all, people from other nations thought everyone in Dallas is rich and drinks all the time and drives expensive cars (at least that's what a Swedish professor at OU said in class one time).

Is this not true?

Yeah.

I would rather Grace depict OKC as a gritty city than a huge oil patch and suburbs. I would think they'd portray her as living in a city neighborhood such as Crown Heights. Anyway, it's a drama, you can't expect to have perfect neighborhoods with perfect people.

And it is written by Nancy Miller, who is from Oklahoma. I would think she would see to it that OKC is portrayed honestly in service to the story. What will probably happen is that the neighborhood scenes will be shot in LA while shots of the PD and downtown will be thrown in for context.

__________________
True greatness requires many fathers.

For a good time, see http://www.okchornets.com/

When does all this happen?

Grace Anadarko? Jeeeeez.

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The Old Downtown Guy

It will take decades for Oklahoma City's
downtown core to regain its lost gritty,
dynamic urban character, but it's exciting
to observe and participate in the transformation.

Yeah, I wasn't too thrilled with the name, either.

__________________
True greatness requires many fathers.

For a good time, see http://www.okchornets.com/

This has actually been a news story for about half a year now. The story was first in the Chicago Tribune, I believe. I found this while I was doing my usual hunt on FindArticles.

Hunter to take on her first TV series as Oklahoma City cop
Chicago Sun-Times, Jul 18, 2006 by Nellie Andreeva

In her first foray into series television, Oscar winner Holly Hunter is in negotiations to topline a drama pilot for TNT.

"Grace" centers on a jaded Oklahoma City police detective who is visited by an irascible angel and offered an opportunity to redeem her life.

It follows the breakout success of "The Closer," another TNT drama centered on a strong female cop character. Kyra Sedgwick's show has emerged as the most-watched cable series.

Hunter has been nominated for an Academy Award four times, most recently for "thirteen" in 2003, and won for best lead actress in 1994 for "The Piano."

Meanwhile, another film actress has joined Fox's drama "24" as a regular for next season. Regina King will play Angela, the sister of the late President David Palmer and a powerful advocacy lawyer.

King, who co-starred in such features as "Jerry Maguire" and "Ray," also lends her voice to the animated series "The Boondocks."

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Keep away from Miss Margarita Mean...

Well then, how about the following:

Grace Gotebo
Grace Bowlegs
Grace Hooker
Grace Beaver
Grace Slaughterville

Just a few ideas.

:spin:

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Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. --Master Yoda
Facts can change opinions, opinions cannot change facts.

LOL - you forgot

Grace Watonga
Grace PoncaCity
and my favorite

Grace Tuttle

heavy sigh.. Grace Anadarko

__________________
“In the end we are all separate: our stories, no matter how similar, come to a fork and diverge. We are drawn to each other because of our similarities, but it is our differences we must learn to respect.”

Why are we matching the name of the show with the hick towns surrounding our fine megalopolis?

__________________
Keep away from Miss Margarita Mean...

Um...because it's funny?

__________________
Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. --Master Yoda
Facts can change opinions, opinions cannot change facts.

Here are more of them:

Grace Lawton
Grace Yukon
Grace Moore
Grace Purcell
Grace Antlers
Grace Shawnee

Now, now Anderson I don't believe Moore or Yukon are considered the hick towns around our fire megalopolis.

__________________
Keep away from Miss Margarita Mean...

I like Grace Gotebo personally.

A tabacco chewing angel? Even our angels are redneck stereotypes. I mean I'm all for rednecks, I'm a bit of one myself, but come on.

Unfortunately, if this ever happens, I wouldn't expect it to be like Walker Texas Ranger where they shot extensively around the Big D. Expect it to be shot in Canada somewhere.

And a Catholic upbrining? While they're at the stereotype game why not make her the daughter of a hardnosed Southern Baptist? Anytime someone on tv or in the movies has a spiritual awakening or encounter they are Catholic, anytime they are religious jerk they are Southern Baptist.

I always wondered when Hollywood would even reference the bombing. There has not to my knowledge (and I watch a lot of TV and films) been any plotline or character that even referenced it in someone's past as it's being done here.

I really hope they shoot this here. I don't think it would be any more expensive than Vancouver or Dallas, where Prison Break shoots.